March snow extends season
After what can only be considered a most challenging of seasons in the Northeast so far, Mother Nature has sent us a gift.
March is coming in not just like a total lion, but like a lion in love with the ski and ride world.
The snow fell hard across ski country last week, filling in where it was much needed, giving grooming crews a chance to improve the surface of some trails they’d not been able to open much (if at all) this season, and just plain blanketing our mountains with that sparkling, lovely white we love so much.
That means ixnay on packing the gear away. Instead, grab a mental health day, work from home (otherwise known as the base lodge at these times) day, or burn a vacation day: for those of us who’ve been hankering for a great ski day or two, our time is here.
Sure, it’s still a tough winter, but there are signs March (knock wood) could hold up to be great.
A look across the region shows just how much better things are.
At Okemo Mountain Resort (www.okemo. com ) in Ludlow, Vermont, the grounds crew was over-the-top gleeful to let their snow reporters know that, for the first time in this season, they stand 100 percent open.
After seeing 17 inches of new snow fall before Saturday’s big storm, the mountain was able to drop the ropes on the last few trails, bringing their total to 122 ways to slide down. Good news, indeed.
Up in Jackson, New Hampshire, snow has been falling often and falling hard. Little and lovely Black Mountain (https://www.blackmt. com) is now open top to bottom, and exclamation points pepper their snow report (along with the all caps POWDER!)
Jackson XC (www.jacksonxc.org) reported snow falling an inch and hour early Saturday morning, and they outlined a plan to groom out more trails and give folks more options – XC skiing conditions can be even more challenging to maintain in winters such as this, so these storms will be a spring blessing to those who tour.
Up at Sugarbush, Vermont (www.sugarbush. com) they saw a whopping 27 inches of new snow fall over just three days. All 111 of their trails are open, and that includes the challenging Castlerock section. You might even – finally! – find some great tree skiing out there.
The timing for all this, while we all would have wanted it sooner, is great. March is – in this writer’s opinion – the best ski month almost everywhere.
Why? First, the sun is out longer with an angle toward the earth (and our goggle-tan hungry faces) that makes things brighter and warmer.
That means you won’t get that 2 p.m. flat
light vibe as often anymore. That in itself makes it more delightful to stay out all afternoon (and it’s well known that trails and lift lines empty out post-lunch so – use that time). Should things hold on (and they should at most spots, fingers crossed and all thanks to Mother Nature), the clocks spring ahead on March 12, making that midday light last even longer late season.
Another great thing about March skiing is it’s a perfect time to shop for gear. I’m in the market for a certain new pair of skis. I’m heading to Jay Peak Resort this week and I called ahead to see if I could demo them one more time (I’m a strong believer in trying out skis at least three times and in varying conditions before buying). Not only do they have the ones I want in stock, the demo pair in exactly the length I hope for is for sale – and at a deep discount.
Whether you need skis, a board, boots or other things, sales are out there.
You may, if you don’t have a season pass, even find ticket deals. One tip there: do not show up and pay ticket window prices. Rather, at the least, purchase the night before online (there’s usually at least a 10 percent discount there), or, give yourself a few days and call your choice of destination and ask them what deal they may have (often, certain days are more affordable than others).
Best of all in March, everyone is in a good mood. Plan on lingering these March ski days. Be it cold, warm, sunny or not, everyone loves to apres this time of year. Look for live bands, special events, outdoor BBQ set ups and lots and lots of people sipping beverages and toasting our luck to finally, finally have some great ski days this season.
Keep in coming in like the Lion you are, March. The ski and ride world appreciates this.