First report, 1/09:
I got out late today. All the terrain was open but I missed freshies by about an hour. I skied stuff I never skied before (new Skyline Glades) and stuff I hadn't skied in years (the truncated East Wall Glades). I concur on Stem, it seemed a little thin for snow making but the second head wall on Lower Ex had about the best coverage I've seen thanks to the new HKDs. The Ditch was nice as was Edgeset, softest bumps on the hill. I saved Lower 66 for last after a beer. I liked the bumps above Ex and even in the transition but by the last steep pitch I pulled up and fell off trail and post holed the deep there, took awhile to dig out. Nice to see all the natural opened.
I went back again on Wednesday 1/13
August West aka zooman
top 'o the Alleghenies
Tuesday was a typical BK day, cold and windy. The morning overcast broke up for a swift moving cloud & sun day. The wind chill was sharp. All the typical groomers were virgin cord and wicked fast, Mambo, Jack Rabbit , X-way, High Hopes, The natural was white plate with heavy wind whipped powder in the low spots.
Lower Route 66
It seems to me that the BK crew have spent some time making little tweeks that make for a nicer skiing experience. Good snowmaking gets Lower Extrovert open sooner and probably longer. The glades seemed to be more manicured around the edges opening up just a touch more terrain. The marked get in off of Stembogen to East Wall Glade and the clean up in there make this, the most difficult section, the most accessible since the glade was first cut.
East Wall Glade
East Wall headwall
The new Skyline Glade starts out between the terrain park and Expressway and benefits from snowmaking blow in. It starts flat but is a little tighter then the others. After a short tight drop it widens out and feeds you out on a corner of Mambo. Keep right and head down Laurel Run Glade and you have one of the longest sustain tree runs on the hill.
Skyline Glade
Laurel Run Glade:
Extrovert was edgeable machine made hard pack with plenty of lose stuff pushed in spots. Coverage was good but the base is what impressed me. On Lower's last head wall coverage was excellent side to side.
Extrovert
