Category: February

2024-2025 Season, February, Jay Peak, Powder Day

Overflow

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.

2024-2025 Season, Cannon Mountain, Earned Turns, February, Powder Day

Tuckerbrook

Due to being on call for work, I needed to stay close to home. I opted for an early skin and ski of Tuckerbrook.

It was disappointing not going to Jay (given their exceptional snowfall numbers during the past week). But Jay didn’t receive any more overnight snowfall than Cannon, so I was not missing much.

Below the nordic junction, the trail is still quite thin. Occasional rock is still exposed. But above the junction, the trail is well covered (especially the upper half).

Tuckerbrook is filled in but not that deep. Occasional tree tops are still poking through the snow. The troll bridge has many rocky topographical hurdles. The L&L pitch is still lacking base and is absolutely not recommended.

Overall, it was a pleasant skin and ski.

2023-2024 Season, Earned Turns, February, Jay Peak

Jay: When Skinning is Better Than Skiing

Big Jay

The forecast suggested that Jay would get a foot of snow throughout a forty-eight hour period. However, Jay reported only a dusting by Friday morning. And the report for Saturday showed not even a dusting overnight. On the drive up, I knew things were not well when I did not see any new snow in the Notch nor Sheffield Heights.

Worse yet, the snow pack was moisture laden frozen hard pack. Word on the lifts was that the groomers had a difficult night and did their best with a challenging snow pack. It was the worst snow of the year, many better white ribbons of death have skied better.

Skinning the Wiggle

My original plan was to ski the lifts a bit and then enjoy the natural over on Gilpin. So, I had my touring rig with me. I decided it would be more fun to skin than to ski, and I was right. I always enjoy a good hike on a pleasant sunny day (if a bit cold, but skinning keeps you warm).

The only concern was lower level holiday skiers losing control and hitting me. Conditions were slick and fully engaging an edge was challenging. Thankfully, the skin route is mellow enough that no one lost control. The ski down was abysmal, as conditions were rapidly deteriorating due to skier traffic.

2023-2024 Season, February, Jay Peak, Powder Day

Jay: Cleaning Up the Leftovers

The “Powder Day” tag may be stretching it a bit. The day before was the true powder day. Today was about cleaning up the leftovers. I found many untracked powder turns, but no untracked lines. It was an off map hunting expedition (and even then, pushing the edges of the skiable zones).

In some ways, the final few inches that fell last night were more a curse than a blessing. A few inches of super light blower covers up obstacles and provides no cushion. I tried Vertigo for my first run and sloughed three inches of dust off three sizeable rocks. Thankfully no base damage, but it could have been worse.

The base under the new snow isn’t pretty, it isn’t for charging hard. Cautious turns in the low angle off map woods for me today, and nothing too steep. Where I found untracked turns, I got the cumulative boot deep bounty. But it never lasted more than a few turns on the periphery of the skiable zones.

The new snow came just in time for the holiday and bailed out a poor February. But the base is still thin and the new snow didn’t bond well nor pack down well. A solid gain, but not enough to salvage a failing season.

2023-2024 Season, Cannon Mountain, Earned Turns, February, White Mountain BC

Tuckerbrook: Blue Bird

Lincoln & Lafayette

The forecast promised an amazing blue bird day in the mountains. With new snow sticking to the trees, it was guaranteed to be a brilliant day in the outdoors. The air was cold and crisp, and the views of views of the Franconia Ridge and Kinsmans were fabulous.

Kinsmans

The morning temperature was extremely cold. Skinning is always a great choice for these days as it is easy to stay warm. The lower mountain snow pack was much improved since my last skin earlier this year. But access to the ski trail was still quite thin and would require careful skiing during the exit.

Cannon

The skin was uneventful, the views amazing, and the skiing acceptable. The snow pack is still quite thin for the first week of February. However, at least the trail is now well covered (at least, above the nordic trail junction).

Tuckerbrook