Spring Skiing Fun

PHOTO: Danielle on Wildcat’s Upper Catapult Trail with a big vista of Mount Washington across Pinkham Notch. The highest bump is the summit of Mount Washington and Tuckerman Ravine is the biggest white snowy area just to the left of center of the photo. Snow conditions near the summits of the White Mountains are still very much winter-like.

by Amy Patenaude
Outdoor/Ski Writer

Last week’s warm sunny weather would have been considered wonderful for a summer day.
This fine spring weather has people out bicycling, raking their lawns and hitting the golf courses. But some of us are still playing in the snow too.
Cannon and Bretton Woods called it quits last Sunday. Wildcat is hanging in there and is the last New Hampshire mountain to be open. Yah the snow is getting thin down below but up high the snow is melting more slowly. I am amazed at the skill of the snow groomers to farm and push snow around to maintain a continuous top to bottom snow covered slope.
We skied Cannon on Thursday and it was great fun. They did an amazing job grooming and nearly all the main mountain’s trails were open. It looked like Mittersill could have been open but spring mid-week there isn’t exactly a crowd. (I learned they did open Mittersill for the weekend!) Many times we had the slope just to ourselves.
Bria and I arrived at 9am when the lifts opened. We went straight to the Zoomer chairlift where the sun was hot and the snow was getting soft, too soft, quickly. Then we went to the Cannonball Quad to ski off the summit.
Sunscreen and sunglasses were necessary to protect our skin and eyes. Everyone left their warm clothing in the car.

Beneath the chairlift we watched people coming down the Profile Trail. Some really showed off making fast turns in their flashy costumes. One fellow zoomed down nearly naked, just wearing a small pair of shorts. His friend followed from behind carrying an armful of clothing. It was really amusing.
There was barely a breeze and the clear sky made for big mountain views. We thought it would have been a fine day for hiking but snowshoes certainly would be required up high.
Skylight was the trail of the day. On the more shaded steep trail the snow didn’t get slushy and turning was good fun. We skied every trail that was open. I think we made 21 runs, we skied until we were tired out and hungry.
Back at the house we decided to go for a walk and we ended up going along the Ham Branch of the Gale River. It was still sunny and almost 70 degrees. Bria had a bright idea. Bria jumped in the cold clear water first. I wanted to chicken out but I didn’t. The water was as cold as I feared. I couldn’t run out of the water fast enough. Bria jumped in a second time. I didn’t. Now I can say I went skiing and swimming in Franconia on the same day.

The next day, Friday, Danielle and I went to Wildcat. Wow, it was warmer than it had been at Cannon. Again the “crowd” was sparse. Again I enjoyed no lift lines and having open slopes just to ourselves–it was perfecto.
We enjoyed the big vista of Mt. Washington and its ravines. We could see that the Sherburne Trail down from Tuckerman is mostly melted out. That means visitors to Tuckerman Ravine will not be able to ski all the way back down to the Pinkham parking lot but will have to hike down the hiking trail.
Our first run was down Polecat and unlike Cannon they didn’t groom. Grooming melts and eats up the snow and since Wildcat planned to stay open longer they need to make the snow last.
They advertise there is no beginner terrain from the summit this time of year. There were no big moguls but it wasn’t something a beginner would want to tackle. We had fun getting down the mountain.
“You’ll find areas of thin cover, bare spots and narrow sections of trail and it is so fun.” to quote their snow report!
Danielle wore her fun spring skiing outfit. She looked like a bright purple jelly bean with rainbow legs! Sunglasses and sunscreen were required attire.
Upper Catapult to Middle Wildcat to Bobcat was the route of the day. There were good size bumps on the top of Bobcat. And by the end of the day some interesting ribbons of snow follow down the slope.
Danielle told me she started and ended her ski season at Wildcat. She thought this would be her last outing of the season. I laughed.
There is a good chance we will hike up someplace and ski down next week!
Have fun.