The winter of 2010-2011 brought a record-breaking amount of snow that blanketed the state throughout much of January and February.  Oddly, many of the storms were southern-based, leaving Vermont and New Hampshire wishing they had a little Yankee Doodle in them. Last winter reminded us that Connecticut still has a lot to offer.  All it took was a little white magic… well maybe more than a little.

Apocalypse snow

More than two feet of snow came overnight in early January and complemented the snow we had received in late December.  Major roads and neighborhoods remained un-plowed for much of the day as the state tried to do its best.  With most local areas in a post-apocalyptic state, we gathered our gear and walked out of our backyard to venture into the unknown.

Hiking for the goods

Connecticut may not have a lot of vertical, but that’s not always needed if the terrain is right.  We were surprised to find more open lines than we had imagined in our own neighborhood.  As soon as roads showed signs of clearing, we followed our usual routine of packing the car, except this time there was no I-91 North in our future.  Instead we began exploring as many local areas as we could think of, including state parks, orchards, apartment complexes, and anything else that had a little pitch.

Endless possibilities

Although the “runs” weren’t long, they had a lot of character.  We came across several areas with large boulders scattered in the woods that had open and soft landings.

Abo dropping in

Will getting after it

Throughout the winter we spent several days exploring terrain we had only dreamed of skiing during those hot summer hikes.  On a couple of occasions we found ourselves skipping out on a weekend in Vermont to continue our quest at home.

Blue Steel: from the runway to the mountains of CT

Our unique experience showed us that our home has the potential to be as good as anywhere else in the Northeast.  Although it was a rare opportunity, it taught us that we don’t have to worry about the next time we can’t drive north.  There are plenty of opportunities just waiting to be explored right outside our backyards.  So next time we get eight feet of snow, I know exactly where we’ll be.  Home.

Could've used a skier crossing sign

Jake dropping possibly one of the biggest hits ever in CT

"I want to ski that, and that, and that one over there, and I can definitely drop that..."

Degree 7 is the final installment for the 7 Degrees series.  Many of us attended the University of Connecticut and were familiar with the amount of possibilities the campus had.  All it took was a good amount of snow, some creativity and a banshee bungee from our friend (who unfortunately got hurt early in the day).  The campus environment is great for showing people that you don’t need a large hill or high tech equipment to enjoy winter sports.  Highlighting our winter was Abo and Will sliding the iconic UConn sign on the main road, leaving their mark as students and shredders.

Degree 7 was filmed by Eric Leone, Will Harris, Eric Abo and Jake Glass. Special thanks to Colorado Ski Shop, Ski the East and Mission Fitness.

Song: “Talk Amongst Yourselves”
Artist: Grand National

Thanks for following 7 Degrees!  We hope you enjoyed them and please continue to follow us for more videos and updates from this past winter.

Degree 6 takes Sevenpair from the east coast park to the west coast powder. We didn’t spend too much time filming park that year at Killington, but we were able to enjoy a great couple of days in sunny weather with our local crew. The trip out west to Vail and Beaver Creek provided Will, Jeff and Eric with terrain that is much harder to come by back home. Although we didn’t get a lot of snow, there was still plenty of fresh snow to play in and soften the landings. The extra fluff especially made Will’s confidence go up at he sent it far and high under the chair. That’s 500 extra points for ripping under a chairlift.

Degree 6 was filmed by Eric and Jeff Leone. Special thanks to Colorado Ski Shop, Ski the East and Mission Fitness.

Song: “What’s That”
Artist: Palov

The last degree in the 7 part series will be released next week. Be sure to keep checking back on the website and Facebook for more updates and info.

Looking like mid-winter conditions in the woods

I soon realized there were no more than a few new inches outside, but the strength of the snow kept me optimistic.  That day I explored some woods with a fun layer of fresh snow while the snow kept pressing on all day.  By Friday night there were accumulation totals around 6 inches; not quite what I had hoped for, but the snow in the woods felt much deeper than that.

No signs of spring here

The next day I was joined by my brother Jeff and we returned to the area I had explored the previous day.  As we pushed the terrain’s boundaries, we were greeted with deeper snow each run.  It was in the thirties that day and the conditions were light on top and sticky underneath which created an interesting surface to ski on.

Don’t forget to wax your skis unless you want to take the snow with you as a souvenir

Regardless of it being April, we skied some of the best lines of the year.  There was a deep base, little underbrush, fresh snow, and a plenty of smiles.  Maybe this was Mother Nature’s April Fool’s joke on us.  Perhaps she wanted to give us one last tease of winter before the snow starts to melt.  At the very least, it was a reminder of why I personally love skiing and exploration.  This past storm just makes me more eager to return to the mountains; whether it will be later this month or this November.  Until next time, I’ll remember this April Fool’s storm with a laugh and always recall how stubborn winter can be.

Finding the fresh

Part 2 from our trip to visit Jake at school in PA. After the first day of skiing, we received a very unique tour of Jake’s freshman dorm and all its finest amenities. Some of the highlights included his patent-pending sleep kit and the five star restroom facilities.

Bear Creek provided us with another great day of PA riding. Once again more than half of the mountain was littered with rails and jumps, which provided us with plenty to keep ourselves busy.

Over the course of 2 days we rode more than 20 hours and mostly rails which is pretty appropriate to Jake’s style. It was a great weekend and we hope to go back soon for some more fun park laps and PA antics.

Degree 5 was filmed by Eric Leone. Special thanks to Colorado Ski Shop, Ski the East and Mission Fitness.

Song: “Parisian Glam Slam”
Artist: Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra

Be sure to keep checking back on the website and facebook for more updates and info.

Part 1 of 2 from our trip to visit Jake at school in PA. Eric, Eric and Will made the drive from Uconn to Muhlenberg College to give Jake a well deserved study break. Our first day consisted of 10 hours of skiing at Big Boulder which has rails and jumps on virtually every trail. This also meant that all recreational riders join in on the same trails as well which led to some very PA-esque moments. We quickly got acclimated to the riding style of the locals and lapped the rickety chairs from sunrise to sunset and into the night.

We made our way back to Jake’s dorm that night where we received a very unique tour of the PA college life. The next degree will continue with the tour and our final day of the trip at Bear Creek Mountain.

Degree 4 was filmed by Eric Leone. Special thanks to Colorado Ski Shop (coloradoskishop.com), Ski the East (skitheeast.net) and Mission Fitness (missionfitnessllc.com).

This is a slightly re-edited version of the edit released earlier this year but we want to re-release it for everyone who didn’t see it the first time.

Degree 3 was filmed by Eric Leone. Special thanks to Colorado Ski Shop, Ski the East and Mission Fitness.

The next degree in the 7 part series will be released next week. Be sure to keep checking back on the website and facebook for more updates and info.

Enjoy!

Hillmans Highway from Hojos

On the trek up to the floor of the ravine we ran into a couple of friends from high school and college.  Random how these things work out.  Will and I summitted Mount Washington by noon, had our toast at the top, and then headed back down the northeast snowfields to start.  The snow was perfect spring conditions; slightly sinky, but still great for what it was.

At the Summit

Our first descent into the bowl took us down the right gully, right down into the drunken/high mess of a crowd.  The sleds had come out, the hot doggers were everywhere, and the oohs, ahhs, and boos from the crowd managed to fill the bowl.  Right next to our base area (mainly where we threw our gear into the bushes) a few people built a jump.  People started throwing backflips (or at least attempting to) much to the amusement of the onlookers.

Will dropping into Right Gully

Jeff ripping Right Gully

Will and I then started up for a quick lap down the Chute.  As we were hiking up we passed a woman who proceeded to tell us that she was, “glad she took a $70 lesson.”  She was hiking up a 40 degree+ pitch.  I could sense a disaster coming…  We quickly passed by her and managed to click into our skis on the steep slope, which just so happened to be about 10 feet or less from a crevasse, which we didn’t realize until after we started clicking into our skis.

The Chute, Nice and Steep

Jeff in The Chute

The snow in the Chute had tons of snow slide “gullies” down the middle of the trail, which made for some interesting hop turns (and/or straight-line runs) through them.

Will hiking up Left Gully on our way to Hillmans Highway

Our last run of the day began close to 3:30pm.  The sun was beginning to set behind Tuck’s, so we needed to hike pretty fast to not lose the daylight.  This time, on our way up, we spotted a ripper coming down the skier’s left of the Lip, right next to the boot-pack.  He was weaving in and around the hikers (within a few feet of them!).  Will knew that karma would get to him.  Of course, as soon as he was on the run-out, he clipped the one rock in his way, double ejected, and sent his skis flying into the Ski Patrol rocks… Sweet, sweet karma.

Will killing the bumps on the Sherburne Trail

After skiing Hillman’s Highway, we had a nice, long, bump run down the Sherburne Trail.  Perfect medium-sized bump lines soon gave way to mud and rock sections, which our skis didn’t take too kindly too…  All in all, it was a great day at Tuck’s.  We will definitely have to return next year, and we’ll be hoping for the perfect day then too.

Watching “To and From.”

Colorado Ski Shop schwag.

More schwag.  Love that word.

There were tons of free toss outs to the crowd.

The Eric’s and Will introducing the movie.

Settling in for the premiere.

Groupies?!

Will you’re so sketchy…

Rockin’ the Colorado Ski Shop shirts.  Snow all around.