Mark Renson
New member
With foul nightmarish weather in the forecast, Saturday would be the day to ski it while ya' can. Great weather at 7:30AM when I checked into the Patrol HQ. Since the Single was the only lift open on Friday, I headed for the Double where I knew I could bag The Almighty Untracked. I checked in the top for a trail check and away I went, bound for the assigned <BR>Chipmunk. I headed down the Quacky headwall where I found untracked that was a bit tricky, much like what I had found the prior Saturday. Upon realizing that I could reach Chipmunk via Gazelle Woods, I veered left onto Gazelle where I bagged more of the same and then into Panther and into Gazelle Woods where I kept on nailing that untracked. <BR> At the bottom, I had to perform an assignment on the Practice Slope. "Bummer", initially, but after finishing my chore, I found a great untracked line on the ungroomed right-hand side. Then, it was my first ride of the season on The Single where I got an assignment to check Liftline - great coverage and wonderful classic Eastern roller coaster ride skiing. <BR>I headed down Fall Line into Creamery where I found great coverage and stellar conditions and then into lower Canyon (no grooming,small bumps, some windpacked). <BR> I headed down Partridge (this usually is one of the last trails to open)and then into Slalom Hill where I found a great untracked line on the left and then down the novice Lark which was left ungroomed on the left (cool - the best of both World's and it gives a beginner a chance to sample the candy while having the option to bail out) where I found great untracked. <BR> I went for a repeat of the above and scored the tricky untracked on Slalom Hill. Somewhere along the way, I had a Lynx-Beaver run where I found sweeeet soft bumps on Lynx. <BR> I had some more great runs in the afternoon and the weather was cooperating. I was burning out in the late afternoon and was <BR>concerned that I would have difficulty performing sweep. At the top in the Stark's Nest, we waited for the last chair, well after 4:00PM. Skies <BR>darkened and light sleet with some snow fell. I was given the assignment to check Lynx-Beaver via Catamount, so I reached down within for those <BR>energy reserves. The darkness made it difficult to pick out bumps in the Cat Bowl headwall, but my eyes adjusted and I pushed myself to keep up with the rest of the patrol. I roped off Lynx, herringboned up a bit and pushed off in the great soft snow. Bumps were fantastic and I let out a whoop as the great skiing, dramatic setting and solitude elevated my spirits and brought up my energy !! After a check on the entrance to Beaver, I found more great bumps on Beaver and let out another whoop (I never "whoop" late <BR>in the day). With the winding roller coaster ride New England style trail threading through the mixed birch and conifer forest, this trail embodied so much of what is great about Eastern skiing. I had to wait for a check on the Beaver jug handle above Bunny. As darkness invaded the forest, I gazed uphill and thought of "Nick's Folly" from almost 1 year prior to the day ........... and then dreamed up an intense possible ski adventure - ..... well, any takers? <BR> After waking up, I skied the jug handle, darn near blindly skiing the bottom part then over to the liftline and back to the bottom via Bunny/Easy Way. <BR> <BR> Oh no-o-o-o-o-o ...... On Thursday morning, the forecast for Saturday night into Sunday was for snow - this would surely make for a stellar Sunday. Then on Thursday afternoon, it went 180 degrees the other way. I checked other forecasts, as well, thinking it was all a mistake. <BR> It wasn't. <BR> I checked in at 7:30AM, prepared to do anything. It was me, Patrol Director Stever and Chris. I expected worse - on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the worst, I expected a 12 but got a 9.5, instead. The saving grace was that there was still plenty of cover on Stark Mountain. <BR> The Practice Slope was opened and mighty patrol comprised of the 3 of us headed up to check out the grand Practice Slope area - all 3 trails and 350 feet of vertical. Very soft snow was found, even where it had been groomed. <BR> After our big 1 run, I went to the ski shop to do some Christmas shopping and then farted around. I then put on some telemark gear. The snow conditions had worsened. Snow was getting rotten and very difficult to negotiate and I flailed with my 2 telemark runs. Yes, even on the groomed snowmaking sludge, snow was of the soft rotten brand. <BR> Not a single paying customer showed up. Not even a season passholder showed up. Someone who had parked at the top skied down the Practice Slope. It rained even more and we continued sulking. I thought I heard thunder and so did someone else. The decision was made to shut the place down. The lift stopped turning. I packed. I drove away. I let out a curse in a <BR>downpour on I-89. <BR> If there is 1 good thing about this Gawd-Awful day, it was that as I turned around in the parking lot to inspect the mountain from the comfort of my pick-up, I observed only 3 very small bare spots on lower Canyon. Yes, there was base when I left .... there's probably a lot less, now, but when I left at noon, there was a glimmer of hope.