Adventure Passport Challenge #1: Mary Jane Goes on a Diet

Winter Park/Mary Jane Resort
Summit Elevation 12,060 feet
Vertical Drop 3,060 feet
Average Annual Snowfall 359 inches

Date Skied/Logged: December 23, 2005
New Snow: 1.5”
Weather:Warm/Windy!
Snow Conditions: P/PP

Our first trip of the Adventure Passport: Resort Challenge 2006 took place at a familiar venue in Winter Park/Mary Jane Resort. Having grown up with Chalet Comets in Boulder, both Chris Brady and I had spent considerable time negotiating the VW-sized moguls on Outhouse and Drunken Frenchman as kids. For that very reason and without the knees of our youth, we both avoided riding Winter Park/Mary Jane for many years.

It wasn’t until I converted back to skiing from snowboarding three years ago that Mary Jane’s improvements over the years became readily apparent. My skills on skis at the time were pretty limited and the mellow glades in and around Johnstone Junction and Willet’s Way served as great confidence builders.

Last season, after joining the freeride club on a pair of fat boards, the mystique of the Vasquez Cirque overcame common sense and ability. I’m forever thankful to Norwegian hubris and that bomber West Headwall and the sick pillows of fluff stashed in the trees below. On the right day, with the right snow and the right company, the Cirque is worthy of its mystique.

Last summer, Mary Jane went on a diet. All of those brown trees clogging her forests were dead weight, thanks to overwhelming pine beetle kill in Grand County, and so they came down. Now, fast dashes through the “mushroom patch” and the “phantom trees” are possible for more than just the experts, especially on powder days. Even Retta’s Run, a rough mogul-field that up until the Passport came along was nothing more than a blip on any sane person’s radar, holds a stash of wide-open tree skiing worth keeping secret.

As Chris learned in his first trip back to Winter Park in fifteen years, great freeride terrain is easily accessible on Mary Jane Mountain. As we turned lap after lap on Parsenn’s Backside and run after run in the trees next to Retta’s, he kept repeating what I’ve been saying for the last three years.

“Wow. Winter Park kicks ass.”

By the Book

• Green/Blue—Cranmer: George Cranmer is considered the father of Winter Park resort, was an avid outdoorsman and is a member of the Ski Hall of Fame. So, when the Passport guided us in this namesake trail’s direction, we felt we owed Cranmer a tribute run. Winter Park claims this is the most skied run in the world. We agreed.
• Blue/Black—Parsenn Bowl: Many, many terrain options extend for enthusiasts off of the Timberline lift. Skier’s right leads to mellow glades with widely spaced trees and gulleys filled with powder stashes. Skier’s left leads to a couple of interesting choices. The Vasquez Cirque is epic and worth the hike, but it is only open on select days. The Cirque’s West Headwall is a steep and deep shot that leads to numerous pillow-like lines in the trees. When the Cirque is closed, the steep trees on the backside of Parsenn Bowl hold powder stashes long after a storm. In either case, be prepared for a lengthy trip in getting back to the top of the mountain.
• Black—Retta’s Run: Retta Stanley was a key figure in the development of Winter Park’s renowned handicap program and her legacy continues to thrive. Her namesake trail is a key example of the $7 million Intrawest spent “remodeling” Mary Jane. The cleared-out trees on skier’s left offer some of the best powder stashes on the mountain. Anyone fooling around in the deep mogul trenches on the actual run is just wasting their knees. We were debating whether or not to keep these trees secret. Enjoy.
• Black—Derailer to Railbender: The review of Intrawest’s new six man SuperGuage lift will have to wait, as it was closed during our visit. Approaching from the Challenger lift, Derailer was out of the question so we cut left into the “phantom trees,” per the advice of the resort’s public relations staff. Advice well taken! Again, this area seems to have benefited from off season tree clearing, although it was a bit tracked out. Railbender may have been fun, but we never touched its slopes.
• The Ski Train—Operating since 1940, take this historic 2-hour ride from Denver’s Union Station; the Ski Train and Winter Park history are forever intertwined. The route climbs 4000 feet and passes through the 6.2 mile Moffat Tunnel, arriving less than 100 yards from the ski base.

Local Knowledge

• The Mushroom Patch ? Ready for some steep trees littered with week-old powder stashes and small drop-offs? Enter the “mushroom patch” about halfway down Trestle, on skier’s right. You might even find a hut in there.
• Phantom Trees ? These well-spaced trees, located skier’s left of Railbender, get tracked out quick because of their location, so get in there first or skip it.
• The Playground ?The trees between Sleeper and Riflesight Notch are fast and fun, but technical. Stay in the fall line here, or get bounced into trouble. This section gets skied off quickly too.

Our Favorite Runs

• West Headwall, Vasquez Cirque
• Backside Parsenn
• Trees skier’s left of Retta’s Run

For more information about the Passport to Ski Areas of Colorado, or to purchase your own copy please visit www.adventurepassports.com