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Closing day at Wildcat Mountain in the White Mountain National Forest. Many trails were open that required side slipping, grass walking, or precision skiing to bypass snowless sections. Skiing was amazing for so late in April! The top section of the old Gondola Liftline was particularly satisfying and challenging. While I often take issue with Wildcat’s management, pricing structure, and operations, I can not fault Wildcat for opening a respectable amount of terrain for just one more day of Spring Skiing.

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The plan was originally made a week ago; before it snowed. The plan was to hike a lower elevation mountain with good views such as Mount Monadnock or the Welch-Dickey Loop in Waterville Valley. The southern facing trails on such mountains were completely snow free by the last day of March and I was itching to get a jump on hiking season. With most ski resorts reporting lots of bare ground, slushy snow, and low trail counts… I planned to hike instead. Little did I know that I would be hiking in ski boots up a well known saddle on the northern flank of Cannon to Mount Jackson instead.

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With the 2002-2003 Ski Season winding down, I returned to Magic Mountain to pay my final respects to Southern Vermont’s finest ski area for the season. I met Mr. Otter mid-way through the afternoon. We explored many aspects of Magic Mountain including a jaunt over to neighboring and defunct Timberside (which now primarily is utilized as a Snow Mobile mountain). The remains of an old double chairlift remain near the summit. A narrow ribbon of white allowed passage back to Magic Mountain proper after the side show. Coverage at Magic Mountain was very good for mid-March.

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Standing at the entrance of Master Magician is like standing before the alter — you have two choices: “I Do” or “I Do Not.” Prior to making this decision, you reflect upon your vows: “Do you promise to love, honor, and cherish every sweet turn?” “Do you swear to find the most perfect line and commit yourself to the steepest fall line possible?” “Do you pledge to respect the snow and your fellow skiers above all else?” “Do you take this mountain, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?” You calmly state the words: “I Do.”

In the back of your mind, you hear the declaration: “I now pronounce you Skier and Mountain.”

Magic Mountain once proclaimed Master Magician as the steepest in-bounds trail in Vermont. This declaration went unchallenged for many years. While there may currently be a handful of steeper trails in Vermont; including sections of Magic Mountain’s own lift line trails Red Line and Black Line, Master Magician remains a true challenge and a classic in the annals of New England Skiing.

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Finishing up a week long winter vacation, I found myself with my dad at Tenney Mountain. This was our first visit to the mid-sized intermediate oriented ski area at the foothills of the White Mountains. After years of troubled ownership, Tenney found itself reopened for 2003. I found Tenney’s consistently intersecting trails to devalue the character of the terrain making the trail layout make like. Individual trails generally lacked character since most trails lacked individuality. Even those trails that were not bisected multiple times generally failed to offer any special topographical or visual features of interest. Tenney is a very affordable mountain that is excellent for families, first timers, beginners and intermediates. Hopefully Tenney can dial in on its niche and market to the correct audience as it is a good mountain but it lacks long term viability.

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After skiing the previous day at Mad River Glen, I was fairly sore but ready for more of the Mad River Valley. Staying one hour south at the Turn of River Lodge in Killington, VT reduced drive time for the low price of $20 per night. My mini two day vacation continued on Tuesday at Sugarbush, a mountain a faintly remembered from a teenage ski trip with the family. From that earlier first trip to Sugarbush, I most vividly remembered making High Speed GS turns down the windy Upper Jester and eating pizza at a local establishment. We camped out at a four season camp ground in a motor home and had an awesome weekend at Mount Lincoln. Those memorable family trips laid the ground work for my developing skiing habit that later became a major focus of my life.

I started my day at Mount Ellen but quickly found out that the conditions were less than satisfactory and the Slide Brook Express was closed during mid-week. After only one run in low visibility, I packed up my gear and drove over to Mount Lincoln. Conditions were much better and I began the morning skiing the Lynx area. After skiing the four Lynx runs, I returned to the lodge for a break before trying Castlerock. Or so I thought. Castlerock was later put on Wind Hold as was Heaven’s Gate relegating my skiing to the Super Bravo and Lynx chairs.

Overall, this was a rather disappointing afternoon at Sugarbush due to poor conditions, wind hold, and not being able to ski the Castlerock and Heaven’s Gate trails. I would return a few years later to properly sample the mountain in its entirety.

My first Mad River Glen experience featuring excellent cover, great conditions, beautiful blue skies, and expanding exposure to some of the best terrain in New England. Ski It If You Can, indeed. Shareholder since 2007.

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Driving into the parking lot, I was directed where to park by an attendant. Upon opening my car door, I was greeted with friendly and warm conversation despite the frigid cold of the morning. Entering the lodge, I was enthusiastically and happily greeted by several employees. The main floor of the lodge is spacious and contains ample tables and chairs, including wood benches surrounding a red brick fireplace. Downstairs on the bottom floor, I purchased my lift ticket for $32 and quickly became engaged in conversation with Black’s attentive and hospitable staff. I was amazed by their Rental setup which seemed well designed and well staffed. Black’s reputation as a family friendly resort that specializes in beginners and those just learning is well deserved. But I was about to learn that Black has more to offer than just for families and beginners!

Black is a Mountain for everyone. First timers to Experts alike will delight in Black Mountain’s classic, narrow, winding trails. Beginners have two dedicated areas for learning which include a J-Bar servicing a wide open practice slope and a Platter Pull Surface Lift which accesses three charming Green Circles. Even expert skiers would do well to try the Platter Pull lift at least once for the experience! If you have never seen a Platter Pull lift, think T-Bar with a plunger instead of a T. The plunger gets placed between your legs which may lead some self-absorbed skiers to believe it is an extension of their man hood.

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Despite recent disappointments with Cannon grooming almost all of their trails flat as a pancake, I could not resist the Two-Fer $40 on Valentine’s Day. There is nothing I would rather be doing on Valentine’s Day than skiing by myself! I am not being facetious, I mean that quite literally and seriously. But my opinions on Hallmark Holidays, their negative effects on mental health and general outlook on life, and binge Holiday consumption are really neither here nor there and do not pertain to this particular report. Feel free to email me; however, if you would like to discuss these topics in depth!

It was a freezing cold day at Cannon on Friday. Temperatures at the summit started at -20 F. Fortunately, the wind was manageable as I unloaded from the High Speed Quad and quickly ducked over to By-Pass. Quickly, I noticed that most trails were groomed to what some skiers might call “perfection.” However; unless I am in the mood for ripping GS turns, any grooming leaves much to be desired. I tracked down to the Front Face and ran laps skiers left to right starting on Gary’s. Gary’s and Rocket featured the so called perfect groom with occasional natural pockets on skiers’ right on Rocket. Not much consistency or fun to be had on those occasional natural snow areas.

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Made it up to Haystack in Vermont for the Massachusetts Day $29 deal. Haystack is the often overlooked little sister of Mount Snow and the Bastard Child of American Skiing Company. Despite Haystack being less crowded, having no lift lines, and decent terrain, the mountain has not been as successful as neighboring Mount Snow. Instead of increasing advertising and awareness, ASC simply turned Haystack into a weekend only operation to reduce friendly fire on Mount Snow.

The loss of everyone else becomes my gain! Despite the $29 deal for Massachusetts residents, the mountain remained rather uncrowded. Most lifts were ski on with an occasional one to two minute wait on the POMA Brand Barnstormer servicing the summit and the Hayfever Triple accessing two-thirds of the mountain. The CTEC Brand Witches Triple, servicing Haystack’s expert terrain, closed shortly after the mountain opened due to high winds. This lift would later re-open and was always ski-on. The base lodge was roomy and had adequate seating with a perfect window view of the mountain face.

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Super Bowl Sunday Two-Fer at Cannon Mountain. Whereas last year’s Super Bowl crowd was minimal this year people packed the parking lots. Two major differences exist between the two seasons. Last year was a horrible snow year and the New England Patriots were featured in the Super Bowl whereas this year has been a great snow year so far and the teams involved in the Super Bowl are of little interest to New Englanders. Despite the crowds, wait times for chair lifts never exceeded two to three minutes and the Tram was generally only a one or two Tram wait. Cannon’s staff did an excellent job filling every chair and directing traffic in the lift corals.

Conditions started off as a groomers paradise. Almost the entire mountain had been groomed and the morning snow was hard, fast, edgable, and mostly enjoyable. By 11 A.M., good quality snow required some searching. I found it on skiers’ right of Rocket in the form of soft and loose snow with occasional bumps.

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For the Martin Luther King Holiday weekend, I had to work both Saturday and Monday. I dreaded the crowd potential of any ski area during the holiday weekend. I decided this would be a perfect weekend to explore trails off the beaten path. Way off the beaten path. Such as Lost Ski Areas that are no longer in operation.

For Sunday, I choose local Sea View Ski Area in Rowley, MA. I had previously made a summer hiking trip to this lost area for exploration purposes. I thought some fun and interesting turns could be had down the narrow trail that is currently a leg of the Bay Circuit Trail. So I embarked on a solo expedition to the Lost Ski Area formerly known as Sea View which is also known as Prospect Hill.

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After skiing Cannon on Saturday and staying the night in Whitefield, NH, it was onto Burke Mountain in Vermont for skiing on Sunday. First Tracks!! Online Ski Magazine provided discounted tickets to its readers for this excessively cold outing. The temperatures were substantially below freezing with severe frostbite danger and the slow Willoughby Quad chairlift was not helping in that department. Most skiers took two or three runs then went inside to warm up.

Burke is a carvers’ and groomer skiers’ paradise despite its other bolder offerings in the trees. As a F.I.S. Certified Super G trail, The Dippers made for excellent wide GS turns. Bear’s Den and Willoughby are character trails that also provide excellent high speed grooming while also retaining many rolls, twists, and turns characteristic of older style trails. East Bowl was also groomed, unfortunately. But regardless, this trail is always excellent and a must ski every visit to Burke.

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Plans for an über cold weekend included Cannon Mountain on Saturday and Burke on Sunday (discount Burke tickets provided by First Tracks!! Online Ski Magazine). For the evening in between, I made a rare stay at an inn. I choose the Dunroamin Inn located in Whitefield, NH and I give them VERY high marks. Recently purchased by an engaged couple from Rhode Island, the Inn was completely renovated and looks amazing. No expense was spared (except on the rates, very cheap!) in refurbishing this excellent getaway just up Route 3 from Cannon Mountain. I stayed in a small B & B style room. The Innkeeper, Phil, gave me a full tour of the Inn and showed me the other rooms available. Further; he gave me excellent dinner recommendations, directions, and made me feel very welcome. I was rather impressed with their standard double bed rooms. Considering the offer of a free Kayak rental, I will be back during the Summer during hiking season. This Inn carries my highest recommendation, so please consider the Dunroamin Inn if you are looking for lodging in the area.

Cannon was not as cold as predicted, but the morning runs still left some warmth to be desired. Snow was hard and fast in the morning which also left something to be desired. Up the Peabody Quad I went and tracked down my standard first run: Middle Cannon to Paulie’s Extension to the Front Five. Paulie’s Extension had huge frozen whales that have since been plowed that were not fun! I opted for Avalanche to the Banshee Slopes so I could access the Tram. It was a cold, so it was definitely a tram morning. Avalanche has really suffered from high skier traffic and not enough replenished snow. Normally one of my favorite runs, even first thing in the morning Avalanche was iffy. Headed over to Banshee slopes and opted for the delightfully narrow Banshee Lift Line. This often overlooked gem offered short quick turns on some natural fluff over hard pack. Some bumps here and there, just enough to jump off and have some fun.

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Long have I anxiously awaited my first opportunity to ski Mittersill. I have always heeded the Backcountry safety maxim: never ski alone. And I almost always ski solo. So I waited. However; on this trip to Cannon, I knew before I even pulled into the parking lot that this was to be the day. During my first trip up the Cannonball Quad, I noted several people making the hike up Mittersill. I knew I could find someone to partner up with and stay safe. It was time to pop my proverbially Mittersill Cherry… I was to be a Mittersill Virgin no more!

From the summit of Cannon, I tracked down the quickly deteriorating but still excellent bump lines of Taft Slalom. Gathering up all the momentum I could, I flew as far up the col between Cannon and Mittersill as possible before slowing to a stop. I clicked out of my skis, slung my skis over my shoulder, and began my maiden voyage up the snowy stairway to skiing heaven and snowy bliss.

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