I've been Spring Skiing for the past three weekends. Killington, Killington
and Sunday River this past Sat. It's so true that one or two runs can
totally make the day. I went with Amy who is an intermediate skier who can
go down anything at her own pace. It was her first day out this year and to
make things interesting, her skis were stolen last year so she was on
rentals...

Conditions: The forcast called for rain starting around noon and getting
cold towards evening turning to snow. We drove up Sat morning in complete
Fog for 2.5 hours. The roads were totally socked in and temps were in the
high 40's and low 50's. About 20 minutes from Sunday River the sky's turned
partially sunny and temps increased! We had three hours of great spring
skiing before lunch (11-1).

Skiing: We parked at White Cap base lodge and took our second run on White
Heat. The skiers right was flat and left was bumped up (under the lift).
This was a great way to warm up the legs and get the blood flowing. This
made me happy to stay on the easier connector trails with Amy for the next
few runs. I decided to work our way over from White Cap to Jordan Bowl
(about 6 peaks over). We made it to Aurora peak (about half way over) and
noticed a trend. The trails became more south facing and trails with bare
patches turned to trails with snow patches ... I even saw a sign on an open
intermediate trail that said, "walking required". That's a first!

On the way over to Aurora, I noticed a killer top to bottom bump run under
Chair 1. I couldn't persuade Amy to pause here so it had to wait until
after lunch. I had a healthy Baked Potato ... with chili, cheddar, brocoli,
salsa, bacon bits, etc. I jammed on this trail passing some kids with race
numbers on their backs. I even got some shouts of encouragement from the
lift. Of course the people on the lift couldn't tell that I was stopping
every 30 turns (if I had to guess 100- 200 vertical feet). The lines were
tight and steep and the snow was soft. I would take turns skiing the
valleys, sides and tops. I had mostly been staying on the sides but near
the valleys and "popping" up between bumps with a big knee bend to absorb on
the next turn. Anyway, I'd ski each section of the trail until my legs were
shaking and I was breathing heavy - ok gasping for air. I had 20oz water
calling my name in my pocket. I took off my skis at the bottom of the trail
and enjoyed that water in about three gulps. Thsi also helped me wash down
my lunch for the second time. For the record it was better the first time.

After that, I met up with Amy (she took a parallel trail) and we took a few
more cruisers for the end of the day. Light rain turned to heavy rain into
the evening and snow on Sunday.

-D