WINTER IS BACK IN THE EAST! (FOR NOW)

It felt like a winter day at Whiteface this afternoon. It was cold, at least relative to what it’s been, and there was snow in the air. The snow came down heavy at times, and it did accumulate a little up high. That said, it was really nice for it to just feel like winter once again. There aren’t many days left like this in the tank this season, though tomorrow does look to be a repeat, albeit with more snow.

Lower Wilderness.

Draper’s Drop.

Ice on Lower Skyward seen from the Summit Quad.

Since it was warm over the weekend, and then cold last night and today, there was some terrain closed due to icy conditions. This included Upper and Lower Skyward, Upper Parkway, and probably more runs that I can’t remember right now. The Follies was closed, and at least right off the top, that looked to be a coverage issue, though it may be skiable from the entrance a little ways down Paron’s Run. That said, that entrance was also closed today.

Essex.

Mountain Run.

From around mid-mountain and up, the snow surface was dust on crust in most places. I actually didn’t think it was too bad, though I was on my Nordica Enforcer 94s and they love conditions like that. Across the mountain, there were some areas where that dust was a little grabby. It wasn’t terrible, but I definitely noticed it at times. Down low the snow was full on spring mush, as it’s been for some time now.

The top of Paron’s Run.

Victoria.

Boreen.

Looking up at Draper’s Drop (left) and Lower Valley (right).

There are a couple of notable thin spots around the mountain. The entrance to Paron’s Run is now a narrow path, and a part of the left side of the run is down to bare rock. Victoria’s bare spot near the top is starting to spread further across the run. It’s also much longer than it was. Boreen’s bare spot near the start of the trail is also starting to spread across the run. Lower Skyward has multiple bare spots that are starting to get large or are large. It’s April 6, so this isn’t necessarily surprising, but it’s worth noting.

As I mentioned earlier, tomorrow looks to be a repeat of today, but it’s expected to snow more. Depending on how much it snows, I may head over to Jay Peak after work. For the rest of the season, they’re closing at 5, which gives me an extra hour, and if the trees are in play that could be fun. We shall see.

Never Quit Skiing,

Lincoln