If you like spring skiing - and who doesn't? - Sunday was a day not to be missed. Not a cloud in the sky, temperatures warming into the upper 50s (my car said 65 pulling out of Gore's lot around 3:30) and deep snow above mid-mountain thanks to a string of late season storms.
This report is pretty simple to write. I pulled up to the mountain solo (the rest of the family had other commitments), took the gondi up, and then rode the Straightbrook chair all day, alternating between Hawkeye, Chati, Rumor and Lies. Rumor and upper Chati stayed firmer than expected (they improved with skier traffic), but Hawkeye and Lies were spring perfection right from the get-go.
Lies was pick-of-the-day with smooth, consistent corn snow and moguls that were just the right size. Coverage is absolutely stellar for this point in the season - there's not a bare spot on the entire upper mountain.
The "No Lunch" rule - a luxury that can only be indulged on solo ski days - was in effect and made for an efficient day. There was simply no need to make the long round-trip to the bottom. I lost track of the number of laps we made on the Straightbrook quad, it was surely something north of a dozen. By 3pm there was almost nobody left skiing. A few people were hanging out on the patio back down at the base, but it was a pretty quiet Sunday afternoon. I get it when some skiers say that by April they like to move on to biking and golf, but to me spring skiing is the elusive reward for mid-winter days of hardpack.
The end of the season is closing in fast. Gore has already announced that Easter Sunday will be their last day. No word yet if Whiteface will go later. The Saratoga Skier team is planning on making this Friday our season closer, and with a string of 70-degree days this week down here in the lowlands, the end can't be too far off.
Cheryl skied Sunday while I was fishing. SB is still hoping to make it to May, although I hit some brown spots down low 2 weekends ago on natural snow trails. The upper mountain coverage is pretty solid. Rain is in the forecast for this weekend right now.
ReplyDeleteThis Friday will be our last day for the season unless we make it over to K in May. With all the warm weather over the last few days I think it's going to be a struggle keeping the lower mountain trails open. Up high should be OK, but getting back down could be an "adventure." By the way we're bummed we didn't get over to Sugarbush this year, but we'll be hitting it on the Mountain Collective next winter.
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