Tuckerbrook

Tuckerbrook title=

When was the last time I skinned Tuckerbrook? I cannot recall, but my last skin of the trail was well over a dozen years ago. I last skied the trail (in its entirety, at least) almost a dozen years ago. But that was via a car spot. Since the 13 Turns are lift accessible sidecountry, I rarely think about skinning and skiing the entire trail.

The time and conditions were just right today to do so. I did not feel like doing another trip to Jay (which I just did the day before) and I felt like earning turns. I realized lower elevations would have poor conditions and the 13 Turns would likely be sporty. But that was all part of the adventure.

Tuckerbrook

The skin in to the junction was thin, icy, and rocky. Above the junction, snow coverage was solid. Lots of undulations, open drainage, and foliage to avoid until 2500′ when the snow pack was consistent across the trail. The skin track stopped at the Troll Bridge, which featured some navigational challenges.

Breaking trail up the 13 Turns was brutal. I am familiar with its think spruce coverage under the snow. I was mindful of possible spruce traps and evaluating coverage and hazards. The snow depth was not enough to cause alarm, but getting caught in one would be frustrating and annoying.

13 Turns

I finally hit the Taft Race Trail and finished skinning to the summit of Mount Jackson. The ski down to the 13 Turns was a nice and gentle warmup. I was surprised at how good the 13 Turns skied given the challenging skin up! It likely was the first ski descent of the 13 Turns this season.

The Troll Bridge was easier to ski down than to skin up. Skiing down the gentle turns of Tuckerbrook ranged from fantastic up high to survival down low. Well worth the effort!. I managed to “ski” back to my car without hiking. But below the junction, in many places it would have been faster to have hiked than “skied”.

Jay: Day Late, Fifty Cents Short

Work obligations prohibited me from making it to Jay before the warmup. Which is a pity, considering Jay had received over two feet of snow this past week. But in an ominous sign of things to come (three weeks in a row, now), mid-week powder is immediately followed by weekend warmups.

Around 8:00am, while driving north on I-91, I noted that the temperature at Sheffield Heights (similar vertical to Jay Peak’s base) was over 40 degrees. This was not going to be a powder day, warmer temps had arrived much sooner than I expected. True to its nature, an El NiƱo year means you have to be at the mountain immediately following a storm. Even more so than a normal year.

Those possessed by powder made the foolish decision to attack the natural snow trails, like U.N. Two feet of untracked mank was a poor option. The natural snow would ski better once it was worked over and tracked out. I wisely eyed a well groomed Jet and made laps on the groomer. Later, I would enjoy packed dense natural snow on U.N. and Kitz. Better than normal for this time of year, but a far cry from expected.

Jay: Nonroutine

U.N.

At some point, ski seasons started becoming routine. Early season was commonplace and skiing before Thanksgiving was the expectation. Hike for natural snow turns and then upload on the Locke Triple when Sunday River opened. My posts at the time reflected a melancholy of going through the motions.

October 2018 was the last year I skied during October. Skiing before Thanksgiving has become more rare as climate change delays the first major snow event of the season. The early season players have not been as eager to blow early and have eliminated deals in favor of season pass sales.

It was not just the seasons that were changing, but also how I approached and thought about them. Perhaps I was changing more than the seasons themselves. And more change is coming this season. Even though the early season weather outlook has not improved, my relationship to the season has.

I am back at Jay with a season pass (with reciprocal at Ragged, for a close-to-home option). The mountain is covered in a firm and crusty snow (which will make an exceptional base layer if we can avoid melting).

Jay opened this weekend with the Jet groomed loose-granular and natural on UN, Haynes, and Derick. Haynes was rough, the bumps on UN were firm but appreciated.

Given the forecast, I expect rapid expansion next weekend. Count me in either way. Both for the season and for next weekend.