My calves were still throbbing from Thursday’s powder romp. So I cured them–Hair of the Dog style–by dropping into FallDice to Glade for a warm up run. My previous pain suddenly seemed so much less than my current state of agony. It worked! The light powder was exquisite and I yelled my approval loudly. The shock eventually numbed the pain but my performance and stamina were severely taxed. On the next run, I found delicious chopped up powder with occasional untracked on Upper Antelope to Lynx to Beaver.

Tree lines of all varieties and elevations were safely skiable using cautious exuberance. More of the former is safer but more of the latter is a heck of a lot more fun. Almost everything was in play from upper elevation tight softwood corridors to low angle thwack jungles. Mid-mountain birch options skied the best and retained the most untracked lines. My third run selection was stupendous: barely tracked to untracked to single tracked. I returned to this location on my fifth and final run to claim second tracks and close my eights. Untracked snow depth varied depending upon the last time each line were hit. Anything from a few inches to knee deep. Hell yea.

After the first few runs, I found the best snow on piste to be under the Single on Liftline. Due to its bony appearance, few skiers were hitting Mad River Glen’s premier arena. So the powder remained fresh even though obstacles were few and far between. Somehow I forgot about my sore calf muscles. But I was reminded with a vengeance when I decided to launch a few cliffs.

Most trails quickly began bumping up with packed powder and some loose powder. Mad River Glen is always a treat to ski in powder prior to its epic bumps begin taking shape. This weekend was the beginning of the end of the brief bumpless stage during this early part of the season.

Despite the holiday, crowds were generally manageable. Arriving for first chair has its perks including snagging two runs before the Single line queue maxed out. But even with the Single line maxed out, its really hard to care about the wait. While waiting in line, I looked around the base area. The atmosphere was decadent. It gave me goosebumps. It made me realize that there was no place else I’d rather be.