I should've been at MRG Saturday, but I couldn't pass up a $41pp/pn condo/lift package at Sugarloaf (I still don't understand why it was $41 instead of $50+extra person, but I wasn't going to question fuzzy math from 1-800-THE-LOAF operators). It was worth every penny, and the extra Northeasterness of the place may have bought us some time. My good fortune continues. <BR> <BR>We left Boston at 4:30am and left the dense clouds behind by sunrise. We were skiing by 9:15. It was good. Thursday's storm had covered the mountain in 8" of fairly soft snow that had been augmented and extended through drifting and (I'm guessing) some drying from two cold, clear nights. Three of my friends said the groomers off the McBFLSuperQuad were perfect packed powder. I couldn't tell you, since we hit the Spillway crosscut and immediately attacked every front-face trail. A warning sign and gate discouraged many, leaving acres of perfect "experienced" powder. The base was questionable, but we never hit bottom. Bubblecuffer and Winter's Way presented firm, wind-scoured entrances that led to puffy drifts around pretty snowcovered boulders and rime-encrusted trees. If those rocks had any teeth, we didn't feel them. Wedge, tucked away in the old, less traveled part of the mountain, had saved us priceless untracked snow along the edges. We skied our first powder of the year, skied it badly, ate snow, and enjoyed every minute of it. <BR> <BR>After a quick lunch break, the winds from the south began to pick up, and mist began to pour over the summit ridge. By now, the <BR>upper mountain was bathed in swirling mist and blowing snow. Visibility was terrible, and the trip across the icy cat track was a fight against ice and vertigo. We pressed on, however, until we reached King Pine. Ripsaw was the mother lode--soft, dry, lightly-tracked drifts between steep, rocky drops. The runout onto Haulback delivered even more treats--including a 100yd stretch of glorious untracked wide enough for six skiers. Since we could only leave three tracks at a time, we had to come back for more. A long runout, a ride up Whiffletree, a bit of uphill skating, and another traverse and Chillway lift ride got us back to Ripsaw to clean up the leftovers just before the lifts shut down for the evening. <BR> <BR>But, it couldn't last. The sound of the deluge woke me up at 4:30am. We *did* try to ski Sunday (had a free pass and a 2-for-1), but as we walked up the SuperQuad in the pouring rain, a flash, crash, and boom stopped the lift. Lightning strike near the summit! That was it--all lifts closed. <BR> <BR>I applaud the 'Loaf staff for giving us three full unlimited ASC lift vouchers despite the small price we actually paid for the tickets.