STOGUIDE pages 40-61:Layout 1 10/30/07 12:03 PM Page 57
“someone finally offered Nose Drop,” said
Coleman. “The fact that the trail started on
the Nose set the general line of thought. The
transition to Nose Dive was automatic.”
When lifts finally came to Mansfield in the
late 1930s, the Nose Dive became the center-
piece of the trail network, and the Bruce Trail
fell into disuse. The Nose Dive quickly
earned a reputation among top racers as the
trail where you could test your mettle.
Between 1937 and 1946, the trail was the site
of numerous state championship races and
four eastern downhill championships. In
1938, the national downhill ski championship
was held on the trail. The Nose Dive had to
be lengthened for this race, so racers hiked up
from the Stone Hut about a half-mile on what
is now an abandoned start of the trail (you
can still see it when looking up from the
Stone Hut or Octagon).
The lore surrounding the Nose Dive was
captured in the names that skiers had for
every twist in the trail. “The course snaked
the corkscrew-like Seven Turns and across
Upper Schuss, then careened into Shambles
Corner—which was usually just that,” wrote
Sports Illustrated in a 1966 story about
America’s best ski trails. “The Dive had a
reputation as the country’s wickedest—the
trail was only 25 feet wide in some spots—
and ‘just plain skiers’ stayed away.”
In 1966, the Nose Dive was significantly
widened to meet FIS downhill racing standards.
The famous Seven Turns were turned into three
wide turns at the top, and the trail assumed the
character that skiers today experience.
I asked Charlie Lord, the master designer
Bri
of Stowe’s ski trails, which of his numerous
skiing creations he liked most. His answer
was immediate and unequivocal. “Nose Dive wher
ng a
ever
movie
hom
h
e
ome
migh
tonight,
t be.
is the ultimate. That is IT! It's inviting, it’s not
too particularly difficult, yet you can develop
N
pretty good speed on it.” He effused, “Nose
Dive is really good—if you want to take it
easy and swing turns, you can, and if you
want to pick up speed, you can get going
pretty fast.”
Musing about the lore that has grown up
around this Stowe masterpiece, the ski architect
mused, “I'm not surprised it is a famous trail
because I had a feeling it was a real good trail
(when we cut it). I just had a feeling it was.”
So go ahead. See for yourself what the Nose
Dive has in store. Hit it right, weave the top
turns into one seamless line, then plunge down
the wide straightaways til your thighs give out.
Carry enough speed on the long bottom runout
to get back to the quad. And marvel in the
thrill of a trail that has had skiers spinning tall
tales about it for the past 70 years.
See you on the turns. a73
another
Rent
one
any
FREE,
2 movies,
Stowe local David Goodman is the author
of Backcountry Skiing Adventures: Classic
Ski and Snowboard Tours in Vermont and 253-
everyday!
get
NewYork, and the companion guides to
backcountry skiing and riding in Maine
BaggyKneesSh
9555
oppingCenter
and New Hampshire.
57
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