I have spent a lot of time thinking about this exceptional season. Today was my fourteenth powder day out of fifteen ski days. It is astounding how good the season has been at Jay Peak, and it is only the mid-point.

During many of my chair lift rides this season, I experienced feelings of gratitude and appreciation. How could I not be grateful? Given a warming world and changing climate, I thought winters like this were over.

This season is a massive aberration. A once in a lifetime anomaly. So, I continually attempt to recognize and appreciate how great this season is, as it probably will never happen again.

But I took my appreciation a step to far and begin thinking that “if my season ended today, in the middle of the season, it would still be one of my top three seasons ever, it may even be my best.” Famous last thoughts.

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While skiing in the Orchard and ducking through some trees, I experienced a side effect of having lots of snow with large base depths and no thaws: low ceiling.

During the past few weeks, vertical space has been shrinking in the off-map woods. Instead of cross blocking branches from the sides, I am using my poles to cross block branches from above at eye level. Visibility has become a problem.

While snaking my way through some trees, I went to block branches away from my face and I didn’t see a small sapling on the other side. Since I was ducking to avoid the branches, I impacted the sapling with my shoulder. I skied right through it, not even falling or losing my balance. But I knew it was a day ending impact.

The Orthopedic reports some ligament damage in the rotor cuff area and recommended a few weeks off from skiing. An MRI would be required for a more specific diagnosis and surgery would be the only fix if there is a problem. So, we are taking a wait-and-see approach and hoping the damage is not severe and heals itself.

My ski injuries never happen on challenging terrain. They always happen on easy low-angle terrain, when my guard is down. In this case, the very thing that made the season so amazing (massive snow totals with no thaw) also caused the low ceiling conditions and visibility issues that led to the injury.

I am still grateful, however. This really is a top three season for me, regardless of what comes next. And after a few weeks rest, I will be back to experience all that this season still has left to offer.

The good times cannot last forever, can they? The walls on Jay Peak’s exceptional winter are finally starting to close in. But this weekend was not the end of Jay’s winter weather streak, the good times continue.

Originally, the forecast suggested a mixture of snow, sleet, and perhaps even rain on Thursday, all combined with high winds. I assumed the weather would be poor and lifts would not run.

But Thursday turned out to be the pick of the weekend. Only the Jet ran. But precipitation stayed frozen all day. People that skied on Thursday boasted of an excellent powder day.

Unfortunately, the precipitation turned heavier late Thursday. And the dense snow was further compacted by the wind. Friday was still a powder day. But the untracked was challenging to ski: very dense and hooky.

I spent a rare day Tramside, peeling back the layers on old favorites that I rarely ski and even exploring a region that I had not yet completely explored. The snow was hooky and grabby, resulting in cautious turns.

The wind was raging, but the Bonnie ran all day. Tramside laps required riding the Metro and dealing with its frequent stops. It was worth a vacation day, but it was not worth more than a half dozen Metro/Bonnie laps.

Yet another foot of snow. Yet another powder day.

One can appreciate how good the season has been at Jay by noticing how few skiers show up for a one-foot powder day. The lifts were ski on all day.

Untracked turns were abundant and easily found open-to-close without having to hunt. I hit some lines that rarely fill in completely. Lines that I haven’t skied in years.

Given the short lines and lack of urgency, I even rode the tram for the first time since 2017. The Face Chutes skied very well. But they were just an appetizer. I followed exceptional untracked drifts through the trees and into St. George’s.

It was so good, I decided to ride the tram again. However, the wind started picking up around 1:30pm, which closed down both the Tram and then the Freezer.

By then, even though there was infinite untracked remaining, I had had my fill. How much untracked powder can one skier possibly enjoy?

My cup is overflowing. I am so grateful for the bounty.