Massachusetts High Point Video is Released

Today a High Point Short episode on Mount Greylock was released. The short film blends never before released footage of the 2001 ski of the Thunderbolt Ski Trail with a more recent 2018 ski. The piece features beautiful shots of the Berkshires in mid-winter along with POV shots of the 1934 trail. At times you will see the trees on the side of the trail matched to show how things have changed and not changed. Today you’ll find a bridge where the guys had to leap the stream before.

Old and new video blended:

The unique angle of the film blends VHS video from 2001 and HD footage from 2018. At times I matched even the same trees up.

In 2001 we see skiers Bill Fishman (in the white hat) and YouTube skier P.L. (YouTube: 220ski220) ripping down the corn in solid form, trying to jump the stream.  The late John “Bushwhack” Winkler (first guy to bushwhack all 46 Adirondack 4000′ peaks) tags along on snowshoes.

In the 2018 footage I lead Pat Thompson up the peak. Pat is a long time Colorado tele skier who got his first taste of Northeastern peaks on this trip. This time volunteers had finished the heafty bridge across the stream. I felt plenty of nostalgia for the original trip as the sun and corn were epic for a young guy. While later in life we may do bigger things, the first few years of backcountry skiing really make an impression.

Go explore the Berkshires on Skis:

Celebrate the last chunks of wild lands in Western Massachusetts with a trip of your own, after all the Thunderbolt Ski Trail is easy enough for single black diamond level skiers to navigate. Western Mass doesn’t get the same good snow cover as the Adirondacks, Green Mountains or White Mountains, but when there is a few feet on the ground you get all the same terrain with 2000′ vert off of several aspects. The trail makes Greylock a great beginner mountain for those interested in getting into backcountry, however if you go don’t boot up the trail, snowshoe or skin off to the side and follow the skin track trails for the uphill. Be aware of snowmobiles ripping across the road crossing up top (you’ll see that in the video, I almost got clobbered), and enjoy the “Big Bend” turn with the Eastern view!

 

 

Related Peaks:

Skiing Mount Marcy, New York’s High Point >
Skiing the Sherburne Ski Trail on Mount Washington, New Hampshire >
Skiing States Maine: Mount Katahdin >
Back to the Skiing States Project >

More videos of skiing the high points >