While it wasn’t a true dawn patrol by definition, it was one in spirit. I set an alarm for 4:45 A.M. and didn’t arrive at Jay until 7:15 A.M. due to road conditions and local school traffic. It was well past dawn by the time my skins hit the snow but I was still on a time limit. I needed to be at work for a 2:00-10:00 P.M. shift. It was painful not being able to take a vacation day but not as painful as sitting the storm out.

The drive up 242 was mesmerizing. Early season dumps at Jay usually don’t deposit much snow below the base area. But the snow banks were considerable as I ascended the access road. It was full on winter and puking snow when I arrived at the Jet lot. Earlier that morning, I considered stopping at Cannon which looked to have received about half a foot. I had definitely chosen wisely!

Word on the net was Vermonter had well over a foot of snow so I opted for the summit. I found a nice snowmobile track to Northway and then I began breaking trail up Montrealer to Vermonter. Thankfully, the trail breaking duties were passed to a trio of other skiers that soon skinned past me. At the summit, they took cover for a safety meeting but I quickly changed over in an attempt to get more than one run before my turn back time.

Just before clicking in, I was greeted by MadPat‘s friend Lucky Luke. It was a pleasure to finally meet the man about whom I had heard many a tall tale. We dropped into Vermonter and found more than two feet of perfectly layered snow: a dense base with slightly less dense fluff on top. Completely surfable and bottomless. Not normally a fan of Vermonter, I enjoyed my best powder run ever off of Jay Peak’s summit. Absolutely killer turns.

Luke decided to go Stateside but Upper Milk and Green Mountain Boys were calling my name. I cared not about finding the best line and the best powder (otherwise I would have skinned back up Vermonter!). Rather I wanted as aesthetic a tour possible in my limited time frame. I love working Jay looker’s left to right while working in Upper Milk to Green Mountain Boys and cutting back to Stateside. I had to skin fast to make it but I could always abort if I was slow.

I cut back to Upper Milk where I found sublime turns on the untracked trail. Normally I skin Northway up to the top of the Bonnie and ski Goat to GMB. But given my limited time, I was hoping I could skin less vertical by taking Taxi to the Goat. I spied some skiers coming down Liftline and Can Am and I’d be surprised if those skiers didn’t enjoy lifetime best runs down those two trails by the looks of things. If only I had more time!

I made it to the Goat and prepared to change over when everything went to shit.

The deep snow was covering up water bars and I didn’t notice the one I stepped into while exiting my binders. Water wasn’t running but there was enough moisture in the water bar to cause problems. Snow was sticking and freezing to my boot; gunking up my clip in points. It took a long time to get things together.

I finally did and started skinning. But my damp old skins were not sticky and slid off my skis. No problem. I pulled the tail clip tighter and relied on tension instead of stickiness to hold the skin. After another dance to get clipped in, I went over the handle bars when my skin slipped off again due to the plastic tail clip snapping.

I accepted my fate and realized that a second run was not to be. This whole floundering process had taken over twenty minutes (and still counting). So I decided to call it a day and ski back to my car. But my boot/binding situation was getting worse. I continued to flounder in the snow as I attempted to scrap snow off my boot and clip in before toppling over and getting more snow stuck again. I finally clipped in and skied out.

I’ve toured dozens of times without incident to the point of being somewhat caviler and casual about the whole affair. There is really nothing to it. You go prepared, you hike, you ski. Easier and more fun than hiking in the summer and significantly less chance of twisting an ankle. But what happens when equipment fails? I don’t much consider that issue. No big deal today but if I was someplace more remote and couldn’t get the binding to engage, what then? A long and brutal slog out, that is what.

I made it back to work by my target time. From over two feet of snow at the top of a mountain in full on winter to working like nothing incredible had just happened, just another day at the office. I don’t think I would have gone for it last year. This year I feel hungry, like I need to justify the hell I go through at work so I can do this thing.

Work is no longer a means to an end.

It is a force to be fought against.

I will not be denied.