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.

#6 — Never Cut Your Loses: Killington — October 16th

After being greeted with sideways sheets of rain at Mount Mansfield, I decided not to cut my loses and get drenched for first turns of the year. Instead, I drove another two hours to Killington in hopes that they escaped the deluge. Elevation gave Killington the advantage and I found a foot of fresh on Cascade and Royal Flush. October powder happens more often than most people would assume but getting a foot of fresh in October for first turns of the season never gets old. The smile above says it all.

#5 — Dacks Days: Whiteface & Gore Mountain — April 9th & 10th

Whiteface and Gore have been on The List for many years. The long trip to the Adirondacks had eluded me due to distance, expense, and uncertainty of conditions during a pre-booked trip. When the opportunity arose to partner up with Harvey, I couldn’t resist. After many weeks of back and forth, we finally identified the perfect weekend for excellent spring corn and the opening of The Slides.

We skied bell to bell both days hardly even stopping for breaks. The trip was worth the Slides alone but the fun didn’t stop after three trips through The Slides. Not even a severely mangled ankle in Slide 4 could stop me from fully exploring both mountains. And thanks to highpeaksdrifter and Harvey, I got the cook’s tour of both mountains.

Thanks to the Harvey Road for use of the above two pictures!

#4 — Cannon: Six Runs in Six Hours — December 24th

December was off the hook for powder skiing. Three significant storms hit Cannon during December and each storm was bigger than the last. First, third, and fourth tracks were had down my favorite line despite the hour long cycling time. Six runs in six hours might sound like a ho-hum day to most skiers. But at Cannon, that is the perfect ratio for this skier. Especially on a powder day.

#3 — Smuggs! Powder Day! — December 18th

Normally, this day at Smuggs would not have have rated so highly in my season wrap up. The rating speaks more to the rest of the season and lack of big powder days than it does for this day in particular. Which was nothing to scoff at but this day would not have been a top three day in seasons past.

That said, it was the first boot deep powder day of my season. And despite the limited terrain offerings and patrollers angry about skiers and riders taking that issue into our own hands, it was an exceptional ski day.

Waterbars and thin coverage were everywhere. But that kept competition to a minimum with untracked lines available throughout the afternoon. This report backs up my contention that December often offers up some of the best powder days due to reserved trails and general lack of competition for the untracked.

#2 — Northeast Ski Blogger Summit at Jay Peak Day 1, Day 2, & Day 3 — March 2nd, 3rd, & 4th

My lazy start on Day 1 of the NSBS was ill advised. Expecting only a dusting, we found boot buckle deep untracked all afternoon. The best run of the day was on a trail in the afternoon, dropping into a cloud of cold smoke behind a sick bird. Things just seemed to keep getting better in the Jay sidecountry on Day 2. That was when it all came flooding back to me, all the past powder days. Notch another one in that book.

I was seeing it all again for the first time due to my companions. Without anyone to share those turns with, these three days would have just been three more ordinary trip reports, three more ordinary days skiing ordinary conditions. The conditions I have come to expect. But the company combined with the surprise of the powder made for an exceptional three days. What would have certainly been my best days of the season had I not already experienced a face shot on every turn in thirty inches of fluff two months prior…

#1 — Every Turn a Face Shot: Cannon — December 27th

The title to this report is no exaggeration. My first few runs truly yielded a face shot on every turn when the terrain was steep enough to even allow for turning. Thirty inches of unreal perfection. Easily a top ten lifetime day with more face shots on one run than I have amassed during all days prior. Even on my best days, I rarely remember specific runs in vivid detail. But that first run down Paulie’s Folly is etched deeply in my mind.