For years it felt like I was not in sync with ski-friendly weather patterns, always missing storms when obligations called elsewhere or watching temperatures climbing and bringing rain when our planned trips came due. Skiing will always be fun and anytime with my family is most prized so I am content to slide down a mountain in any conditions… BUT…
Sometimes it all lines up perfectly! I have a few spring break days in March, so I plan months in advance to be somewhere North at that time. Weather had been bleak for weeks and it looked like the Northeast ski season might end depressingly early, but then a storm whisked through! Vermont was covered again and my prospects brightened; then the day before I arrived, Stowe was blanketed with over a foot! I spent two days, one of which was blizzard conditions dumping another foot, exploring glorious stashes on the mountain and touring in the backcountry with absolutely pristine powder. My next day was at Jay Peak, which had similar conditions and incredible terrain. My original plan was to ski for three days, but the arrival of another storm and 18″-24″ across all of Vermont, plus Pete and his family staying nearby with the offer of a bed, convinced me to extend my trip for two more days at Burke Mountain, featuring great glades filled with bottomless snow. I was constantly reminding myself of how incredibly fortunate I was to experience those conditions and how all the mediocre weather scenarios I had seen over the past few years allowed me to truly appreciate this bounty; I will forever remember these five days as one of my all-time greatest ski vacations.
The next week, my family returned to Vermont. It had rained the day before and refrozen, but once the sun came out and the surfaces warmed, we had absolutely perfect spring skiing days at Pico and Okemo. We were skiing with five families and although the ability levels ran the gamut, we were all able to ski and ride together, sharing the group joy and closing out the season in blazing sunshine and soft snow!
