Spring Skiing!!

by Amy Patenaude
Outdoor/Ski Writer

I am often asked how many days a year I ski. I joke, “I ski anytime I get the chance, I don’t count.” I have had good skiing adventures this Spring.
Pats Peak stopped running their lifts a month ago. After work I skinned/climbed up and skied down. Sometimes friends joined me and I often spied tracks made by others earlier in the day. I liked to made two laps. The soft bumps on the Hurricane were all mine and the sun felt warm.
The 23rd was the last time because the walk to ski ratio was not good and the snow melted more rapidly each day leaving behind smaller patches of skiable snow.
Last Saturday Charlie and I met Becca and we skinned up Waterville Valley. We started out ina fog and ended up getting soaked by a cool heavy rain. Becca has a split board–a snowboard that splits into two pieces and she attaches climbing skins so she can skin up the mountain like we do on our skis.
Skiing back down was as much of a challenged as climbing up since it had been cold the night before and the snow was firm, very firm. Even in the rain our edges made loud noises every time we scraped them against the snow to turn. We laughed because we thought we were crazy
to have this much fun suffering for just one run.

Yes we knew it was really Spring when a pair of Mallard ducks were splashing in a puddle in front of our cars in the parking lot.
On Sunday it was a nice day and Charlie and I went cross-country skiing at Jackson’s Ski Touring Foundation’s Prospect Farm trails at the end of Carter Notch Road. They have been officially closed for weeks but they groom these trails for a few more times for those that want to still get out. The parking lot had a dozen cars in it and we met others out having fun. Boggy Brook and Quail Trails still were covered with more than a foot of snow. The Boggy Brook roared loudly since it was filled to the top of its banks with the increasing snowmelt.

Bria and I each still had a lift ticket to Sugarbush to burn. We skipped out on Thursday and drove to Vermont. Lincoln Peak’s Valley House Quad didn’t start spinning until 10 am and we were there for the opening. The temperature was 43 degrees and overcast and the melting snow made it feel much colder. On the groomed trails we made turns in the soft slushy corn snow. The double black diamond, steep and bumpy Stein’s Run was the highlight of the day.
Giant moguls dotted the trail and the snow was nice corn that made turning in the bumps enjoyable without skidding in between. Skiing in Spring snow is a lot of work and we skied until our legs burned.
We’re headed to Wildcat tomorrow and who cares that the forecast is for rain. I don’t know if Wildcat will be open the first weekend in May but I am sure they will be if there is enough snow to make a ribbon down the mountain. Killington, Jay Peak, Sugarbush and Sugarloaf are all expecting to be open in May.
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.

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