Snow Much Fun!

by Amy Patenaude
Outdoor/Ski Writer

What fun it is to be playing in the snow. The good skiing and hiking/snowshoeing right now makes it appear that winter is here to stay. Wow, winter has arrived and calendar winter doesn’t begin until December 21st!
I have been out playing in the snow for weeks. I hope you have grabbed your snow toys and bounded out the door to play too.
The last couple of Sundays I have gone out hiking-mircospiking-snowshoeing to the summits of a few of New Hampshire’s 4,000 footers. The snow wasn’t deep yet and we hiked up the Liberty Springs Trail to Mount Liberty and then an out and back to Mount Flume. This was a cold and clear day. My nose got cold–it was a good winter shakedown adventure.
A week later Danille and I made it up Mount Moosilauke via the less popular Benton Trail. We experienced sunshine, we got soaked by dripping slushy snow off snow loaded trees and on the summit it was clear, cold and very windy. The mountain vista was bright and clear!
Right after the big snow storm Kris and I went to Killington, Vermont and when we arrived it was still snowing and the sun never showed its face. Killington Peak, Snowdon Mountain and Ramshead had many trails open with deep man made snow and lots of fluffy new snow on top. Killington’s snow guns were still blasting on yet to be opened trails and people were even skiing in the trees and trails that were boasting warning signs that read “Thin Cover.” We skied until our legs told us that we could ski no more!

The day before Kris just had her first day back on skis at Mount Sunapee. She said it was great skiing and they were blowing lots of snow.
I have been skiing Pats Peak all week and their snow guns were roaring making more snow on top of the new snow. Every day more terrain opened.
I am sure by the time you read this most, if not all of the resorts will be open! Visit your favorite resort’s website or check out SkiNH.com for snow conditions at the alpine and cross country resorts in New Hampshire. The season is off to a great start!

In fact it is starting to snow right now and I am itching to click into my skis.
So I’ll leave you with some photos that I hope will encourage you and yours to get outside to play.
Have Fun.

Amy Patenaude is an avid skier/outdoor enthusiast from Henniker, N.H. Readers are welcome to send comments or suggestions to her at: amy@weirs.com.