Trail names with interesting "backstories"

lotsoskiing

An exercise for all of us waiting for terrain to expand before heading out to the slopes:

Excluding trails named after prominent ski area figures (owners, ski school heads, developers), ski racing titles (FIS), prominent donors (many of the trails at Middlebury), and local geography/history, what NE trails have interesting “backstories” that resulted in their naming/renaming?

For instance: KT 22 at Squaw (yes, it’s not NE), is purportedly names as such b/c it took 22 kick turns to get down it, back in the day.

IBRAKEFORTBARS

Not sure if this is really a backstory but trails sometimes carry names relative to the character or name of the resort. This is true at Song Mountain where most carry the names of hit parade and musicals: ie: Hello Dolly, Moonglow, and the mile-long Sentimental Journey.

lotsoskiing

<blockquote class=“Quote” rel=“IBRAKEFORTBARS”>Not sure if this is really a backstory but trails sometimes carry names relative to the character or name of the resort. This is true at Song Mountain where most carry the names of hit parade and musicals: ie: Hello Dolly, Moonglow, and the mile-long Sentimental Journey. </blockquote>

No, not looking for themes (logging at Sugarloaf, fly fishing at Saddleback, all things cosmic at Crotched). Just trail names that have a story behind them besides just a simple honorific.

Curious about, for example: Bim’s Whim  at SR and Wilfred’s Gawm at Attitash. 

obienick

Allegedly LOSTBO is named for Les Otten after he allegedly had Attitah employees counting cars at Black. Rest of the acronym is NSFW.

lotsoskiing

<blockquote class=“Quote” rel=“obienick”>Allegedly LOSTBO is named for Les Otten after he allegedly had Attitah employees counting cars at Black. Rest of the acronym is NSFW.</blockquote>

That’s what I am looking for. Have heard that one but thought it had been debunked. A good chuckle though

IBRAKEFORTBARS

Does Stein’s Run at Sugarbush count? Not sure if Stein Erickson was an owner/founder there. Maybe he was on staff or, as a part of skiing royalty, took a fancy to the place.

lotsoskiing

<blockquote class=“Quote” rel=“IBRAKEFORTBARS”>Does Stein’s Run at Sugarbush count? Not sure if Stein Erickson was an owner/founder there. Maybe he was on staff or, as a part of skiing royalty, took a fancy to the place.</blockquote>

Ski school director. Doesn’t count for this little exercise, nor do Sigi’s Ripcord, Walt’s Trail (first owner of Glen Ellen), Lew’s Line, Egan’s Woods, Lixi’s Twist, and so on…

lotsoskiing

Another one that fits the bill is “Gema” at Waterville. Austrian/German/Swiss German slang for “Let’s go!”, purportedly said often by the early ski school folks.

NewEnglandSkier13

<blockquote class=“Quote” rel=“lotsoskiing”><blockquote class=“Quote” rel=“obienick”>Allegedly LOSTBO is named for Les Otten after he allegedly had Attitah employees counting cars at Black. Rest of the acronym is NSFW.</blockquote>

That’s what I am looking for. Have heard that one but thought it had been debunked. A good chuckle though</blockquote>

That’s a popular story, but I think I heard it was actually named after a lost dog named Bo.

NELSAP

While researching the new book, found out the Jiminy’s 360 slope was named because it faced due north. Slingshot at Jiminy had huge tree in the middle that divided the trail like a slingshot. Robber Oak at Otis was named after a nickname for a large oak tree on the slope. The Ghost trail at Pittsfield was cut first - and its sister trail was named Shadow.

Cannonball

“Stinky Street” at Cannon is supposedly named because a groomer ran over a skunk there one night.

lotsoskiing

<blockquote class=“Quote” rel=“NELSAP”>While researching the new book, found out the Jiminy’s 360 slope was named because it faced due north. Slingshot at Jiminy had huge tree in the middle that divided the trail like a slingshot. Robber Oak at Otis was named after a nickname for a large oak tree on the slope. The Ghost trail at Pittsfield was cut first - and its sister trail was named Shadow.</blockquote>

Nice- this is what I am looking for. Love the old lore.

MRG: not all that novel, but the Slalom Hill used to be the slalom racing and training venue. T-bar shack rebuilt as nature center.

newman

Nicki’s Run at Bousquet was named after the areas longtime mascot, a dog.

rickbolger

>>That’s a popular story, but I think I heard it was actually named after a lost dog named Bo.<<

  Yes and from what the GM at Black told me a couple years ago, there were a few other crazy acronyms.

loafasaur

Mt. Abram has to be high on this list with many trail names and 2 lift names coming from the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon show.  My favorite is the main chair’s moniker:  The Way Back Machine.  This theme was started by the original owners, the Cross Brothers of Bethel.

z1000307470

Great Gorge North’s (now Mountain Creek’s Granite peak) Pipeline trail has a natural gas pipeline underneath the trail. The pipeline was owned originally by the Tennessee Gas and Transmission Company - later known as Tenneco. Pipeline is no longer on the Mountain Creek trail map.

Bill29

Just beyond the top of Polar Express near the summit of  Mt. Wachusett there is a plaque paying tribute to the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division and its service in Italy during World War II. The 10thMountain Trail is named for that division. The plaque is inscribed with a tribute to the sacrifices and valor of those soldiers. The last line reads “Sempre Avanti.”(The following information came from a topic a year or two ago about statues or plaques  at ski areas).There were several skiers from Worcester and Central Massachusetts who served in the 10th in Italy. Some, like Mason Flagg, were members of the first ski troops recruited, before the 10th was formed. I think they made up a Regimental Combat Team but I don’t remember the designation. It might have been the 87th RCT. I know Mason fought against the Japanese in the Aleutians before coming back to Fort Hale, Colo., when the 10th was trained. He then fought against the Germans in Italy. (He was wounded by shrapnel. In addition to the Purple Heart, Mason  also was awarded the Bronze Star and two Oak Leaf Clusters, the equivalent of two more Bronze Stars, as I understand it).Olle Manninen (Sp?), first ski school director at Wachusett, also was in the 10th in Italy. He is credited with saving a badly wounded young lieutenant and pulling him back to where a medic could get him to a  field hospital. The lieutenant was Bob Dole, later senator from Kansas and GOP candidate for president. (I’m  sorry I don’t remember the names of some of the other local men who served with the 10th in Italy. As many of you know, members of that division who survived WWII came back to develop ski areas and otherwise get involved in ski business. They created the boom in the industry after the war.

spk27alumni

There is a good one for Killington.  I heard about this years ago from a long time acquaintance, who owns a lodging establishment there. Here is how the story went.  A steep section of trees, between Racers Edge and Spillway, was frequently skied by the locals…when the coverage was sufficient. They called the trees in there the “Toilet Bowl”.  When a slope was finally cut through those trees, it was given the name of the “Royal Flush” 

bmwskier

Cindy’s Slope at Holiday Valley is named for a local girl who died in a car accident

Stewardess Cut was allegedly made for a group of stewardesses that could not handle the headwall of Yodeler. 

Shadows was named because it was heavily forested as a trail and it doesn’t get any sun at all. 

lotsoskiing

great stuff- keep ’em coming!