Echo Woods!
Some trails at Killington are possessed by with a magical & mystical power. These are the trails where your soul seems to float just above the wide open groomers. Or perhaps you find magic in a trail so rarely open that any trip down without a scratch in your skis must have been glorious. For some, it's that magnificent bump run where survival is somehow translated into excellence. But there is one trail at Killington that has been my favorite since the beginning: the twisty turny tree trails of Echo Woods.
It would all begin with the begging at the top of Roundabout. "Please, Please?" we would whine at the top of our lungs. Coach would eventually give in and we quickly found ourselves bopping down something that resembled a combination mogul & bobsled run that was perfect only for those with the right amount of energy and motivation. This was the trail toward the best chairlift in the entire world: The South Ridge Triple. With eyes closed and arms held high, we would giggle in anticipation of the "Sudden Turns Ahead" and scream into the wind as we were jerked like rag dolls around the bullwheel. And then the singing would begin. From the Littlest Worm to Beauty & the Beast to Madonna, it didn't matter. There we would be, chair after chair of screaming children, using all our energy to keep from freezing to death in the harsh winds of the exposed South Ridge.
The suffering was always worth it. From the top of the lift straight down to Echo Woods we would slide, working on the hippest stease of the day: spraying snow. But pretty soon, all we could hear was each other screaming as someone over there crashed into a bush whereas someone over there was thrown out of the track. A third would have lost their ski in the snow and was trying to simultaneously dig and avoid getting skied over while another was worried if they had gotten too far from the group. A five-child pile up was a commen site. You would come hard around a corner only to be the latest victim in a giggling tangle of arms, legs, skis & poles. Ah, the mountain is a wonderful place when you're young.
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| Lost in Echo Woods: 20 Years Later! |
The suffering was always worth it. From the top of the lift straight down to Echo Woods we would slide, working on the hippest stease of the day: spraying snow. But pretty soon, all we could hear was each other screaming as someone over there crashed into a bush whereas someone over there was thrown out of the track. A third would have lost their ski in the snow and was trying to simultaneously dig and avoid getting skied over while another was worried if they had gotten too far from the group. A five-child pile up was a commen site. You would come hard around a corner only to be the latest victim in a giggling tangle of arms, legs, skis & poles. Ah, the mountain is a wonderful place when you're young.
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