How Do Ski Trails Get Their Names?
Themes That Pick Up The Resort Name Can Be Catchy And Easy To Remember.
What’s in a name? A few resorts create a theme for trail names. Memorable. Cutesy. Provocative (?) Here’s a trail sign from Waterville Valley Resort.
Credit: Don Burch
Sometimes trail names are descriptive (Easy Mile at Suicide Six), sometimes they are a tribute (Thanks Walt at Mt Snow for its founder Walter Schoenknecht), sometimes they’re humorous (True Grit and No Grit at Waterville Valley), sometimes sensational (Widowmaker at Sugarloaf and Snowshoe) and at several mountains they follow themes. What follows are ski areas where some or all of the trails are themed-named. (This article sourced some of these factiods from a Boston Globe article, What’s The Most Popular Ski Trail Name In New England?)
Gore’s trails are named after Adirondack local sites. The 46er trail is named after the 46 high peaks in the Adirondacks, and the Tahawas trail is named after a ghost town in the area.
Guess where? Wildcat, of course.
Credit: Don Burch
At Wildcat, trails have feline names like Wild Kitten, Polecat and Hairball.
Pat’s Peak trails have names related to types of wind including Tornado, Backdraft, Squall Line and Vortex.
Camden Ski Bowl, within five miles of the ocean, has nautical themed trail names such as Spinnaker, Crow’s Nest, Scrimshaw, Mainsail Glade and Clipper.
Mt Abram’s trails are named after the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. These include Dudley-Do-Right, Boris Badenov, Snidley Whiplash, Fractured Fairytales and Frostbite Falls. Wonder how that happened?
Whaleback has trails named Leviathan, Fluke, Blow Hole, Blubber and Harpoon.
Many of Saddleback’s trails are fly-fishing themed. Examples are Jitterbug, Wooly Bugger, Gnat, Nymph, Tight Line and Warden’s Worry.
King Pine’s trails are, of course, related to pine trees and their products. Pokey Pine, Pine Board and Knotty Pine are examples.
Many of Loon’s trails are terms from the logging industry; Flume, Ripsaw, Crosscut and Walking Boss.
Oz Peak at Sunday River has trails named Flying Monkey, Tin Woodsman, Emerald City and Poppy Fields.
Gunstock has trails named Trigger, Ramrod, Flintlock, Recoil and Pistol.
Magic Mountain has trails named Magician, Hocus Pocus, Wand, Up Your Sleeve and Wizard.
What’s your most notable trail name?