Snow Is In The Rearview Mirror!

PHOTO: Bria on the Barker Lodge deck at Sunday River enjoying the sunshine! The Ski season is toast but a few ski areas are hanging on until the last Snowflake melts! Sunday River’s Send Off is planned for April 24th and tickets on-line are Zero dollars for their closing day! Loon Mountain is done this weekend closing on the 17th. There’s 30 feet of snow on Superstar at Killington–will they make it until June this year? Only Mother Nature Knows for sure.

by Amy Patenaude
Outdoor/Ski Writer

The forecast is for rain and more rain. It really is Spring now. Snow is behind us.
I never made it to Tuckerman Ravine before the Sherburne Trail melted out. This means if we were to go we would have to walk back down instead of being able to ski back to the parking lot.
Oh but I was at Killington a few days ago and they were 50% open and there was 30 feet of snow on their epic Superstar Trail. The snow on the trail is referred to as the Superstar Glacier.
It isn’t unusual for the slope to be open until June. Killington provides lift serviced skiing and snowboarding on the glacier until every flake melts.
Bretton Woods, Cannon and Wildcat’s last day open was April 10th. Loon Mountain plans to be open this weekend but it would be smart to check their snow report before you go. And that’s a wrap for lift serviced skiing in New Hampshire this season.
The best deals for season passes are right now. Buy in April for the lowest prices offered for the upcoming ski season. That goes for Nordic season passes too.
I renewed my Indy and my IKON passes. I got my Pats Peak 60th Anniversary pass for next year too. Now all I have to do is wait for it to snow again.

Ski season is too short. I am happy I made many sweet Spring skiing memories. I hope you did too.
Now it is time to clean up and put all the ski gear away for next season. My yellow ski pants really need washing. Actually all my ski clothes need a good cleaning before I put them back in the closet.
I need to wash the mud off my ski boots too. And a coat of storage wax on my skis before I bring them down to the basement needs to be done too.
Spring started off cold. On the first full day of Spring, Bria and I skied Cannon and brrrrr. It felt like cold winter and the trees and the mountaintops were painted white with some fresh snow that had fallen overnight. We enjoyed some good runs on Mittersill.

Pats Peak closed for the season as they usually do on the last Sunday in March. Danielle
and I went night skiing their last Thursday night of the season, in the rain and fog. The snow was excellent. There were a couple of buses of kids finishing up their ski programs and having a good time. The rain was warm, some of the kids were wearing t-shirts.

We skied at Waterville Valley and beat the rain. It was foggy but we all had a good time skiing on the soft snow. Nearly every trail was open and we did our best to ski them all. After a t-bar ride up High Country we stood on the top of the mountain and the sun came out for a minute and it felt too warm.
These were our last rides on the White Peaks Express Quad, it is coming down this summer.
Waterville Valley is replacing it with a new 6-person high speed bubble chairlift.
At Loon’s 80’s day we skied and danced our way around the mountain. It was a terrific sunny day and nearly everyone had on a crazy 80’s outfit. The band, Rubix Kube, covered all the best 80’s music on an outdoor stage in front of the Governor Adams Lodge.

Bria and I skied Sunday River on a sunny Monday and we felt like we were the only ones there! The morning’s firm snow turned into soft hero snow so every turn we made felt easy and perfect. A warm day that required sunglasses and we enjoyed a beer on the Barker Lodge deck.
Daffodils are popping up and there is yard work that needs to be done. Our bicycles are ready to ride. Friends are playing golf on soggy fairways. I’ll still miss the snow. Have Fun.