Nothing like a forecast for a big storm to bring the powder hounds out of the wood work. Especially considering how unseasonably dry and warm February has been, beginning with a late “January Thaw” which was followed by two dry weeks. Needless to say, I wanted in on first tracks during a weekend long storm and requested Thursday off from work.

Had I waited until Friday for my day off, I would have skied better snow and probably have survived the weekend injury free. Needless to say, I did not wait and paid a horrible price for my powder anxiety.

The storm’s bullseye was trending from Mount Washington through central Maine. I had originally been hoping for Cannon or Burke to pull in enough powder. But Franconia Notch was dry slotted and at the last minute, I banged a right onto Route 3 heading for either Wildcat or Black. Ultimately, I decided on Black due to fewer crowds. However, the lower elevation hurt my powder chances.

The snow was wet as I arrived. Powder on the ground was limited to no more than half a foot out of more than a foot projected. Skiing was dust on crust without the dust. In other words, the limited amount of wet snow was covering up obstacles and the frozen crust layer was still prevelent. During my second run of the morning, I found my way into a bump field with new snow covering the bumps. I hit a bump the wrong way, went over the handlebars, and slammed my thumb into the hard pack. Pop! I knew I was done for the day.

Turns out I was done for the next month. The doctor in the emergency room pronounced nothing broken but that he thought I had “skier’s thumb” which indicated severe ligament damage that could need surgery if the ligament was completely torn. Thankfully, it was a best case scenerio. The ligament had been stretched, but a three to four week recovery period was the extent of the damage. Missing the next five days of glorious powder aside.