May Day in the mountains
Each year I look on in amazement at internet pictures from Mount Washington, Killington, Sugarbush, Jay Peak and other Northeast skiing areas that stay open or keep snow deep into the spring. And each year after I come in off the hill sometime in the first half of April I rationalize to myself that this might be the year I ski in May. But it's never happened. Usually I wrap up in the first week of April, or maybe the second. I think my latest is April 16. A freak snowstorm came through and I skinned up the far side of the then long-closed ski area one early morning. It was one of the best runs of an otherwise bad, mild-winter year.
This year, though, was an up-and-down winter with a long and severe mid-February thaw followed by weekly snowstorms in March and one of the coldest Aprils on record. I kept watching the webcam for the little lift-served hill an hour's drive away. I made it there earlier in April but then it kept snowing, kept staying cold. Then this week, it snowed some more. I thought about going, but the forecast had rain following the snow. And I knew the couple of inches would disguise many bear spots, leaving a potentially dangerous situation if not skied with great care.
So I waited a day. Good call. The sun was out; the forecast was for temperatures in the mid-60s and sunshine all day. My wife said I should get out and get in a good hike and outing. I agreed. But the webcams suggested good coverage remained in snowmaking spots, so I took the XCD kit out just in case there was enough snow left.
Sure enough, there were options top to bottom. I headed up a blue-square side-trail and found good coverage but a couple of breaks up high where the trail faces the afternoon sun. The northeast side, though, still had good coverage. I saw the skin tracks of another skier headed up and footprints down toward a steeper frontside trail. I opted for a more moderate pitch, since the XCD kit doesn't handle steeps well -- especially, as was the case here, the continuous strip of snow, though deep, was only about six feet wide. I slide-slipped down to where the cover widened out and let the skis run.
t was sticky -- not surprising given it was about 65 degrees out and the snow was dirty in many places. But in other spots, it was clean and white. I got to a steeper section and made some satisfying corn-snow turns.
Repeat, repeat repeat.
I ran into John, whose tracks I'd seen earlier. We'd met once before, and we talked and talked about skiing, mountain biking, gear, travel, lift-served skiing, local hills, far-away destinations and everything under the sun. We might have talked a little too much and could have skied more. But hey, it's a social sport sometimes. He headed down the signature front-side trail and I headed back down the blue-square side trail.
We rendezvoused at the parking lot. He already had a beer out. We chatted again as I took off my boots and put my skis in the trunk. In theory, we could both come back the next day. But I knew, and I suspect he did, too, that this was it. The next day was nearly 80 degrees and humid, then it rained.
Meanwhile, the webcams still beckon. Whiteface tweeted out it'll open this Saturday. Alas, I have a commitment in town. Social media has gorgeous shots from all over Mount Washington. Jay Peak says it's still going; I know Sugarbush is too for one more weekend. The Stowe cams show Mount Mansfield is still well-covered. If the stars and weather were in alignment, maybe I'd make that long drive to one of these spots. But I'm content to sit it out. The flowers are up, the grass will soon need mowing, we've opened the windows. It's time to let the seasons change. Winter will be back.
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