Three vacation week days after the powder day, I was doubtful that I would find much untracked remaining. But I was up for a scouting challenge. I pushed the northern and southern boundaries in search of any remaining untracked turns in some of the mountain’s most choice terrain.

After a few warm up runs in the upper mountain glades, I dropped into a remote off map gully. Was it even good to go? I opted for the lower entrance which was a safer option. The cut in had been hit hard and was quite bony. But turns in the gully were fantastic packed powder. It was the most challenging terrain I had skied so far this season and it showed in my exertion.

Things got a bit hairy down low. The untracked snow had setup poorly and packed powder was actually preferable due to more predictable feedback. As the gully choked down at lower elevations, it was apparent that things were not quite completely filled. The inevitable respite came eventually.

On to the opposite side of the massif. I found occasional untracked turns and fabulous snow in the higher elevations. But the lower elevation trees featured the same poorly setup snow as the earlier gully. I turned my skis into the packed down snow when possible. It was absolutely worth the effort, but not worth a second lap.

The holiday weekend crowds finally arrived around noontime, so I made my way back to Valley Station (where I found a two or three tram wait!) to end my day.

Sunday dawned in the negative digits but without the wind of the previous day. I opted to stay close to home and reserve my remaining Jay vouchers for future storms. I assumed Cannon had been sacked just like Jay, so I waited for warmer temperatures and got a late start.

One benefit to having a season pass is the freedom of short visits. It would be wasteful to only ski a few runs on a voucher or a day ticket. But a season pass changes my decision making considerably. This was my first time skiing four days in a row since the 2014 Jackson Hole trip. And I am currently on pace to have the most ski days I’ve had in a single season since 2013-2014.

Cannon was indeed sacked. Hardly any loose powder was left and no untracked turns. The natural snow was hit hard and did not set up well. Snow conditions and thin coverage made for less than satisfactory turns, especially after I had just experienced 16″ of fresh at Jay with almost all options on the table.

Groomed terrain fared far worse. Snow surfaces were saturated with moisture before the freeze and seven inches was not enough to recover the frozen base layer. The result was frozen hard pack and scrapped conditions on many trails. The groomers had skied better on Friday before the new snow due to softer surfaces.

After four ski days in a row, my stamina faltered resulting in unsatisfactory turns. I could blame the thin coverage and snow setup. But the truth is that I am out of shape and I can no longer ski my body into shape. A year round conditioning program will be needed to keep my body and core up to par for future seasons.

I awoke to the pitter-patter of rain. Earlier in the week, it seemed like Friday afternoon was going to be “the day”. But the changeover to snow was delayed. Friday was now the calm before the storm. Late in the day, I drove up to Cannon to see if the two inch per hour snowfall would start before the mountain closed.

I arrived just as the rain changed over to snow. The snow was “premature”, so accumulations were minimal. Groomed trails were skiing surprising well despite the rain (or perhaps because of it). But I didn’t come to ski groomers. Unfortunately, the natural snow trails skied even worse than they had on Thursday.

Just before Cannon closed, the sky opened up with two inch per hour snowfall. The drive home was formidable, as expected. The changeover happened even earlier in Northern Vermont where the snowfall would also last longer. For Saturday, I would bypass Cannon and head further north.