Category: March

2011-2012 Season, Jay Peak, March

Sleepy Jay Day

Trees at Jay

My destination decision on Saturday was based on open terrain versus powder potential. With only two to four inches in the forecast for most of Vermont, I opted for open terrain. I assumed Jay would add something onto their reported 3-6″ from the day before. And perhaps I could locate a few lesser known stashes with two days worth of accumulation. As reports from Sugarbush can attest, I had chosen poorly.

Jay over reported the higher end of their range from Thursday. I was able to find many pockets of untracked snow but none of those pockets yielded anything close to half a foot. Adding insult to injury was that Jay got nothing from the storm. So whereas I expected 3-6″ + 2-4″ for potential pockets of 5-10″, I actually got a few pockets of 3-4″.

Which isn’t to say that the skiing wasn’t really good. Conditions were packed powder with lots of loose snow and the rare hit of powder. All trails were open except for the ridge. And base depths were significantly improved since my last visit before the massive Leap Day storm. But I still wasn’t feeling it.

Worse, I was completely out of it. Lack of sleep and tough times at work had me blurry eyed with lackadaisical legs. I wasn’t making my turns and my eyes were drooping in the trees. After a little more than an hour’s worth of skiing, I decided it was dangerous to continue forcing it, I was done.

But not before failing to rotate a jump turn, releasing from my ski, and post holing down to my sternum in a spruce trap. Extraction was a bitch to say the least. But at least I know first hand that Jay has a deep base and should weather the warmth better than most.

2011-2012 Season, Bretton Woods, March

Bretton Woods: A Matter of Degrees

No Grooming on Snake

I will address the elephant in the room straight out: Bretton Woods is flat. Really flat. Bretton Woods makes Okemo seem challenging. But outside of Bretton being protractor challenged, I really enjoyed the ski area. Everyone is friendly, the base lodge is amazing, there are four high speed quads, parking is close to the lodge on level ground, and there are tons of glade options. Does the entire Bretton Woods experience make up for the lack of pitch?

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2011-2012 Season, Cannon Mountain, March, NE Ski Blogger Summit, Powder Day

NSBS Day 4: I Am Cannon

Sick Bird on Upper Hard
Sick Bird on Upper Hard

One unifying aspect shared by attendees of the Northeast Ski Bloggers Summit is passion. That passion is not only something that brings us together but also something we feed off. We inspire each other to further those passions. One of the things I am most passionate about is Cannon. I love the mountain.

I didn’t want my fellow bloggers just to ski Cannon, I wanted them to see if from my eyes. Not to adopt my perspective but to understand something very personal about me and my passion. Maybe they would not find Cannon to be a special place, but they would at least understand what makes Cannon special to me.

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2010-2011 Season, AlpineZone Meet Up, March, Sugarloaf

Sugarloaf: Following the Wind

Sugarloaf

Riding up the Superquad, I noticed that Spillway and Timberline were not spinning. After a quick rip down Lower Winter’s Way to Lower Misery Whip, I found out that King Pine was not spinning. And after a long run out on Cross Haul, I found out that Whiffletree was also not spinning. Looping up and over to the top of King Pine, I found that the new trails off the Brackett Basin ridge were closed.

Today was all about flexibility and patience. Quality snow and good turns could be found, especially after I got past my initial disappointment. With the singles line for the Superquad back to Double Runner, I decided it would be a Double to T-bar day.

Excellent wind loaded snow was found on skier’s left of many trails. The MO for the day was traversing looker’s left from the T-bar and skiing skier’s left on the trails. Spillway, Winter’s Way, Misery Whip, and Ripsaw all offered nice turns, scraped in some places and creamy in others. I found Bubblecuffer to be especially nice. But the run of the day was saved for last as we took Haul Back on Greg’s suggestion which yielded epic wind blown pow.

I was fortunate to meet up with some of the AlpineZone crew after lunch. Skiing solo was okay. But on such a day as this, the company changed the day from somewhat blah to incredibly fun. Skiing with a crew made my day and made the afternoon something special. Last chair came all to quickly and my legs gave out just as the lifts came to a stop.

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2010-2011 Season, March, Powder Day, Smugglers Notch

Smuggs <3

I am so up on Smuggs. I can’t even say the name without smiling and feeling better. Smuggs is one of only three or four ski areas that I connect with on an emotional level. Perhaps the honeymoon is not over yet. But I don’t think that is the case. Despite only having skied Smuggs four times, the connection already runs deep. It’s a special place.

The expansive tree skiing grabs me like no where else. The types of trees, spacing varieties, topography, and vertical all combine to offer an immensely pleasing experience. Much like other Northern Vermont areas, Smuggs tree skiing is a choose your own adventure and the best adventures are often off map. But by thinking outside the pack, there are so many seemingly obvious shots that remain untracked days after a storm.

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