Favorite Memories Of Skiing New England In Spring
Back Road Scenery And Ski Slope Puddles Formed Indelible Pictures.
Author Harriet Wallis tries out a puddle at Mt. Snow, Vermont, back in the 80s.
Credit: Harriet Wallis
I loved the scenic springtime drive to the slopes. Steam rose from little sugar shacks as the golden syrup was simmering inside. Horses stood motionless in frozen pastures and breathed clouds of fog into the frosty morning air. Christmas tree farms had fallen silent.
Lichen-covered stone walls divided the winter-flattened landscape into a patchwork quilt. Farmhouse porches that had been stacked solid with fire wood were now nearly empty. What remained was a littering of chips and bark. Frozen laundry flapped on a few clotheslines.
And then there was mud. Road shoulders were rutted. Unpaved roads were impossible, and some parking lots were a quagmire.
Above all else, I loved New England’s ski slopes in spring. When it rained, we put on garbage bags. Those were the days before Gore tex. The bags rattled in the wind. Rain ran down the bags and soaked the legs of our ski pants. Then it wicked into everything we were wearing. We were soaked inside and out.
But the rain also softened the ice, and the ice became slush. It slid downhill like a glacier and melted into puddles. The base area became puddles. A maze of puddles. Many puddles. Deep puddles. Normal skiers went around them. But I loved skiing through those puddles—spraying water everywhere and hoping I could dry my boots by morning. And hoping there would be big puddles the next day.
If you see a puddle at the base of your ski area, please ski it for me—or send me some vibes that springtime puddles still exist at ski areas.
To read more from Harriet click here for her stories on SkiUtah.
This Week In SeniorsSkiing.com (Apr. 7)
More From Jackson Hogen, Snow Sierra Superlatives, Seniors Like Online, Good Lesson Criteria.
This week, we notice there are a number of resorts in New England having their final runs. Lifts are still spinning for a week or perhaps more at upper altitude resorts in northern Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, though. And season pass deals for 2017-18 are starting to appear.
That is definitely not the case in the West where yet more snow will be falling this weekend. The California drought is definitely over, and we hear there will be skiing at Mammoth on July Fourth. Which raises a question: How much skiing is too much? Is there such a thing? Several years ago, we recall that Alta kept its lifts going well into the spring, but skiers didn’t show up. On to other things?
This weekend, we travel to Stowe, VT, to attend the International Ski History Association’s US Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame induction ceremony. We will salute SeniorSkiing.com Advisory Board Members Bernie Weichsel and Gretchen Rous Besser, both of whom have contributed to the industry for decades. Among other things, Bernie is the impresario of the Ski and Snow Board Shows, and a major player in ski business, from enticing European skiers to come to the US to an highly active role in ski history museums across the country. Gretchen’s laurels are associated with the National Ski Patrol as an historian, author and journalist. Other inductees include Michael Berry, National Ski Area Associations leader, Dan and John Eagan, ski action movie stars and ambassadors, Ellen Post Foster, racer and founder of the USSA Youth Ski League, Jeff Hastings, ski jumper and founder of USANS, Marion Post Caldwell, pioneering freestyler, and, posthumously, Chuck Lewis, racer, coach, and Vail entrepreneur.
Articles this week include Part Two from Jackson Hogen about top all-mountain skis of all times.
We also have a fascinating video clip showing the difference in snowpacks in the Sierra from 2015 to 2017. Clearly an exceptional year.
Co-publisher Jon Weisberg describes some results from our recent Subscriber Survey 2017, revealing that seniors are embracing online ski ticket purchases.
Finally, frequent contributor and ski instructor Pat McCloskey offers advice on how to tell you’ve had a good ski lesson. His article is in response to last week’s post, Taking A Lesson At 72.
Thanks for reading SeniorsSkiing.com. We are transitioning to late spring and early summer story themes. If you have suggestions, please let us know. Meanwhile, remember: There are more of us everyday, and we aren’t going away.
Short Swings!
For me, this has always been a melancholy time of year.
Most North American lifts stop running, and the joy of winter shifts to summer diversions. Some people use the time to push their limits. Years ago, I’d drive to New Hampshire to ski Tuckerman’s Ravine on Memorial Day. It was an Eastern skier’s rite of passage. When older and commuting into Manhattan, I bumped into a neighbor also waiting for the train. It was a dreary day, but his face was glowing fresh with sun. He had returned the night before from skiing Tuckerman’s. It was at least 8-hours each way. He had driven up Friday night where he stayed in a lodge in Pinkham Notch. Saturday morning he hiked the 2.4 miles to the base of Tuckerman’s then skied all day. No lifts; just climb and ski. At the end of the day he hid his equipment and returned to his lodge. Sunday morning, he awakened to rain, had breakfast, and hiked up to get his gear. Once there he looked around and determined that it wasn’t raining hard enough to keep him from taking a few more runs. Telling the story, he said, “Jon, I figured, what the hell, I might as well enjoy it while I’m here.” George Herzog was 76 when that happened. It was at least 30 years ago.
CALIFORNIA
National Geographic Bowl is adjacent to Squaw Valley, a few feet out-of-bounds from the top of Granite Chief Peak. It now will be accessible by lift and with guides from Alpenglow Expeditions.
COLORADO
Power Pass, on sale now through Apr. 28, provides unlimited skiing plus a host of other benefits (e.g. 12 buddy passes) at five Southwest areas: Purgatory Resort, Arizona Snowbowl, Sipapu Ski & Summer Resort, Pajarito Mountain, and Hesperus Ski Area. Purchasers also ski free or with discount at Copper Mountain (CO), Loveland Ski Area (CO), Monarch Mountain (CO), Crested Butte (CO), Grand Targhee (WY), Eldora Mountain Resort (CO), Diamond Peak (NV), Mount Bohemia (MI), Ski Cooper (CO), Kiroro (Japan), Panorama Mountain Resort (Canada).
MONTANA
Now that winter is winding down, the Montana Office of Tourism is promoting it’s craft beer producers. If visiting the state this summer, there’s no shortage of finding a locally-produced brewSKI. For example: check this short video.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
An avalanche earlier this week in Tuckerman’s Ravine on Mt. Washington was caught on this short but dramatic video.
UTAH
Powder Mountain announced that its day ticket limit is being reduced from 2,000 to 1,500. Powder Mountain is the largest skiable resort in North America. Lift accessible terrain is close to 8,000 acres! With fewer tickets available, there will be more untracked pow available to visiting skiers. The resort had 500″ of snow this season.
WYOMING
A split board is a snowboard that separates for climbing and can be reattached for descents. They’re popular for backcountry adventures. Jones, a leading split board manufacturer, issued a terrific photo and video account of their use in Wyoming’s Wind River Range. The scenery and boarding are fantastic.
OTHER
Rice University bioengineering students are building a device to help people with impaired sensation in their feet stay upright and avoid falls. A brief video explains what these innovative youngsters are up to.
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