Last Ski?

Bretton Woods closed last weekend, Windblown was down to ice after this week's rainstorm, but Waterville Valley remained open so yesterday Rob and I headed up for what most likely is my last ski of the year and certainly on groomed trails since Waterville will close today. I've made it 6 months in a row of skiing this year, starting on November 30 at Wildcat at the NENSA coaches clinic. I've only done that one other year. Of course, Jonathan Schefftz will go out and ski on some volcano out west later this spring and claim latest (or earliest?) on snow for the season, but I'm talking local New England skiing here. I got in 80 days on snow and 675 miles of skiing, which would have been a lot more if I hadn't gotten sick near the end of the season and was reduced to wimpy little workouts for a few weeks, and something on the order of 5500 miles on my poor car. Guess I better apologize to the planet for my CO2 output!

Getting together with the Riches and with Rion O'Grady, who is moving up from BKSL next year, we took off skiing up Livermore Rd. The snow was this really nice, granular snow that was surprisingly fast and pleasant to ski on. We went all the way to the top of Snow's Mt. and since they had groomed down the old downhill slope, down we went cutting some very nice turns. As Rob noted, some of the best downhill he's had in years! Then we headed back up Lower Snow's and up near the top Hilary and Jackson spotted a moose in the trail. We got Rion up to get his first look at a moose and then the chase was on as this guy just would not leave the trail! Who can blame him...there was 3-4 feet of snow in the woods! Eventually we let him be and continued our ski as the sun started to make an appearance on our way up Cascade Brook.

It was a really nice, relaxing end of the year ski. My GPS tells the true story. We were out there for 2:58, but the time spent actually moving was 2:17. Nothing like a little yakking and chatting along the trail, mostly about how deep the snow was and that moose.

The end of this season has been like it should be, heading north for the last three weekends for some really nice, relaxing skis with my kids and good friends on fantastic snow while the crocuses pop up in the yard at home and I ease back (very slowly and reluctantly) into those not forgotten, but never accomplished chores at home.

It was a FANTASTIC ski season! Thanks to all of you who raced, waxed, coached, skied and shared car rides with me this year!

Jamie