Weather forecasts were predicting a storm on Tuesday and Wednesday. Hoping for a powder day, I asked my boss for Thursday off. Cannon delivered with almost a foot of light powder and an epic day of adventure. Quite possibly my best day on skis to date.

While driving up I-93, I was dismayed by the apparent lack of snow. The further north I drove, the less snow was on the road side. By the time I arrived in the White Mountains, no more than a few inches covered the ground. Amazingly, all that changed once I drove into Franconia Notch. Fresh snow covered everything–this was going to be an epic day. I giddily gathered up my gear and practically ran towards the Peabody Base Lodge.

The trail report of 7-11″ was not exaggerated. Low density light powder continued to fall all day. This is the stuff most skiers spend their entire lives dreaming about but rarely skiing. I would search all day for fresh untracked powder and more often than not I made tracks where there were none before me. Boot to knee deep untracked freshies all day.

While the natural snow on the black terrain was exceptional, it was the lesser known lines that occupied my mind. I found myself tracking up fresh lines at Mittersill five times, a single day record for myself. On three of those five runs, I skied fresh untracked trails from the top of the chairlift all the way back to Cannon. Incredible. There is no feeling like standing boot to knee deep in fresh powder, all alone, with no tracks behind you but your own. I may ski my entire life and never relive that feeling again.

The snow was incredible, but far from perfect. The powder was light, so light that I occasionally bottomed out onto a frozen grass base with occasional rocks. My ski bases took substantial damage. But it was worth every scrape and dig. Money can not buy skis that will give you the feeling that I had.

I screamed and yelled, whooping and laughing my way through untracked fresh. I have never smiled so much nor exclaimed as much verbal praise while skiing. Later in the day, my early morning giddiness was replaced by a surreal zen. The serene scene made me realize how completely unworthy I was of the gift bestowed upon me. But I just happened to be the right guy in the right time and the right place to enjoy a day long untracked dance through the snow. It is a feeling I will never forget.