Killington, VT: 2018-12-01

By any measure November was a great month to be a skier. By the end of the month I had already logged 8 days of lift-served skiing – in most years I’d be lucky to have 2 or 3. Cold temperatures and nearly 5 feet of snowfall produced some of the best early season conditions I can remember. “Snovember” set the stage for a great day of skiing on December 1.

Saint-Sauveur, Quebec: 2018-11-11 and 11-12

I've always been fascinated by the string of ski areas that line Autoroute 15 north of Montreal. We'd usually pass by at night, on the way to Mont Tremblant, one hillside after another lit up for night skiing.

Killington, VT, Day 1: 10/19/2018

Well, that happened quick. The leaves are still on the trees and ski season is here. In our first year as Killington passholders, we couldn't pass up the chance to ski on Day One of the ski season.

Killington VT, closing out our season: 05/06 and 05/13/2018

After logging 40 +/- days this year we finally closed out our ski season with two Sundays at Killington.

Whiteface closing day: Cinqo de Mayo 05/05/2018

I hinted in my April 21 report that Whiteface was hoping for a shot at Cinqo de Mayo skiing. When the official announcement came a few days before the weekend, there was no doubt we'd be heading up for their latest ever closing date.

Whiteface: 04/21/2018

Some skiers spend the winter chasing powder days, or more accurately, powder hours. Others live for the soft snow, blue sky and longer days of spring. If you're a spring guy, last weekend brought some of the best skiing of the season, with Whiteface serving up some of the best terrain in the east.

Whiteface: 04/02/2018

Coincidentally there have been several posts in the ski blogosphere recently with the theme of "it's the skiers I'm with that make the day great." Whiteface on the day after Easter was exactly that kind of day for our family. We had a great crew of 10 - our usual Saratoga Skier team of 4, another 2 kids whose dad is injured for the season, and our friends the Albas.

Okemo & Sugarbush, VT: 03/30 & 03/31/2018

We kicked off Easter break with an overnight excursion to Vermont to use our remaining Mountain Collective day at Sugarbush. Since the long weekend started with a round of rain across ski country Thursday night, we warmed up with a day of at Okemo, where we knew the grooming crew would do a good job getting the mountain back into shape.

Whiteface: 03/24/2018

We've spent a lot of time skiing in Vermont lately but our visit to Whiteface last weekend was a good reminder of how great the skiing can be in New York. When conditions are as good as they were on Saturday, Whiteface rivals any mountain for King of the East. And when the Slides are open, if you ask me there's no contest.

Sugarbush, VT: 03/17 & 03/18/2018

It’s been an amazing March for Vermont ski areas, with monthy snowfall totals in the 4 to 5 feet range. We headed up to Sugarbush this weekend to make use of our Mountain Collective passes.

Stratton, VT: 03/10/2018

Southern Vermont was in the jackpot zone for last week's storm system and the ski areas all posted some impressive snowfall totals. Stratton's multi-day accumulation came in somewhere north of 30 inches, which was enough to coax us into flexing our MaxPasses for a return visit.

Pico Mountain, VT: 03/03/2018

With the Catskills chalking up some huge snowfall totals from last Friday’s storm, we almost headed south for the weekend. After hearing about all the power outages and long lines just to get in the parking lots, I guess it’s a good thing that we didn’t. Instead, we headed over to Pico Saturday morning, where a modest 9 inches or so had fallen.

The late February thaw(s) that plagued the northeast hit Pico’s natural terrain particularly hard, but somehow just enough base survived to stage a comeback with the new snow.

Utah Sampler: 02/17 - 02/23/2018

I’ve got a mile long list of all the people who told me I should cancel my Utah trip. “So-and-so pulled the plug on their Utah trip and is going to Jackson instead” they’d say. Or Big Sky. Or Grand Targhee. Even TGR was dishing out the anti-stoke. I hatched a hair-brained scheme (which we fortunately didn’t execute) to ditch our last couple days in Utah and drive 5 hours north to Jackson instead.

Lucky for us, Utah’s long awaited pattern change started to kick in a week before our trip. 18 to 20 inches of snow fell across the Cottonwoods the week before our arrival with predictions of significantly more.

Gore Mountain: 02/10/2018

With something like 18 inches of new snow in the preceding week, we knew skiers would be out in force on Saturday. Sure enough, we had hardly left the house before we started getting text messages from friends who had arrived before us that the lots were full and the lodge mobbed. Our strategy on days like this: head for the Ski Bowl.

Killington, VT: 02/04 & 02/07/2018

As northeast skiers we've endured more than our share of ice, hardpack, slush, thin cover, wind and sub-zero cold. Sometimes all in the same weekend. Maybe that's what makes the good days so good. Our last two days - both storm days at Killington - were some of the best so far this season.

Gore Mountain: 02/03/2018

Quick update from Gore as of Saturday. Obviously things have changed with the 7 inches of snow reported the next day and another storm bearing down on us as I type.

Jackson Hole, WY: 01/23 - 01/28/2018

Jackson Hole’s reputation for some of the most challenging terrain in North America puts it near the top of every avid skier’s bucket list, so when I was tasked over the summer with picking the destination for this year’s guys ski trip, JH was a no-brainer. Our group doesn’t get the luxury of storm chasing. Like most working schleps, we pick our dates and make our plans months in advance. Jackson’s reliable mid-winter snowfall was a big factor in our decision making process, and that reliability paid off with a foot of powder the day before our arrival and another 20 inches over our five days of skiing.

Pico Mountain, VT: 01/20/2018

Just when skiers thought they’d catch a break from the zero-degree cold, up popped the wind holds Saturday morning. We scuttled plans to ski Whiteface when we saw the forecast for 60 mph winds, took a chance on Pico, and lucked into a great day of skiing.

Mont Tremblant & Far Hills (XC), Quebec: 01/13 - 01/15/2018

It's hard to beat the package Tremblant can deliver for a family ski getaway: a big mountain with lots of variety, quaint pedestrian village that's consistently ranked tops in the east, and oodles of slopeside lodging options. Throw in a favorable exchange rate and the opportunity to experience a different language and culture within driving distance of home, and it's easy to see why Tremblant is so popular with east coast snow sliders.

Killington, VT: 12/31/2017

We had debated between skiing Pico and Killington on New Year’s Eve, ultimately deciding in favor of Killington’s gondola for a bit of protection from the predicted cold temperatures. It turned out to be every bit as cold as predicted – well below zero all day – but as long as you stayed bundled up the skiing was excellent with conditions ranging from chalky packed powder on the groomers to boot buckle deep powder in the woods.

Gore Mountain: 12/30/2017

You know it's been cold when a 10 degree day is considered a heat wave. No complaints from the Saratoga Skier crew though. We got in a prime day at Gore in some of the best Christmas Week conditions we've seen since 2012. Between the sun, calm winds and some great skiing it was easy to forget we were right in the middle of a Polar Vortex.