Fun & Fitness over 50

Today Mrs. MTBMan1 and I visited Smuggler's Notch Ski resort in Vermont. As I just started skiing last year at age 59 and my wife is resuming after a 30 year hiatus we usually stick to the easy (green) to low intermediate (blue) trails. Upon examining the trail guide for Smuggler's Notch we noticed that one of the three mountains into which the resort is divided, Morse Mountain, was almost entirely green trails!



This, we thought, was a no-brainer for us. Of course we would head straight for Morse and probably remain there for the day, which is what we wound up doing. We took the Village Lift to the top of Morse. This is a slow, two-seater lift which takes about 15 minutes to get to the top although there is the option of unloading halfway up.




From the description on the resort website we decided that for the first run of the day we would take Midway to Meadowlark. This was billed as the easiest way down the mountain, and it was, in a way, but in another way, not so easy! This route was in fact the gentlest on the mountain but with several flat spots where we had to resort to poling or skate skiing to keep going, actually very tiring and not much fun for us. However, I do see how it would be an excellent learning slope for beginners because of the shallow grade. Perhaps if conditions were a little faster it would be easier on the upper body. One run on Midway and Meadowlark was enough for us.

After a brief rest, we decided to try Garden Path then straight down the lower lift line. This proved to be just the ticket for us. The sign at the top said that Garden Path was the easiest way down but I'm not sure relative to what. From the top of the mountain the trail makes a few curves down a moderate slope.



After a brief flat where you can keep gliding if you've entered with enough speed the trail makes a deceptively rapid descent down some intermediate terrain. Initially, it doesn't look too steep at all but somehow you pick up speed very rapidly and then the trail does become fairly steep but it is quite wide at that point. After a few more turns and one short steep section Garden Path meets the lower lift line and this is what I found very enjoyable and profitable for learning. The trail at this point until the end is extremely wide and gives me plenty of opportunity to practice garlands while traversing the slope or, if you like, you can pick up as much speed as you want although you need to slow down before the end because this is a slow speed learning area.



There are several other green trails on Morse which I didn't check out because I was having too much fun on the Lower Lift Line and wasn't yet thinking of writing this review.

It 's obvious that Morse is a learner's mountain if you observe the skiers as you ride the lift. It seems that most of the skiers are beginners and for that reason makes me feel less conspicuous about my own clumsiness. You will also notice people constantly gathering for or participating in classes of one kind or another all day long. Smuggler's promotes their resort as a family friendly one and that it certainly is.



It is definitely the best I've seen in my brief career for a first time skier to get comfortable on the slopes with their equipment. I would highly recommend Morse Mountain at Smuggler's Notch to anyone for that purpose.