Category: February

2022-2023 Season, February, Jay Peak

Double Day, Part One: Jay

U.N.

Today featured an unplanned dual visit to Jay and Cannon.

The ski day got off to an unfavorable start. I bypassed Cannon and drove on to Jay thinking that Northern Vermont would do better than Cannon during the storm. As I continued north, the driving got easier and the snow banks got smaller. Clearly, I made the wrong destination selection, but I was committed.

After booting up, I went outside to start my day when I noticed that the ear pads to my helmet had fallen out. Try as I might to reconnect the pads, I couldn’t figure out how to jam them into the helmet. It was far too cold to go without ear pads, and I certainly wasn’t going to buy a replacement helmet. So, I elected to ski with a hat only.

It has been more than twenty years since I last skied without a helmet. I felt exposed and uncomfortable. Despite the half foot of fresh, I opted to stay on open trails only. No woods for me today.

Well, at least until I met a first timer on the lift. The dude had just come back from skiing The Dip, not realizing he was following tracks to Route 242. He obviously had a sense of adventure, and I appreciated his idiosyncrasies. We hit it off and I wanted to show him the best of Jay, off map in the woods. Just one run. 🙂

We had a good time, but he went back in for lunch. Without a partner and without my helmet, I thought I had pushed my luck far enough. The skiing was fun, but not as fun as it could have and should have been. I decided to call it a day. But little did I know at the time, that my ski day was just beginning…

Part Two

2021-2022 Season, February, Mad River Glen

Mad River Glen: Finally

MRG Trees

Mad River Glen finally received enough snow to put quality lines on the table. Still thin coverage, still rocks and roots to hit and slide over. But at least the skiing was full on.

MRG Trees

At least, it was on many parts of the mountain. Paradise and Fall Line remained closed while neighboring off map woods skied quite well. Lower elevation was low tide and scary on or off map. But some of my favorite mid-mountain lines skied quite well and were even powdery in places. It was a satisfying day. But it shows how much the mountain has struggled with snowfall that today would probably rate a top five day of the year at MRG.

2021-2022 Season, Cannon Mountain, February

Cannon: A Bust

With a big storm predicted, I made plans for Cannon. But, as with many storms this season, the storm fizzled and impacted areas south of the notch more than the notch itself. I had a disheartening feeling as road conditions improved the further north that I drove.

I knew that would be the case. But I had hoped for at least a half a foot or more at Cannon. But, it was a total bust. Groomers with a light dusting skied better than natural snow, still recovering from the latest rain-freeze event.

As a positive, at least this storm didn’t turn to rain?

2020-2021 Season, Cannon Mountain, February

Neglecting the Narrative: Cannon

Lakeview Glade

The February vacation storm resembles the 2020-2021 season: a massive buildup of expectation vaporized into mediocrity. Possibilities of two feet of snow became two inches of mixed. The wind howled, intermittently pelting cars with rain and sleet. The lifts would eventually turn, but it was a tease compared to what might have been.

Lower mountain lifts opened as the weather relented. I skied all of the trails from Gary’s to Avalanche, and the glades in between. The snow was better than it had any right to be considering the weather. Tracked was often better than untracked, particularly in the trees where a thin layer of skied off snow could covered rocks.

The Peabody Quad eventually opened but not the upper mountain Cannonball Quad. The lower mountain trails were better than mid-mountain trails. Warming temperatures kept the snow soft and forgiving down low, not so much up high. The following evening, temperatures would plummet and turn moisture laden snow into concrete. Entering what should have been the snowiest part of the season, it was already the beginning of the end.

Echo Woods

I lost the narrative this winter. Not the skiing narrative. The skiing narrative followed the foreseen arc: stay local, earn turns, observe travel restrictions, and occasionally ski Cannon when it did not feel like a zoo. I did not ski much, but I did not care to ski much. It was a lost season. I took what I got and I was happy to not miss any epic days in VT (since there were none).

Rather, I mean the personal narrative. I spent more time on my bike indoor training than skiing. I am fitter going into the spring than I ever have been before. But I lost some personal discipline. I lost focus. I floundered aimlessly this winter without making much personal progress. I probably should not view stagnation as a setback. At least I can say that I am fit as fuck for cycling season.

The story goes on and the protagonist has noticed the obstacle and works to tear it down. Onward.