Much to my complete delight, only The Single ran on Friday. Pretty rare is the day when there is no line for The Single for first chair but things are backing up pretty far on the Sunnyside Double. Much of the Sunnyside can be reached from The Single via Broadway to Easy Way, but all the steeper stuff off the ridge was virgin untracked with the total three day accumulation, just begging for some tracks.
Oh
My
Goodness
Ski it while you can. It is hard to believe that just two weeks ago to the day I was skiing any line on the mountain I wanted with a foot of fresh for the taking. Everything on the mountain was open just two weeks ago, and I mean everything as in pick your line through the trees. Today? Not so much. Generally, I do not set myself up for disappointment this late in the season, but after such an epic March, I had expected slightly better coverage considering all the recent snow. But warmer temperatures and rain took their toll this past week and a half leaving not much snow, especially on the lower mountain.
Temperatures were very cold last night which made for a late start today. My morning routine consisted of taking a lap, then relaxing in front of the Basebox for twenty minutes. Repeat. Moguls in the sun on the upper mountain such as Quacky and Cat Bowl were ready by late morning, but nothing really corned up well until noon time. Many trails required some side stepping or grass skiing depending on the pitch. I did a few killer grass skiing sections with style.
A really nice day at Mad River today. This was my first powder day at Mad River and it was super sweet. The storm total was about sixteen inches as counted through the entire afternoon and including last night. Some upper mountain trails fared poorly during the rain storm and some exposed mogul tops were in a sad frozen looking state. In a matter of fact, I side cut around the Waterfall on Paradise because the main line looked particularly unfriendly. But for the most part, everything filled in nicely with the best snow (of course) in the trees.
My morning started off just peachy. After a 5:30a alarm to account for slower then normal travel times, I went out to warm up my car only to find that the drive had yet to be plowed. After a pathetic attempt at driving up the drive way with almost a foot of snow on the ground, I proceeded to shovel out a lane for one of my tires doing the bare minimum work to allow my car access to the road. After half an hour and a couple attempts, I finally whaled my car up the hill, around the corner, and onto the road. Road conditions sucked heading out of St. Johnsbury on Route 2 but were better after getting through Danville. Made it to the parking lot only 10-15 minutes late and the initial line for the single was still working its way through the coral, so I didn’t miss much!
Not being religious, ascending the Single Chair at the end of the day with the sun beginning its descent directly over the top of General Stark Mountain was about the closest I will ever come to believing in a big escalator to the sky. I do know the Single Chair leads to heaven, that much is for certain. No wait, it leads to Paradise. I always get those two mixed up!
Having a Mad Card and a Work Day ticket burning a hole in my Parka, I decided it was past time to make the arduously long and taxing drive down Route 2 to Mad River Glen. I can not believe I used to drive between two to three hours without complaint! Most Vermont locals that have lived in the Northeast Kingdom all their lives probably could not identify where the towns of Warren, Waitsfield, and Fayston are located. Culturally, Eastern Vermont and Western Vermont might as well be considered too different states.
The morning dawned with bright sun shine, blue skies, and very comfortable temperatures. Weather forecasts were calling for a ninety percent chance of rain showers during the afternoon, but the morning was shaping up to be every skier’s wet snow dream. I boarded the Single Chair at 9:15 A.M. with a big grin on my face that continued throughout the day. It was no April Fool’s joke that today would be Mad River Glen’s last day of operation for the season and I planned on going out with a bang.
I began with a groomer run down Upper Antelope which held out well despite the recent high temperatures. Only one major bare patch existed near the top of the run with about five feet of snow on either side. The snow was wet and frozen gran with lots occasional thin spots with an occasional spot featuring Mashed Potatoes. Ice flows were amazingly edgable!