An October to beat all Octobers keeps pumping snow into New England. Upslope snowfall has been pilling up at The Stake on Mount Mansfield. With seventeen inches reported as of last night with more snow constantly falling, I made my way up the access road to Mount Mansfield for my second day of skiing this season. If the weather outlook for this weekend holds, I will be skiing into November already having skied four days.
Planning the work schedule around skiing is quickly becoming my MO for scoring powder days and great skiing. Especially in the early season when one or two days means the difference between a few inches of fresh versus grass. With the unseasonably cold temperatures and week long never ending small snow blasts in the mountains, I hardly had to worry about skiing grass! This morning found me in Northfield, Vermont, a small town just a short drive south east from the state Capitol Montpelier. After finishing up work around 1:30 P.M., I made haste to Mount Mansfield. No signs of snow fall were to be seen along the Access Road. The snow began at the ski area and got progressively deeper as the vertical increased.
I parked at the Gondola Lot and made my quick change from slacks and loafers to polypropylene and vibram. After gearing up, I choose Gondolier for my ascent which had seen heavy traffic. As I began my skin, I was passed by several descending skiers and boarders finishing up their runs and sliding back to their cars. Snow near the parking lot was slim but only a hundred vertical feet up the trail, base depths improved substantially averaging at least a foot throughout most of the lower mountain. Above mid-mountain, base depths were substantially deeper. I could not connect with the ground no matter how forceful I slammed my pole into the snow pack. I would estimate a foot and a half to two feet deep on wind sheltered areas near the top of the ski area. More than enough to make almost any non-glade run skiable down to mid-mountain.
Above mid-mountain, the wind was howling mighty fierce and was filling in tracks quickly assuring untracked lines for all turn earners. Both Skin and Boot tracks eventually disappeared along with the tracks of descending skiers. It was a mid-winter wonderland as I approached Cliff Trail, but a look in the reverse direction saw the entire valley colorful and snow free.
After a short rest, snack, and chat with some fellow turn earners, I clicked in and began my descent down Chin Clip. I originally planned to ski down Cliff Trail and catch Rimrock back up Nose Dive and take a Front Four trail down from the Forerunner, but after only my second skin of the season, my out of shape body insisted on only one run this afternoon.
Snow on Chin Clip was beyond extraordinary. A few light inches of fluff; occasionally up to half a foot deep, was scattered over an immaculate and well padded base. Absolutely no worry about thin cover or base damage crossed my mind. The snow was amazing and will easily be the best non-powder day snow quality I will ski all season (today being barely six inches of powder in select pockets does not qualify as a powder day!). Turns came easy and were sweet and nimble. I whooped, hollered, and yelled much verbal excitement and wonder. I chuckled to myself "damn, I love skiing so much!"
The great snow was not to last forever. Approximately halfway down Chin Clip, the powder disappeared with an inversely proportionate relationship to other skiers' tracks appearing. The snow quickly became a consolidated mish mash of variable consistancy that was chopped up and dicey. I made the best of the deteriorating snow quality as the turns became more demanding and far less rewarding.
Day number two is in the books on the One Run For the Price of None Tour 2006-2007. TheSnowWay.com would like to take this opportunity to remind readers not to let the ski areas dictate the length of your season!
Here is a USGS Aerial shot with GPS Track Points of the route.
