Mad Riven Glen has gone from famine to feast with this past week’s storms. That series of storms culminated in 20″ during the weekend, which included some rain followed by a hard freeze. This created an exceptional base on which the fluff piled on top of. And just like that, Mad River went from closed to 100% open.

Not many skiers were there to enjoy the bounty. Despite being a “day after the powder day-powder day” due to the delayed opening, more skiers seemed concerned with shopping than powder skiing. Which is sad because it isn’t everyday you get to ski Mad River Glen on a powder day with no lines. And while I’m bummed that the Coop saw only marginal revenue for what should have been a big day, I was glad to lap up the untracked finding untapped shots after noon.

I started on the Single with back to back runs down Cat Bowl to Lynx/Beaver. The wind had loaded skiers’ left of the trail. Depths ranged from 0-30″ due to the wind, but a generalized foot of untracked snow could be found on most trails at opening bell. While yesterday’s skin fest probably half tracked out the mountain, the wind evened things out and a few extra inches fell overnight.

After those two runs off the Single, I made my way over to the Sunnyside where I spent the rest of the morning. Gazelle, Slalom Hill, and Partridge all were delightful but nothing compared to the everlasting untracked snow in Birdland! You just can’t beat low angle low density untracked. Periwinkle was really nice early on as well due to it being overlooked.

The snow and base was sufficient enough that I felt some well maintained trees warranted inspection. The snow was sensational but cautious skiing was certainly advised. I managed to snag an edge on a stump that had not yet frozen over despite cautious turns. Another storm is needed before off map woods are truly good to go.

Fortunately, we won’t have to wait long for that to happen. With another storm just days away, this may be Mad River Glen’s finest Christmas week in recent memory. I suspect most of the mountain’s secrets will be skiable by next weekend. However, some of the hairier lines and creek beds still will need a little bit more.