“Discretion is the better part of valor.” A proverb I sagely doled out last week at Stowe in the climbing gully to a snowboarder that had never hiked the ridge before. And it was advice I was heeding myself Friday morning. Original plans called for a summit of Mount Washington and descent via a western facing gully that I have yet to ski. Exploring a new area solo when I did not have beta on snow conditions and feared possible wind and clouds blowing in later that day did not add up well in the risk assessment arena. Perhaps I was overly cautious in my decision making but I by passed the Route 3 exit and continued north en route to Smuggs.
A decision to go lift serviced on Friday could not possibly have gone wrong whereas a mishap was certainly a possibility with the alternative (though that is part of the sense of adventure!). I arrived at Smuggs shortly after 10:00 A.M. to find the snow still in the process of softening due to a hard freeze the night before. I took a warm up run on Sterling hitting the lower part of Exhibition under the lift where bumps were still rather firm. I tried to follow the sun and made my way over to Madonna 1 and skied down to the bumps under the Madonna 2 lift which were still firm and a little icy. I opted to take a short break and let the sun do its thing.
While in the lodge, I ran into none other than Pat who was vacationing with his family for the week. We would meet up later for a run down Freefall. I went back out solo and skied F.I.S. which was sensational and soon to become absolutely off the hook. F.I.S. bumps were the cream of the crop today and I lapped them again and again. Soft but not mushy with great irregular lines that allowed for good rhythm. I returned to F.I.S. a few times for additional spring bump madness and whooped it up with vocal delight repeatedly.
Other runs of note included two times down Freefall. The first was ill advised before the snow was primed and the second was an exhilarating leg thrasher. Both runs involved side stepping down some grass due to a break in the snow part way down. One section of Liftline was open which provided ample fun but without the great soft snow found else where on the mountain. Doc Dempsey’s was fun but not as good as F.I.S.
I ended the day by taking one last run down F.I.S. Which was followed by one more last run down F.I.S., much to my leg’s chagrin. Views of Mansfield and the surrounding area were gorgeous but distant views were limited due to a haze. The snow was spring skiing at its finest once the sun hit the surface and coverage was ample on all trails excepting Freefall and Liftline. Smiles all around today though I still can’t quite shake the feeling that I shouldn’t be this happy about spring bump skiing until it is actually spring!
