Stowe April 19: Beach weather with snow!

[powderfreak]

Closing weekend was upon us already, despite tons of snow left. Dave and I
headed up on Saturday for Dave's last lift serviced day...we had the plan of
hanging out up top and drinking it all in. By chance, we ran into Jumpin'
Jimmy in the Octagon before we headed up and he was on the same wave-length
as us. Cool. We had skied a few in-bounds runs and had the itch to get out
to something more interesting.

Oh yeah, the weather was downright hot; quite possibly the warmest day of
Vermont skiing I've ever had. This dry heat pattern is awesome...if its not
going to snow in April it might as well be sunny and warm. This year we've
got a nice two week stretch of high pressure while last April it snowed over
7 feet on Mansfield.

Beach weather with snow.
http://tinyurl.com/3wk6t6

It was pushing the low 80's in the parking lot, and while the Mansfield
stake data claims the high was only in the 60's, in the sun it felt like
80+. Up on the ridge, there is no shade whatsoever so we were getting baked
by the sun. My mind couldn't really comprehend what was going on because
the April sun and hot temperatures made it feel like the 4th of July, yet
there was still 7-8 feet of snow on the ground here.
http://tinyurl.com/47plfo

Along the ridge, there's a clear line between summer and winter. Western
side that's been getting blown clear all winter long is barren...eastern
side has been getting wind-loaded all winter and still has plenty of snow.
http://tinyurl.com/4zqfcl

We skinned across the ridge and reached our perch at the top of the Garden.
http://tinyurl.com/4zol6n
Dave hanging out and trying not to slip.
http://tinyurl.com/4jlglf

I couldn't think of a better spot to hang out and enjoy a hot day. We felt
like royalty up here and nursed reebs for over an hour and then deskinned to
head down. Here's my attempt at stitching shots together to make a
panoramic view of where I was sitting.
http://tinyurl.com/4pvd5z

Jumpin' Jim drops down the skiers left route...
http://tinyurl.com/3ufacq
http://tinyurl.com/4nzwe5
...and Dave finds out what summer skiing might be like. The Rock Garden in
70-degree weather.
http://tinyurl.com/4b5jxp

We got back to the parking lot quite a while after the lifts had stopped
running, and we were grinning from ear to ear.

-Scott

[knuckledragger]

We were there Sunday. It was still great 100% open on closing day.

[TheBEast]

Looks forward to next years reports come October!

[frozencorn]

I was there Saturday too. Top 5 day ever. And climbing in my mind.