Author: Steve

2012-2013 Season, December, Earned Turns, Powder Day, Tenney Mountain

Redemption in Central NH

Dusk Patrol Near Home

When I got home from Jay, I dejectedly flopped down into my chair and started flipping through trip reports. I quickly found myself at the NY Ski Blog reading Harvey’s latest post on ski touring right outside his backdoor. And the thought occurred to me that I could keep reading about other people skiing or I could head outside my own backdoor and earn some turns myself. There was only an hour and a half of daylight left but I could just barely squeeze it in.

I quickly ran through the house and gathered up my touring gear. Much to my chagrin, I later discovered that I had been too hasty in gathering my gear. While applying my skins in the howling wind, I cried out in dismay as I realized that I had the wrong pair of skins! I applied a quick fix that worked and commenced skinning on skins that were 3cm short of full width coverage and 10cm short in the tail.

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2012-2013 Season, December, Jay Peak

Dejection at Jay

Jay Trees

Working three long and difficult work days while an epic storm impacted the entire northeast would have been miserable if I even had the time or presence of mind to dwell on the fact. But all of my energy was explicitly devoted to meeting an end of week deadline. I was so drained from three days of intensity that I took Saturday off from skiing to recuperate. The redemption for my toil would be a (supposed) powder day on Sunday. Maybe not as epic as the storms from this past week but a bone that would surely satisfy nonetheless.

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2012-2013 Season, December, Waterville Valley

Waterville Valley: WYSIWYG

Top of the High Country Chair

Despite Waterville Valley being the closest major mountain to my home, it is an area I rarely visit. My last trip to Waterville was in late November 2003. I still have yet to take the full measure of Waterville and ski all of its advanced trails. But I know enough about the mountain to know that what you see is what you get — which is why I usually travel the few extra minutes it takes to get to Cannon, where what you see is barely scratching the surface.

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