The Best and Worst of Ski Season
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. After the start of a ski season that fluctuated somewhere between uneventful and blah thanks to an unseasonably warm stretch of weather, the snow finally arrived. However, with the snow also came record-low temperatures that tempered any enthusiasm for sliding on snow with biting cold.
The morning following last week’s blizzard, I hurried my wife to the local ski hill in order to not miss out on the first big powder day of the season. My fears were quickly put to rest, as, to my surprise, the ski area was virtually empty due to the high winds and extreme cold. While deep powder fired up the stoke, that fire was quickly extinguished with each lift ride back to the top. It was a good thing there were no crowds, as the lure of the lodge was almost as strong as the pull of fresh pow.
We headed back to the local ski area the next day, but this time it was the weekend and even colder than the day before—the ski area also was quieter than the day before, probably because after anything more than three runs, body parts started to go numb. I’m usually pretty indifferent to the cold, but even I found icy toes, a frozen nose, and tingly fingers too much to bear, despite the siren song of still-untouched powder stashes to ski.
Three days after the blizzard, Doug and I met at Mount Cardigan intent on earning our first backcountry turns of the season and hoping its mostly tree-sheltered trails, lower elevation, and more southern location would make it a warmer ski destination. Once again, the crowds were thinner than anticipated, but the day actually felt warm (it was 10 degrees when we left in the afternoon, which would qualify as beach weather compared to the prior week), the skiing was good, and there were still freshies to be found.
So far, this ski season has provided us with the best and the worst. A great (warm) December made getting outside convenient and pleasant, but didn’t provide much snow for skiing. The first snow storm of the season happened on Christmas morning, which was pretty to look at, but made travel an annoyance, and was a cruel tease for someone with a day full of family obligations. And, lastly, the latest storm would have kicked ski season into full gear in the northeast, had it not come with below-zero temperatures that have even the most hardcore skiers wanting to Netflix and chill, rather than hit the hill.
By Tim Peck
