Spring skiing: Pure enjoyment, and an investment

Some people call it mud season. Spring in the Northeast can be difficult. The snow is melting or already gone, but the weather isn't nice, and is often just plain cold. It's good for nothing, and days are long but miserable.
Then there are days like this.
When the weather is mild, the sun shining, the sky blue, and the snow plentiful and soft, there's no better time to be on skis than early spring. Gone is the biting wind of mid-winter, the ice of January, the dark, short days of December. Expectations are low but rewards high on sunny days that hint at the summer to come. So how could I not get out when it all comes together?
Weather sites had shown consistent snow showers in the western Adirondacks for the past three or four days. The McCauley Mountain webcams showed ample snow on the hill. The sky was blue, the sun was out, and the afternoon was free. So I headed out to Old Forge and the Town of Webb trails on the former ski hill. From looking at current maps and historical photos, I thought it would be a nice outing to ski from the village to McCauley Mountain, and I was right.

I took the direct route up, climbing on my waxless Madshus Epochs up the historical Old Forge ski hill toward the water tanks and old ski-lift apparatus, then on to the town nordic trails. The trails were well-covered with spring snow in transition and occasional powder in the shade. The first bare spot I encountered was the pond-let, which required a brief de-ski and walk-around but was darn picturesque.


It would have been quicker to continue on the main trail, but I wanted to see what the slalom hill was like. I'd been there twice before this winter and wondered if the historical slalom trail still had snow. The top of the hill held its snow, as did the old truck, but it was clear the south-facing old trail had been done in by the spring sun. I had to improvise down the hill with a little low-grade bushwacking, but I made it back to the main trails and continued down what is now marked as the Slalom Trail for its historical namesake. There was one bare patch that required walking but otherwise the snow was plentiful and in places even deep and dry.
Eventually I made it to Gray Lake, having to detour because of large fallen tree. I found the route to the eastern side of McCauley and up I went. I stopped on a little glade, perhaps a small brook that's well-filled in now, and went up it, picturing with each step my way down. This is what I've been looking for: A glade or unplowed steep road that starts with a climb and ends with a down. I'll be back.
I proceeded up to the summit, stopping to put on my kicker skins. Kickers are just the thing for waxless medium-width skis, whose scales work great on modest pitches but are overwhelmed by anything steeper. But with my kickers, I could climb the last bit to the chairlift run-out.
I'd planned to just head back down. But I saw tracks leading down Sidewinder. Also, the sun was in that direction, glowing with warmth. It was too good to pass up.

I had told myself I'd ski down just the first pitch. But it was too nice, and I was feeling good about my medium-rig technique to stop. I did refrain from continuing down the spot where Sidewinder narrows. If I had the day to do again, I would have done a couple laps here, maybe through the choke point. But it was starting to get late and I needed to get back to town, so I went back to the summit.

I chose to head down on the front side then swing around at the top of Barkeater, the summit glade. Wrong choice. The trail had been in the sun earlier but now was thoroughly shaded and had crusted over. I just skied straight through, not attempting to turn on the crust. I should have gone straight down through the untracked powder on the sides and ignoring the broken-up snow in the middle of the trail, apparently the work of a groomer without its grooming attachment up, or perhaps a small army of snowmobiles.

I headed along the flat access trail to what I think is Lost Trail. It was fabulous. Then it was back to the Nordic route. On the way, I saw a pileated woodpecker take flight. Another attraction of spring skiing is the greater likelihood of seeing wildlife while skiing.

I took the same route back except that I stayed on the main, wide trails all the way to the water towers. I wanted to avoid the little pond. I finished with a short but wonderful little run through some shaded powder on the old ski hill.

It was a worthwhile outing, but it was also an investment in next winter. Now I know a favorite go-to route not far from home.