Early and late season powder days are usually my favorite of the season. Especially when almost all of New England is receiving a drenching rain. Shoulder season means fewer people. Rain in metro areas means even fewer still. After two shit springs, March finally delivered. But few stick around to enjoy the harvest.

After driving almost two hours through rain and upper 30 degree temperatures, I must admit to having my doubts. I passed through Jay village and began the ascent up 242 but the temperature was not dropping. The rain was not changing to snow. But when I opened my car door at the base area, sure enough, the precipitation was frozen.

But today barely qualifies for a “powder day” tag. Despite 6-8″ of competition free untracked fresh, it surely was not powder. But untracked fresh is still damn fun despite associated challenges. Many folks toss around the term “cement” when they really mean dense snow. The untracked today was absolutely in the cement category, significantly heavier than the many dense/heavy powder days that I have had this season. Indeed, it was some of the most heavy/dense snow I’ve ever skied.

Run selection today was highly unusual for me. I started the day at the tram and took first tracks down Face Chute and then moved on to first tracks down JFK. I also made first sitzmark on JFK as well. The snow was grabby to say the least. I took a repeat tram lap and “enjoyed” Tuckerman Chute to Goat to Green Mountain Boys. I squealed in delight at the untracked on JFK and Green Mountain Boys but my delight was tempered by fierce concentration on balance in the thick and dense snow.

I went Stateside to see if the Jet was open and sure enough it was. Visibility was terrible so I went into the trees where I found more quality untracked snow to enjoy. But the untracked snow was working me hard, my legs were burning up.

I found tracked and packed snow skied much easier than untracked. So I sought out well tracked steep lines. Both Vertigo and Deliverance delivered immensely! Flowy turns down tight lines and well paced bumps were a delight. The main chute of Deliverance is normally a shit show. But the deep base depth covered all the nasty obstacles and limited skier volume had kept conditions soft and prime. I ripped as good of a run as I have ever had down Deliverance, dancing in between stopped skiers that were having difficulty with the line. Awesome.

I was heavily fatigued from the early morning turns and the fast paced steep bumps didn’t help the cause. So I called it a day shortly after noontime, dropping into Upper River for a final run.

I often go entire seasons without skiing runs such as Face Chutes, Tuckerman Chutes, Deliverance, Vertigo, and Upper River. Not because they are not quality lines but rather because they are wind exposed rocky messes prone to being scrapped down continuously by unskilled side slippers and high volume. The runs usually aren’t worth the time of day unless you catch first tracks. But there are usually better and more reliable options for a first run of the day.

But I found mine today in Deliverance of all places and the main chute no less. Unexpected things happen during the shoulder seasons. It happens every year and it still boggles my mind. People hang it up when mountains are fully open with great conditions. Fresh snow is not even enough of a motivator to overcome the mental depression invoked by the pitter patter of rain. But the goods are there for the taking for those still in the game.