The Waiting Game
Growing up in Vermont I was ready to ski the second the last maple leaf hit the ground on Halloween night. With the arrival of stick season in Vermont I would make my way down into our old rock cellar and dust off my boots, skis, poles and would imagine myself flying through knee deep powder in birch filled forests. Twisting and turning my way over rocks and downed trees as if I was in my very own ski movie. But these dreams would have to wait longer than I wanted. October would come and go, no snow. November would come and go with one big storm at Thanksgiving (maybe) but it was always gone just as quick as it came. December would come and go with a dusting or two but still not real serious accumulation. I would complain to my grandfather. “There would already be 10 feet on the ground when you were a kid right grandpa?”, despite my worries and groans he would always respond with the same answer, “True winter in Vermont doesn’t start till January 15th”. I always took this with a grain of salt until this season.
At Long Last!
On January 16th of 2023 we received our first major snowstorm of the season that was able to stick around. And from that day on the season just got better and better. We finally started to receive constant cold temps with consistent snowfall and by the beginning of February we found ourselves with more than 40 inches of base on the summit! At long last we were skiing in the trees, off of moguls, and jumping between groomers and glades. Although we were back up to 100% open and had all terrain accessible, I was still hankering for that one untouched powder line of my dreams. And it was last month that those dreams came true. It was after a large Sunday night storm in early February, over 8 inches had dropped across both peaks, and it was looking like a beautiful day. I slapped on my gear and skated my way over to the bottom of North Lynx to get myself first chair. Riding up the lift I could feel the excitement in the air, yells of joy and excitement were ringing through the trees. I jumped off the lift and began to make my way to the top of Sunrise. As I crested the hill I was greeted by a gorgeous pink and orange sunrise that set the morning sky on fire. But then I looked down. The fresh snow on the ground and trees shone like a million diamonds dancing in the moonlight and glistened like stars as the frozen crystals floated in the air. And the best part was that I was going to be the first one to ski it. I knew some other skiers were behind me, so I hastily clipped in, turned on my GoPro and away I went. Words can’t describe how that run felt but it was a truly incredible moment for me, full of joy and happiness. I felt very grateful and lucky to be in the right place at the right time and to experience that line after such a long winter of waiting and patience. If you would like to see and hear what the line was like, then head over to our Instagram and check it out!
