The 2012-2013 season was characterized by manic swings between frustration and satisfaction. Constant near misses were offset by frequent micro events that satisfied by never electrified. Natural snow was generally good but never epic. A look through my reports yields many really good days but no lifetime moments. If not for those reports, in hindsight I might give this season an irreverent “meh”. But I had many really good days despite no incredible ones. While I feel that the season fell short of average, my documentation might suggest otherwise. I feel less satisfied about the season than my reports might suggest.

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These days may or may not have been THE best ski days of the season. But they were MY best ski days of the season. These are the days that filled me with the most emotional connection. The powder surely wasn’t the deepest of the season on any of these days, but the smiles were the biggest. Rereading the reports and viewing the pictures gives me goosebumps and vivid remembrances. These days meant something special — each was far more important than just another powder day.

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#5 — Mad River Glen: Game On — December 30, 2011

Long before the season started to suck but long after the season should have properly started, Mad River Glen opened for the first day of the season. First tracks looked more like noon tracks. This was due to the prior days’ skin track looking like a Single Chair line on a powder day. But there was ample powder to snuff out in seriously ill advised locales.

#4 — Summer or Spring at Stowe? — March 19, 2012

Sometimes a great spring skiing day is way better than a great powder day. And it is always better than an average powder day. Unfortunately, this season had very little of either great or average powder days so it is a no brainer to include my best spring skiing day in my top five. Despite the ridge already having melted out, the spring skiing was stellar. Top to bottom bumps on Chin Clip absolutely killed it.

#3 — Dartmouth: TheSnowWay at the Skiway — March 11, 2012

I was brought to Dartmouth by The List. But I’ll be going back to Dartmouth because it is awesome. Actually, my desire to ski Dartmouth extended well past my creation of The List in 2010. This day made my top three even though at less than six inches, it didn’t qualify for TSW Powder Day status. Think about that.

#2 — MRG: Boot to Knee Deep is Boot to Knee Deep — February 26, 2012

This day wouldn’t have happened for me without Harvey. Despite forecasts for some powder, I wanted to save my legs for five days of skiing in a row. Throwing in with Harvey for his first trip to Mad River meant seven days of skiing in a row with three back to back powder days. I went for it and the forecasted few inches became my first (and only) boot to knee deep day of the season. If Harvey hadn’t reached out, I would have missed out. I was stoked to show Harv around the Glen, especially on such a great powder day.

#1 — Eyes Wide Open: Cannon — October 30, 2011

This day meant so much to me. This report was as close as I came to poetry all season. A lot is said and written about skiing and the meaning people attach to it. But for me, it is so ingrained that I don’t really reflect on it from that (often melodramatic) perspective. It is just what I do. But this day felt transformative and I reconnected with an aching passion in a meaningful way. Often times during great solo powder days, I rue my lack of companions and fellowship. But not this day. This day was all mine.

Thirty days may seem like a lot to many skiers. But I haven’t skied so few days since 2003-2004 (fifteen). But that doesn’t tell the whole story as 2004 was my final year in Massachusetts.

I was divisively split between the city and the mountains. My love of skiing was tempered by a developing stint as a club DJ in Boston and skiing was just one of my passions rather than my main focus. Fifteen days was a good season at that point. And now, double that is a bad one.

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Why six instead of five? Because five isn’t good enough to convey all of the great days! I am including multi-day trips as one day bringing the list total to nine out of thirty nine. But who’s counting? These are the six trips from this past season that gave me the most smiles and excitement.

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