After a rather long hiatus with only occasional lift assisted skinning, the One Run for the Price of None Tour 06-07 fires back up again with a vengeance… and man are my arms tired. My legs too. All of the powder and packed powder skiing this season has my physical condition less toned than usual at this time of year despite passing my season total of 39 days. Speaking of lifts turning, I can honestly say I am glad Cannon always shuts down the first week in April because boy oh boy was it nice having the mountain almost entirely to myself. This was the best day of skiing I have had….. in the past seven days.
Originally, the plan was some local BC but downed trees had me concerned. Opting on a summit from the M side, I was blown away by both the coverage and blow down. This is better coverage than I have seen during many years in January, wow! Also impressive was the wind and weather damage done to the summit tower. Many pieces of wood were torn clear off the tower making the summit tower access slightly dangerous but safe enough. Views everywhere were amazing. I spread my arms, felt the breeze, and smiled a big toothy grin. This was a truly beautiful Spring day and there was no where else I would rather be. Something about this mountain, I don’t quite know what it is, continues to leave me in various states of awe.
On Cannon proper, coverage was ridiculous! Edge to edge coverage on every trail except for Paulie’s Folly. Instead of skiing back the way I came, I decide the wide open turns down Taft Slalom were too good to end with a jaunt to less well covered territory. I proceeded to ski down my favorite top to bottom run on the mountain hitting Upper to Middle Hardscrable. Cresting over the edge of Middle Hard, I howled with laughter and delight. Complete and rather deep coverage and flat as a pancake!!! Wow! Never before have I skied Middle Hard in these conditions. The corn was just right and good corn is second only to good powder as far as conditions go. I tore into Middle Hard with sheer delight and quite a bit of verbal exclamations of joy. If this skiing thing isn’t the best thing since sliced bread, I don’t know what is.
After finishing Middle Hard (finishing the proper way, mind you!), I knew I was not done yet but didn’t have the legs for a second summit. I cut across to Lake Side and made the brief hike up to Avalanche. En Route, I passed a totally demolished and torn down Zoomer Triple lift shack. Impressive this past storm was indeed! Avalanche was a hoot! Not quite the essentially untracked corn of Middle Hard but a blast none the less. Skinned back up to Peabody Slopes and after a short ski down Toss Up, I traversed back to my car. Freaking sweet day, I love it.