Terrain
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The ski area has a surprising amount of terrain from beginner to expert. There is no snowmaking and minimal "packing" (not grooming), and with smaller crowds, powder skiing can be found well into the afternoon hours. On the day I skied, there was a couple inches of solid base, topped with up to a foot of the smoothest powder possible. Little was packed and the entire mountain was doused in powder. However, there were a couple of paths that were packed by this Thiokol Imp.
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| A trail map (courtesy of the Mt. Greylock Ski Club) shows the wide variety of terrain. The main summit lift is featured in the middle of the map, with the beginner tow on the lower right. The top half of the mountain has mostly twisting, narrow trails, with the lower portion featuring wide open slopes. |  |
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A Terraserver shot shows terrain quite nicely. As you can see, there are many ways to choose your own adventure down. |
| The Max Souter Trail, names
after a long time member, on the far eastern portion of the mountain, is
a narrow, twisting, and long beginner trail. The trail takes you quite a
distance from the main area and back again.
The Black and Blue Glade is not a misnomer - its a very challenging glade off the Max Souter. Blister and Whippenpoof are narrow, twisting intermediate runs that are full of fun. They open out on the East Slopes, several moderately steep chutes. The Chute trail, pictured to the right, used to be a racing trail until the 1970's. Its straight down the fall line and can be a quick shot to the base area. Check out the awesome view as well.
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The Broken Pillow Trail
(entrance shown on the left), is another expert twist of a trail. It was
named after a field trip some racers went on to NH. They had a pillow
fight, and "broke the pillow". Their punishment was to cut
this trail.
Also here are the entrance to KD 53 (short for Killer Diller 1953) and Twisteroo - more narrow intermediate runs. |
| The Crest trail is a beginner run along the western edge of the area. Off this trail can be found the The Boomerang Glades featuring gobs of powder that wasn't touched! Here's looking up into the glades. |
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Here is Jeff Strait, Treasurer of the club, skiing through the bottom portion of the glades. |
| The West Slopes are wide open and full of untouched powder. |
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Finally, the West Pasture features tree islands and a great view of the lodge. As you can see from all these photos, there are runs for everybody. |
Lost Elements
| As with any open area, there are always "lost" elements that can still be viewed. The ski jump ceased to exist in the 1970's one someone drove a tractor off the top, tipping it over! The person suffered acid burns but survived. A rope tow that used to serve this jump has been removed - but you can see the liftline to the right. It hasn't been in use since around 1980. |
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Membership
Membership is very affordable, only $60 for an individual and $120 for a family. That is less than the cost of a full day at some other resorts! And for this, you can see at your own ski area, enjoying it with your family and friends.
Members participate in maintenance for the area - keeping trails clear, running lifts, cleaning the lodge, etc. That is how the club keeps membership costs so affordable.
Other Things To Know
With the area being rustic, there is no electricity. Lifts are run by gasoline. There are also two outhouses in back of the lodge. There is no cafeteria service, but some drinks/snacks were available for purchase on the honor system. You would want to bring your lunch.
Also, the road in is narrow - its one way up until 230PM, and one way down afterwards. There is a parking area 0.3 miles before the area in case you need to leave earlier.
I Want to Ski Here - How Can I Sample It?
Anybody can sample the area for just $6. Let them know you are coming, by emailing the area here. Or, just show up and sign in the lodge at the first table. They'll be happy to show you around.
Directions (From Their Website)
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From the center of Williamstown:
From Lanesborough, Pittsfield, and points south:
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From the Albany, New York, area:
From the Boston area or the Springfield area:
Visit their Website: www.mtgreylockskiclub.com
Call the Snow Phone: 413-445-7887
Special Thanks!
A special thanks goes out to Jeff Strait, Treasurer, who allowed me to check out the area and showed me around. Dick Bailey and Burt Wright took time out to tell me about the history of the area and were a wealth of knowledge on other lost ski areas. Everybody I met was as friendly as possible and I hope to check out the area again. We may do a NELSAP trip here next season.
