Last weekend I decided to return to Welch Village before all the snow was gone to use my gift card, visit with some friends and check out the new back bowl.

The weather was perfect for spring skiing, with plenty of sun and great temps. The snow got a little slushy at the end of the day, but runs like Chicken and Bakkelyka stayed nice all day, as they don’t get a lot of direct sun.

The back bowl was a bit of a disappointment. The new chair is a very nice quad, but the new runs are just too short. While the trail map lists nine open black diamond runs, there are really only four that come off of the new chair. When you get to the top, the three runs to your left, 4-Score, Lauren’s Ledge and Adam’s Abyss, all start with a flat traverse, a fairly steep, short section, then a flat traverse back to the chair. The one run to the right, Great Scott, is more of an open cruiser that funnels into a steep chute at the end that drops right to the chair.

Future plans call for two more runs, a second chair and a new chalet at the top of that chair. The back bowl is accessed from the triple chair located in front of the east chalet. The Allie’s Alley run gets you back to the east slopes from the top of the new quad.

Welch will be closing for the season tomorrow at 6PM.