Windham 3/17/13 - St. Patty's Day fun without the booze or crowds

Most ski resorts, and even die hard enthusiasts on this board, have probably given up long ago wondering why people people don't ski as much in the Spring, but I consider it the best time of the year for skiing.

Nature is certainly operating on a different schedule this year. Despite a lack of snow in the low valleys, Windham was blanketed cover to cover with hardly a bare spot to be found anywhere. There is no doubt they'll make their target closing just two weeks from now, but to click in to bindings, not just to beat the clock but to really make some quality turns felt great. Simply put, the skiing was actually really good. In the morning there was a classic packed pow cord on the main runs, the temps were comfortable in the upper 20's and there wasn't any of the flat light that makes winter skiing difficult sometimes.

Eventually some crowds did join in, but they were mostly families who wanted to shralp the intermediate runs and I only saw them in the lift corral. Seeing people who clearly don't get out much was a little strange so late in the season, but I think there are some positive reasons to get people out that normally don't ski or board. For one, it's just more pleasant out. Frostbite was on my mind as a likelihood somewhere after alien invasion, cat's and dogs living together, or Lindsay Vonn and Tiger Woods The Knicks winning a championship in my lifetime. Secondly, the surface is so forgiving. The corduroy only gave way to a fast surface for a minute before things softened up again to the point where we were making deep trenches in sugar snow.

Of course, my friends and I didn't go to rip trenches on the sparsely used double blacks of Wedel and Wolverine. One of my buddies, who readers familiar with these TR's will remember if I say that he dresses like Super Mario, wanted to learn to ski some more. He was a fast learner, even on my older 183 Goatamas he was connecting finished turns. I'd like to think it was my coaching, but honestly, it was his former racer girlfriend that provided the expertise.

She was also gracious enough to do the modeling for most of my pictures, which was nice because she rips.

So, this pair from Minnesota was stoked on the day. Between the Catskills and the Adirondacks they've seen so far, you would think that they died and woke up in Chamonix. It feels good to be reminded how grateful we should be to have such top notch skiing in these parts. And, if the luck of the Irish holds true we should be able to squeeze at least another few weeks out. Best of all, with the great weather and snow it's not too late to grab a buddy that always wanted to learn. With a few more people on the hill, maybe the mountains will be forced to operate for an extra couple of weeks.

Nothing takes the edge off tax-day like a few turns, or so I hear. Glad that I have a few more northeast based friends to share it with and with snow on the way, maybe it isn't hard to imagine.

All in all, it was a great day. Being outside, great weather, and since skiing is partying anyway, there was no need to be in the city for the parade at all... ever.

I was there too, it was a beautiful day.  It was my first time ever at Windham, and I must say they have the nicest trail marker signs I've ever seen.  Lodge area is well conceived too.  Given there wasnt a snowflake to be found anywhere off trail you really got a sense for how much snow they blow there, and you could definitely feel under your feet that you were skiing on synthetic snow.  My one complaint is it doesn't seem like there's much challenging terrain there, and what was was all groomed boilerplate and no fun.  I'll have to come back under better conditions when I can get a better feel for the place.  It was great for my girlfriend though who is a newbie intermediate, lots of nice options for that skill set.  Will definitely come back next season for a day.

I was there too!! Great day on the mountain! And I agree; spring makes for my favorite skiing too.

ml242 wrote

It feels good to be reminded how grateful we should be to have such top notch skiing in these parts.

Great write up ML.  I couldn't agree more.  Most of my days are spent at one place (Gore) and its easy to forget how sweet it is.  When someone comes to visit and they say man this is amazing it makes me smile and realize how lucky/grateful I should be.