The 2012-2013 season was characterized by manic swings between frustration and satisfaction. Constant near misses were offset by frequent micro events that satisfied by never electrified. Natural snow was generally good but never epic. A look through my reports yields many really good days but no lifetime moments. If not for those reports, in hindsight I might give this season an irreverent “meh”. But I had many really good days despite no incredible ones. While I feel that the season fell short of average, my documentation might suggest otherwise. I feel less satisfied about the season than my reports might suggest.

Excluding the freak MASH dump from Sandy and focusing on the Northeast, the season had rather humble begins compared to many other early seasons. October was almost snowless with only one short stretch of cold that allowed Killington to open for season pass holders only on a product deemed not good enough for the general public. It was great to see Killington being aggressive but a tad disappointing to start the season without October turns while watching others score theirs.

November began with an impressive burst of snowfall allowing me to earn first turns of the season on natural snow at Mansfield. The following day, Killington opened for the season and Jay Peak continued to offer excellent natural snow and powder later that week. By the second week of November, Sunday River was open top to bottom at Barker on man made and the season was off to a promising start.

Mid-November presented some set backs but by late November, the natural snow began falling again bringing an excellent start to December. But as with November, set backs began as soon as things started looking good. The weather’s manic mood kicked in just in time with an amazing pre-Christmas storm. By Christmas, on map trees were starting to open and by New Year’s Eve day, we were skiing trees off the map. It seemed like there couldn’t possibly be a better way to start the New Year.

But then a massive January thaw begin, causing massive hemorrhaging of off map trees and natural snow trails. Small storms passed through the mountains reopening low angle woods at select areas. But for the most part, it was groomers only for most of the northeast as February began. The boom and bust continued with a big BOOM that I enjoyed at Cannon. But it all fell over no base. And it should be telling that I just called 16″ a “big BOOM”. It certainly felt like it the way the season was going.

But by mid-February, we were generally back to hard pack groomers. Major storms continually pummeled Southern New England where ski areas probably were enjoying banner seasons. But central and northern New England were always just outside of the bullseye, often only getting a few inches.

February ended strong with another Southern New England slammer and I sought powder in Southern Vermont instead of Northern Vermont. Again, you’ll note my inflated terminology as a “slammer” in this case was only 10-14″. The natural snow that the late February storm brought lingered for a few days and then it was more of the same through mid-March.

Late March brought a final one two punch. It was certainly better than the last two years but still far short of delivering the epic storm everyone waits all season for. That storm came at the end of December before the base was set and all options were on the table.

April had great snow preservation with below average temperatures and minimal rain. Smuggs delivered some special days with enough late season natural snow to open Liftline on the last day of operation for the season. Cool temps and occasional refreshers even kept the Sherbie mostly open through the end of April.

One of the biggest highlights of the spring was Killington pushing late into May and taking back last to close honors. Major kudos to Killington for bringing back some chutzpah to their operation. But the blow torch soon kicked on forcing Killington to close before they could make a June attempt. And the weather also foiled July turns in Tuckerman Ravine.

It was a season of ups and downs. But for me, the highs were never big enough to offset the lows. The highs were never epic and the frequent southern New England storms continually missed the mountains. The January thaw did major damage to a lot of areas. Many ski areas never completely recovered from that thaw. The January thaw damage was certainly done to Tuckerman Ravine which melted out before July. Reviewing the Mansfield Stake graph shows that the daily snow pack was generally below average almost all season excepting three major spikes that quickly thawed out.

But I can’t deny that I had many great days this season. Fifteen powder days out of thirty-seven days is a 40% powder percentage for days with over six inches new and untracked snow. I skied with some old friends and made a new one. I completed The List for all the ski areas in New England. I discovered a new area that blew me away only to have it close permanently the week after I visited it. And perhaps most importantly, my love for Smuggs was solidified: I have a new home mountain for next season and Cannon steps down to my second favorite area after almost a dozen years in my top spot.

It was yet another season that you had to make the most of what was given. You had to keep your plans flexible and pounce on every small burst of snow. Low expectations would have been ideal but it was hard to retain low expectations when major storms continually lined up New England and then slid south and off the coast. From a purely factual perspective, the 2012-2013 season was probably better than average for most skiers and absolutely for most ski areas. But in my heart, I’ll remember the season for not having lived up to some very exciting potential had a few storms gone a little further north.