Category: Vermont

2015-2016 Season, February, Mad River Glen

Mad River Glen: Where Is Everyone?

Fall Line

Mad River Glen received two inches of dense snow overnight. But who’s counting? Any new snow is good this year. And two inches was good enough to open almost all of the Glen’s on piste terrain excepting Upper Paradise, Cat Bowl, Panther, Slalom Hill, and Partridge. I was amazed at how much terrain was open and how good it was skiing.

I began the day with two tentative laps down groomed terrain before venturing into the natural snow on Lower Glade. The rehabilitation of Lower Glade has substantially improved this once dreadful trail. I was amazed at how good the conditions were. Just two inches had saved the day. Conditions were thin, ice and rocks needed to be avoided. But the bumps were soft and engaging, the turns were wonderful. It may have felt like mid-spring rather than mid-February, but it was still quality skiing.

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2015-2016 Season, January, Jay Peak

Jay: Better Than It Had Right To Be

Despite receiving more snow than other northeast ski areas, Jay had no right to be skiing well during MLK Weekend. I kept my expectations low and was genuinely impressed with what I found on and off piste. Low expectations might be the single most important aspect of my season this year. At this rate, I might even remember 2015-2016 fondly despite likely having one of my lowest ski day totals in a dozen years. That said, I would dearly like to have my first powder day of the season sooner rather than later.

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2015-2016 Season, January, Jay Peak

Jay: This Will Begin to Make Things Right

Northwest Passage

The first seven words spoken in The Force Awakens are equally fitting for this weekend. After suffering through three horrific months, the season has been redeemed. This weekend may not have included the perfect dump that we all want. But it was far better than we could have hoped for and it was awesome when evaluated on its own merits. It was not perfect but still just what we needed: it got us excited and happy to be skiing again. The metaphor is strong with this report.

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2015-2016 Season, Earned Turns, November, Stowe

Mansfield: Taking What I Can Get

Mansfield Chin from the Top of Nosedive

Earlier this week, I wondered if it would be possible to ski more days this month than I had last month. Thankfully, I am now halfway towards that benchmark. The weather forecast didn’t seem likely to deliver enough snow for earned turns. But several online reports on Saturday suggested otherwise. The Mansfield Stake recorded 8″ up high but I also knew there would be far less down low.

Despite the warming temperatures, there was enough snow to start skinning from the base of Nosedive. I am always thankful to have my skis on the snow rather than on my back during the ascent. It felt great to be skinning again and I was anxious to ski natural snow for the first time in many months. But with only an inch of snow on top of fast grass down low, I knew that I would not be skiing top to bottom.

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