The Mountain Times

Traditions of glorious spring skiing

Besides the bonus of sun and soft snow, spring traditions include early tans, fun events, live music, great sales and ticket deals. Big soft spring bumps are a bonus, or bane, depending on your perspective, but they sure make things interesting.

Plus, the opening of the umbrellas at the new Roaring Brook Umbrella Bars and Deck next to the K-1 is sure to set a new tradition for soaking up warm rays and listening to live music while taking in the action on Superstar.

However, as expected with the unusual warm weather, fewer trails are open than normal for this time of year statewide (69 versus 89 trails last year for Killington, March 19). In fact, many ski areas have closed, (Magic, Mad River, Bromely and Suicide Six are closed with Pico, Mt. Snow and Okemo closing this weekend.) So, barring any major dumps or return to colder temperatures, Killington's 2011-12 late-October to late-April season will end on the same snowmaking and grooming reliance that Killington is known for.

Kudos to the snowmakers and groomers! Take advantage of their snow whenever you can and enjoy the bonus of bluebird days as long as it lasts.

Pico season finale

There we were at the top of a steep section on Pico's Forty Niner. It was a surprisingly warm day for March 12 and full of sunshine so that meant our skis were moving slowly in the 55-degree "heat wave" - or so it felt compared to what we were used to.

Out of nowhere comes the bare-top 'Dude.' He zipped toward us with a "howdy ladies" and huge smile and disappeared so fast I would have sworn he was a figment of our imaginations had we not been so delighted with his proud 'first' of the season.

Ah, the delights of spring skiing.

Technically, it wasn't spring yet. But the 'heat' did cause one perplexed skier to query, "What wax do I use? I have three different ones, but they only go up to 50 degrees."

I shared his dilemma as my silver wax didn't really do much for my sliding, and I skied to a tune, of "I'm going get'cha" as sticky afternoon snow snakes threatened smooth sailing.

Fortunately, March 15 was a tad cooler and thanks to the nights being cold, we had great fast conditions at 9 a.m., perfect spring conditions at 10 and 11, and glorious untouched groomed soft granular on Panhandler at noon. They had just taken the bamboo and rope down so with the trail only touched in spots where a few racers had practiced, we got lucky and had glorious soft corduroy to ourselves.

Literally, which caused my sister to observe we were the only ones for our three runs. Hallelujah! The rewards of not going in for lunch at noon!!

By Thursday March 15, we were still skiing corduroy in the morning - frozen to start but soon soft all over. The temps had dropped at night, so some of us got fooled as the cloud cover meant we were cold in our spring attire when the day only got up into the high 40s. Bare spots and melting areas were appearing, but it was still a fine day until 1:30 p.m. when parts of upper Forty Niner had boot-topping loose granular that made me careful not to catch an edge.

That was when I met a family just starting their season - "first day," Mom told me. Her snowboarding daughter was so entranced by the views that she sat down to take photos. I mentioned how great conditions had been earlier in the day in hopes they would get out early for some fast tracks the next few days. Mercifully, the luck of the Irish brought a beautiful weekend so they probably enjoyed their vacation.

Realizing warm weather could melt Pico's snow before the projected April 1 closing date, I enjoyed four hours of nonstop express quad rides and runs, figuring the time was fast approaching to move on to Killington for the season's finale.

That was a good move as on March 18, Pico announced that the area would be closed March 19-23. Pico's website noted, "We plan to reopen, conditions permitting, for one last big weekend on March 24. Pico season passes, P39's, 4-play passes, and Buy with Me passes will be valid for their remaining value(s) through April 1 at Killington Resort."

The Killington Stockpile

Although fully aware that this winter's weird weather hit the Big K, too, I recall so many wintry March and April days there that my psyche has a hard time computing that the season could ever end before the target date. But the record-breaking warm weather forecast for the week told me that despite colder temps at the high elevation peak, chances were great that I would most enjoy early morning skiing before the sun turned soft granular snow to mashed potatoes.

Going back many years, we skied the North Ridge (Glades) area for its high elevation great spring skiing. Ditto the top sections of Cascade and Downdraft and then East Fall with the Canyons Quad meaning you didn't have to do the runout to the peak lift.

When Superstar came along, it became the star of spring with its snowmaking whales making for a long season into April and even May and June some years.

The latter stockpile tradition is alive and well, so, despite the warm spell, there is still plenty of snow and skiing/riding on this show-offs' delight.

In addition to the aforementioned areas, Snowshed was still skiing on Monday the 19th as were the Stash and Superpipe at Bear Mountain. A check with Jeff Temple, director of mountain operations, assured me that Killington intends to remain open through the end of April.

Temple works with a snowmaking production team who plan an ample base of machine-made snow for spring skiing on the high-elevation trails where colder temperatures typically prevail. "The machine- made snow is denser and therefore sets up a better base that lasts longer," he said. 

Acknowledging that this year's weather was more challenging than usual, Temple added that, "Killington made more snow later (through February). We took advantage of optimal snowmaking temperatures and built up the base to be prepared to ski through the end of April."



Spring Time Bonuses

As warmer temperatures arrive, ski areas entice guests to the slopes with discounted lift tickets like the 4-play ($199 for 4 days until end of season) and deals on next year's season passes. The recent spring tradition of early-bird pass sales offers a savings for buying in advance. Keep in mind that some of these passes include a bonus of free skiing and riding for the remainder of this season, plus there are some new twists to discover in the deal department.

And, for those who like to shop till they drop or simply savor a sweet bargain, spring is the time to look for for deals on equipment and clothing. With a host of great sports shops in town, you are sure to find something to strike your fancy or replace an outgrown, worn out, or lost item to get you ready for next year.

Tagged: spring skiing