-
Welcome to AlpineZone, the largest online community of skiers and snowboarders in the Northeast!
You may have to REGISTER before you can post. Registering is FREE, gets rid of the majority of advertisements, and lets you participate in giveaways and other AlpineZone events!
March/April 09
- Thread starter 2knees
- Start date
I cannot recall a drier spring.
Literally zero significant powder days to be had in all of New England after March 1st is unheard of.
I'd rather a winter like 07 than this past one. It's been good, and many snowfall totals would most certainly suggest way above normal on that front, but outside of January, there's been some pretty massive thaws. All winter it's seemed like if you didn't harvest the goods within 3-6 days, you were out of luck and waiting for the next storm to cover up thaw damage.
Literally zero significant powder days to be had in all of New England after March 1st is unheard of.
I'd rather a winter like 07 than this past one. It's been good, and many snowfall totals would most certainly suggest way above normal on that front, but outside of January, there's been some pretty massive thaws. All winter it's seemed like if you didn't harvest the goods within 3-6 days, you were out of luck and waiting for the next storm to cover up thaw damage.
Zand
Well-known member
Even though there's been just about zero snow since March 1st, most of this spring has been one big corn harvest with the lack of rain too. The snow is sticking around because it's been 50 degree days and 25 degree nights like 60-70% of the time.
i agree w/ all of the above. been a really dry march/april but we did catch 7" pow a couple sundays ago. on the other hand we've had one great spring day after another w/ plenty of corn. thought we had a pretty good from january into early february.
billski
Active member
Yep it is sweet. Sadly, resorts will close due to lack of interest. Not lack of snow.
billski
Active member
True, but you had to be right there to catch pow in March and April. Less than a week later, it turned to corn and ice.
Spring skiing is great, but not for 2 full months straight. At this point I am so sick of it. Corn is meant for April and maybe a few random days in March, and only given that storms will continue throughout March, and maybe a couple in April. This year we had 3 months of snow and 2 months of corn, with no storms in the corn period. Not really an equal balance. Powder is more fun in my opinion. I also prefer a "wintery" environment over a springy one while skiing for the bulk of the season, not just 3/5 of it.
billski
Active member
Good points. I really never mind falling in pow. Falling on hardpack or wet slush, well, that's another story. Part of it is that I just love being in the mountains and the protagonists are keeping me off the trails because of "mud season." Bummer. And when mud season ends... black flies begin. joy! :roll:
GrilledSteezeSandwich
New member
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2007
- Messages
- 17,569
- Points
- 0
I had alot of good skiing in March and April..even some untracked at Stowe this past Friday and Saturday..it's the east..we don't need natural snow to have fun..just seeded bumps..
GrilledSteezeSandwich
New member
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2007
- Messages
- 17,569
- Points
- 0
2 months of spring skiing is great!!!!! I wish we had two months of spring skiing every year..
Me too, April and May
I guess I'm just salty about this year because I saved most of my Northern Vermont skiing until March when it's typically deep bases and abundant fresh snow and got completely skunked this year. I had some great spring skiing days for sure, but true winter ended WAY to fast this year. One giant dump in late February, then poof, no more winter.
WWF-VT
Well-known member
March was a bust for fresh snow this year. I have grown accustomed to significant snow in March and powder days. I agree that spring skiing is meant for April and May. The meltdown started way too early this year and it's a shame that MRG barely made it into April this season.
eastcoastpowderhound
New member
been a screwy winter everywhere...I was at Snowbird the first week of March and it was over 50 deg at the base of Gad Zoom...went back 3/28 - 4/2 and it was WINTER in a big way...not much sun, snow almost every night and 25 deg temps. Jackson Hole got nearly 7 feet of snow the last 10 days they were open, closed with the best skiing they'd had all year.
The last 3 springs in the east were very sweet, the best powder skiing I've had in Maine in over a decade. I'd rather ski pow over corn anyday...sure, I love 50 deg days and big slush bumps, but would trade it for 25 deg and 1' of fresh anytime.
The last 3 springs in the east were very sweet, the best powder skiing I've had in Maine in over a decade. I'd rather ski pow over corn anyday...sure, I love 50 deg days and big slush bumps, but would trade it for 25 deg and 1' of fresh anytime.
Me too, April and May
exactly.
drjeff
Well-known member
Yes, but for many of the traditionally non-late season player resorts, the ceasing of the snowfall was pretty close to the ceasing of the masses showing up and as a result made it an easier descision to close up at their usual times and NOT have to make the "we still have lots of snow, but nobody is showing up and buying day tickets" choice.
Probably made life a bit easier for many a mountain GM as they were looking at late season daily revenues vs. daily expenses
ski_resort_observer
Active member
- Joined
- Dec 26, 2004
- Messages
- 3,423
- Points
- 38
- Location
- Waitsfield,Vt
- Website
- www.firstlightphotographics.com
While maybe it hasn't snowed at your house in March/April = who cares. It has snowed in the mountains, you know, where the skiing is actually done. :lol: :wink:
Check the facts....we got 4" last Sunday, a snowycold( I think we got 20"+) week the beginning of April is a big reason why Win extended the daily operations to 4/26. Check the Mt Mansfield stake. While we didn't get big snow in March/April, it did snow.
Check the facts....we got 4" last Sunday, a snowycold( I think we got 20"+) week the beginning of April is a big reason why Win extended the daily operations to 4/26. Check the Mt Mansfield stake. While we didn't get big snow in March/April, it did snow.
AlpineM
New member
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2009
- Messages
- 16
- Points
- 0
Patience is a virtue
GrilledSteezeSandwich
New member
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2007
- Messages
- 17,569
- Points
- 0
tru-dat!!!!
riverc0il
New member
+1Me too, April and May
I guess I'm just salty about this year because I saved most of my Northern Vermont skiing until March when it's typically deep bases and abundant fresh snow and got completely skunked this year. I had some great spring skiing days for sure, but true winter ended WAY to fast this year. One giant dump in late February, then poof, no more winter.
Very legitiment reasons abound to be salty about this year. I rank this 08-09 extremely low as a season. Base depths actually reached a good level fairly early. But without much fresh snow and with potential storms being skunked left and right throughout the entire season, there was not much to get excited about.
I only remember three good storm cycles the entire season and they were all short... 3-6 days rather than the usual 3-6 weeks of once or twice a week refresh. I will admit, of those three major cycles, I only hit the first on the last day, didn't get out much on the second, and got injured on the first day of the third. But that is par for the course... I usually miss at least a dozen powder days a year due to various reasons.
March and April were major kicks in the pants this year. With a HUGE base, the snow just got shut off with two exceptions, both single digit exceptions at that. To me... March is usually THE month. Though February is usually up there and even February was sub-par this year. It ended with a six day snow storm but other than that.... nothing. Let's not forget Christmas and New Year's holiday season was horrid following the pre-Christmas storm. Overall, I give the entire season a big thumbs down and blow a raspberry at March/April. I still have two more vouchers to use (not counting my three MRGs that never got used).
Similar threads
