Original plans called for Skiing Wildcat on Thursday instead of Friday (Ladies Day, Yeah Baby!); one day after a significant snow fall blanketed northern locations of New Hampshire. However; due to high winds and the threat of lift holds, I opted to wait one day and venture up to The Cat on Friday instead. This was a wise decision as the Quad was on a Wind Hold on Thursday, and conditions were very poor. What I should have done, was skied Cannon or Bretton Woods Thursday where reports have been confirmed of up to a foot of powder in places on Thursday.

For the trip up, I awoke at or around 5AM and had the wheels turning at 5:30AM just before the first hint of sun light. Traveling up I-95 into NH, I could hardly contain my devilish grin as I passed people commuting to work while I was commuting to a day of skiing! The drive was uneventful and I arrived at Wildcat just after 8:00 A.M. Lifts opened at 9:00 A.M., so I relaxed and enjoyed a snack while awaiting vertical delight.

I was aboard the third chair of the Wildcat Express Quad. For the morning, a single cloud incessantly hovered over Mount Washington, as if Big George had some evil thoughts and was in a crappy mood. But the Mount Washington Valley would not allow it to take command as else where was sunny and blue skies. The first Quad up was a cold one though and windy too boot.

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March 8, 2001 goes down in the books as one of the best days of skiing I have ever had in my life. Two days after a foot of snow got dumped on New England, I left home at 5:30AM for Wildcat Mountain in Pinkham Notch of the White Mountain National Forest. I picked up a pair of Volkl P40 Platinum demo skis on the way through North Conway due to my pair of Rossy 9.9 9x recently breaking at Magic Mountain and hit the slopes around 9:15AM.

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