skef.blog

Almost six months to the day from the first outing of the season: what will probably be the last outing of the season. Like last year, I spent the last day lapping Superstar at Killington.

I arrived early (made the fifth or sixth chair right at the 8:00 opening) and so got a couple of runs in on the groomed terrain. The bumps formed quickly, and, after about an hour, it was hard to believe the trail had been groomed at all.

Superstar wasn’t the only trail open. For those willing to hike a bit, Ovation was also available, and it was worth the walk.

Here’s a YouTube video from the day showing some great bump skiers (disclaimer: I have no idea who the creator is, or why he made such funky aspect ratio choices).

Here’s another giving first person views of the conditions.

Skied Mount Sunapee after dropping #1 daughter back at school following her rugby sevens tourney at Harvard. The first hour was fine, early spring skiiing, but then the rain rolled in. Dripping wet with temperatures in the 50’s at the base and 40’s at the summit made for a fairly miserable outing. I cut the day short after ten runs.

Something different this time: I took the New England Snow Bus for a day trip to the River. This is far more humane than driving 3+ hours each way: I arrived at the mountain with a fresh head and fresh legs, and at the end of the day, vegged out on the ride home.

I stayed the night at Loon and drove up to Sunday River. Wind kept half the resort on wind hold in the morning, but Aurora was accessible from Spruce Peak, and I had it all to myself until after lunch, when all the lifts started spinning there.

Back to east coast skiing at what has now become my usual place. Any skiing is better than no skiing, and it looks like we’ve got plenty of winter left.