CHARLEMONT — A gust of wind whipped through snow-laden pine trees Friday morning, catching the hood of my jacket and nearly dislodging my ski goggles, as the lift I rode crested the 1,800-foot apex of Berkshire East Mountain Resort’s main slope.
The view from the top was breathtaking. Snow swirled up from a few slopes, shrouding skiers gliding down the mountain. Pine trees stood out in the foreground against a backdrop of cascading sunlight, which diffused through a cloudy sky onto the distant hills of the Berkshires, stretching away as far as the eye could see.
My inaugural snowboarding trip of the season fell two days before the new year, and the morning after Thursday’s snowstorm swept through the region. The storm coated the resort’s 24 open trails with fresh white powder, tempting skiers and snowboarders out in droves to enjoy the final weekday of 2016.
To some in the region, hitting New England’s slopes around the New Year holiday is an annual tradition, made feasible given the accessibility and locality of Berkshire East.
“It’s my go-to if it’s last-minute, because it’s one of the closer mountains,” said Connecticut resident James Barrows, while taking a brief break from snowboarding inside the resort’s main lodge at 66 Thunder Mountain Road.
As Barrows explained, he had one more vacation day remaining at year’s end and spontaneously decided to go snowboarding, something he hopes to do more next year.
Looking ahead to 2017, Barrows added he’d like to “ski more, and get in better shape so I’m not tired at the end of the day.”
John Mongeau, who was at the top skiing with his two sons, shared the same New Year’s sentiment. Next year, Mongeau hopes “to get out skiing more … and get out while there’s snow,” he said.
For those looking to get in a final night of skiing in 2016 on New Year’s Eve, Berkshire East is offering night skiing from 4:30 to 9 p.m.
Gabe Porter-Henry, spokesman for the resort, said about Saturday’s events, “we have a torch light parade, and a band at the Crazy Horse. We’re trying to make things festive for New Year’s.”
For many, skiing at Berkshire East is as regular as breathing.
“Every weekend,” said local resident Serena Vassar, who was skiing with her 5-year-old son, Mason. Vassar’s oldest son, Cody, is on the mountain’s ski team, her father is a ski coach and her mother’s a ski instructor.
“Been here since before I was born. This is our life,” she added.
According to Berkshire East’s website, the resort’s legacy stretches back about 60 years, founded in the mid-1950s. It started with “a small rope tow operation that was 200 feet vertical and featured two rope tows.”
Today, the mountain has about 45 trails, including a terrain park. In addition to skiing and snowboarding, there’s also zip lining, a ropes course, snow tubing, and a mountain roller coaster.
“It’s a big part of my life, I look forward to it every year,” 28-year veteran ski instructor and Greenfield native Steve Nickoski said, noting that he “remembers skiing here in the ’70s.”
Over the years, he said the mountain has added a lot of improvements, notably, updated and faster snowmaking machines.
“On a good year,” Nickoski said he gets in about 60 or 70 days on the mountain.
For the final day of the year, the skiing outlook looks good — an outlook that promises to continue into 2017.
“We’ve got a bulletproof base,” said Bill Baker, owner of Baker Office Supply in Greenfield, while riding up on a lift before his final run of the day.
“All we need now is for Mother Nature to cooperate.”
You can reach Andy Castillo
at: acastillo@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 263
On Twitter: @AndyCCastillo