Dead-end trails

lotsoskiing

So it’s been a while since the last goofy “guess it” thread, so since all of you should be relaxing after another great day during this incredible season, my offering:

Name trails that, if taken to their physical end, leave you with no option but to walk along a parking lot or road to get back to a lift. Cutback trails not included; if it is clear below the cutback and if you ski it you end up on pavement/dirt road, it counts

Close to home:
Sugarbush/LP: Cat’s Meow and Village Run
Sugarbush/ME: Snowflake
Mad River Glen: Lower Antelope…way, way down…

Others?

Cheers!

justkeepmovingne

Good thread idea! Always enjoy them.

Loon has a couple if I remember right - one to the condos on south peak, and another that is a branch off fox run maybe that you can take to a parking lot? Can’t remember for sure, it’s been like 3 years since I’ve been there.

skelley19

justkeepmovingne I think the Loon trail you are thinking of is called Escape Route which takes you directly to a parking lot.

At Stratton yesterday I noticed a well marked trail that said to Parking Lot 2 and no lift access. I just checked the map and it looks Tree Top Way is that trail to Lot 2 access.

Saddleback has several trails off of Lower Hudson Highway that lead to condos/parking lots and they are usually marked well with a sign reading “Cond Access Only”. Also Morning Glory is intersected by the access road so you’d have to remove skis to get to the other side and then down the rest of the trail to the South Brand Quad.

Waterville has some trails that can take you to different parking lots at the end of the day.

woodcore

Snowtrak @ Okemo
Tree Top Way @ Stratton

DrJeff

Bear’s Crossing at Mount Snow

snowphoenix

Lower Stub’s Trail and Whiffletree Egress at Sugarloaf
Grand Avenue at Sunday River
Highridge, Fall Line, Edgemont/Whiffletree, and Trail Creek at Killington

JMaul

A bunch at Killington to the condos on Mountain Road.

lotsoskiing

Yeah, many of these will be ones built to access housing only. Some are oddities, such as they used to be part of a lift pod (the two little ones at Sugarbush.

Another is Thomas at Dartmouth. Go to the bottom and you hit the road and have to hoof it.
The Allen at Midd sort of fits as well- the very bottom leads to a dead flat/uphill return to lift.

millerm277

lotsoskiing

Another is Thomas at Dartmouth. Go to the bottom and you hit the road and have to hoof it.

It’s the most convenient way to switch sides of the mountain from Winslow -> Holt’s. From there you can pretty much just ski right up to the road, walk across, pop the skis back on, and have an easy skate to the lift. Much less walking + no uphill vs changing sides in front of the lodge.

lotsoskiing

millerm277 Yep, but still hits a road that you walk across unless it hasn’t been plowed.

riverc0il

I’m not sure L.A. at MRG would count. The official trail is the traverse to Rockefellers. The 19th is not part of the ski area. I think there is an extension of L.A. down to Schuss Pass, but that is not part of the trail. It depends if you want to include off map / unofficial trails and condo access… or if you are strictly using the on map path of the trail. I would consider the path from L.A. trail proper to Schuss Pass to be condo access and not part of the official trail. Kinda like Rat, though you can get back to the Practice Slope that way, as well, but it does end in a parking lot (not an official trail, either).

Temporarily, Kinsman Glade and Tramline at Cannon both deadend at a parking lot and require a little uphill walking to get back to the lifts.

lotsoskiing

riverc0il Yeah that lower chute of LA is what I meant. Ended up there several times as a kid and had to schlep to the lift, as well as to the house we stayed at.

NewEnglandSkier13

skelley19 Morning Glory is not a dead end. Perhaps we should have a different thread about trails that you have to cross roads to ski?

ski_itJR

It looks like Mont Sutton has a trail to condos as well glades that you land on a skin track.

justkeepmovingne

ski_itJR Sure does. My buddy and I thought about going down them without consulting a trail map, but waited till after lunch. During lunch, I looked at the map and saw the footnote about the 1.4km traverse and was instantly relieved we didn’t go that way.

There did seem to be a lot of people out there skinning it that day though - nearly 30 people lined up single file transitioning just about Fantaisie at one point.

NewEnglandSkier13

ski_itJR It looks like Mont Sutton has a trail to condos as well glades that you land on a skin track.

Those glades are super fun to ski; they’re wide open and mellow. Just don’t miss the cut back to lift!

ski_it

Did someone say Tenney? EZ Street and part of the park. Also over at Mittersill - North Slope

joshua_segal

Wilson’s at Ragged.
The Bruce at Stowe
A glade at Jay, but its name is eluding me

riverc0il

joshua_segal A glade at Jay, but its name is eluding me

Nothing on map at Jay deadends, everything goes back to a lift. The Dip goes to 242, but that is OOB. Maybe you are thinking about that, but it is off map.

ski_itJR

At jay there is Timbuktu on lookers left. You can stay far skiers right and end up in the dip. This would drop you onto rt 242. On the lookers right side there’s the beaver pond glades. If you go really far skiers left and don’t hit the cliffs you could end up on a cross country trail back to the base area.

skelley19

Ah yes @ski_itJR I made both of those mistakes at Jay on my first couple visits. When we ended up on 242, a nice guy with a truck let us hop in the bed. Luckily we missed the cliffs but ended up with a little bit of a slog on the cross country trails when we stayed too far skiers left on Beaver/Andre’s. Lessons learned and I know where to cut back from the Orchard/Dip now so I can avoid 242 unless we intentionally park a car over there. I have also learned that everybody tends to go towards Timbuktu and Beaver but there is awesome off map woods all over the middle of the mountain especially if you are willing to bushwack a little bit to get in.