March 9, 2010:
Ski Butternut, Mass
Ski Watch Reporter Harris

Ski Watch Reporter Harris skied at Ski Butternut in the Berkshires of Massachusetts on Tuesday, March 9. Here's what he had to say about his ski day:

4pm  Summary Report
Temperature range: 34 degree am  49 degrees pm   Winds: very light 5 mph   Base:  42” and thining

Wow!  What a great day of pre spring skiing.  My ski experience today at Butternut lasted from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm and it was simply wonderful.  Best skiing could be found in the early morning from 10-11 am and between 3-4pm for optimal Spring Ski and riding conditions.

Summit conditions were maintained pretty well throughout the day along with mixed conditions including soft corn snow on most mid mountain trails by mid day and lower mountain mashed potato skiing at the base.  Light skier and rider traffic along with very
mild temps with clear blue sky throughout the day made this one of my best days out this season.  Very light winds 5-10 mph made for a really nice overall experience.

Monday was even better I was told and Wednesday March 10 looks to be very similar to Tuesdays conditions, however, be careful for Thursday and into this weekend… as a wet rainy weather forcast may make this one of the last great days of this ski season for  Berkshire Mountain skiers and riders.  Rain could be a real factor this coming weekend.    

All 22 trails were open today along with three quads to the summit: Top Flight, Highline, and the Cruiser Quad to the summit.  Paddy’s double chair was also open for novice and younger skiers.

Favorite trails today from the summit:  Upper Applejack, Lucifers Leap,  Fiddler, Whip, and Freewheeler.  Lower Applejack became a bit mushy after 2 pm but still very enjoyable.  Coverage on all these trails was excellent despite the warm afternoon temps.  Downspout and Whip both advanced trails were the most fun today, soft moguls on Downspout provided a good late afternoon workout, again both trails had excellent coverage and few if any thin spots.

Today was a “Spring Cruising” Day at Butternut.  I enjoyed the slower skiing conditions and allowed myself top to bottom skiing straight from the summit down the fall line with short swing turns along with gentle increases in speed.   One did need to exercise caution when approaching the base as the conditions became very mushy and mashed potato in consistency. 

Butternut is now officially offering $25 lift tickets for adults throughout March and through the end of their ski season.   midweek ski and stay packages are now being offered from $49.   5th graders can ski or ride FREE Sunday through Friday with a ticket paying adult.  Tubing is another fun option at Butternut for Saturdays and Sundays.   Have fun while it lasts!

 

-Ski Watch Reporter Harris