Snow Days

Back in January, it looked like we were going to experience another “winter that wasn’t.” The only snow to play on was that made by snowguns on the slopes of ski resorts.

The Sweetheart Storm of 2007 and the squalls that followed changed all of that. Overnight, virtually all of New England and New York were turned into a pure white outdoor playground.

By the third week in January, all of northern New England had more than 20 inches of settled snow. Some places had more than 50 inches.

What you can do with natural snow depends largely on where you live and travel, and what you are prepared for.

Near the coast, this storm left lesser amounts of snow, but that snow was laden with moisture. The dense stuff naturally packed itself down and was perfect for sledding and building snowmen. It was also perfect for snowshoeing with the lightweight, tiny snowshoes that are so popular today.

Where I was --  Lake Placid, New York for the storm and the Eastern Townships of Quebec for the aftermath -- the snow was very deep and very light and fluffy. That created entirely different conditions.

The storm took me completely by surprise in the middle of a trip I had intended to devote entirely to alpine skiing. I was expecting mostly man-made snow, not a blizzard of historic proportions.

On the day the storm started, we were skiing at Whiteface with 10 inches of powder over a base of man-made, groomed snow. By the time we awoke the next morning, that powder was over three feet deep and drifting on gale-force winds. All road traffic in the area had virtually stopped.

If I’d had my choice, I’d have gone cross-country skiing or snowshoeing on the groomed trails at the Olympic Sports Complex at Mt. Van Hoevenberg. According the reports, conditions were absolutely stunning, the best in years.

Unfortunately we were unable to get there.

Marilyn and I were able to experience something pretty unusual though. We got dressed up for a winter expedition and went out in the tearing wind, blowing snow and biting cold to stroll the almost-deserted streets of Lake Placid. 

A couple of days later we were in the Eastern Townships. The snow was still falling and the wind was still blowing and it was still cold, making for perfect conditions at Parc Aventure Sutton. This re-opened cross country resort is now part of an operation that offers year-round zip-line adventures to groups. They had 35 km of tracks laid in the new snow and a packed snowshoe trail ready to play on.

In the bottomless snow, I wanted to try their legendary “Trail 11.” This climbs up the back side of the Mont Sutton ski area and then descends 5 km through the woods. Alas, I didn’t have a companion crazy enough to join me, and trekking alone in those conditions is too dangerous.

For the next few weeks, I’m going to spend as much time as I can playing in the snow. All too soon it will be gone.

Toys for deep snow

When the snow is really deep and soft, you need specialized gear to get off the packed trails and really explore the depths of winter.

Most sleds, for example, work best on packed snow. If you want to try powder sledding, you need a Mad River Rocket, a steerable sled designed specifically for deep, fluffy snow. Once you get the hang of it, you can even take this toy into the deep, untracked powder on wooded hillsides. Just wear a helmet in case a tree decides to jump out in front of you.

Everyone has gone crazy these days for short, lightweight snowshoes. But if you are going to try to negotiate deep powder, you need a larger snowshoe with more surface area for flotation. In really deep snow, it’s also a good idea to have a couple of friends along so you can take turns breaking trail. Even with snowshoes on, this can be darned hard work.

Skinny cross-country skis are wonderful on groomed trails, but they don’t do you much good in untracked powder. Fortunately, there are some really versatile new boards out there. Marilyn and I recently purchased new cross-country boots and skis.

After a lot of research and testing, we chose the “Discovery” backcountry skis from Alpina. Just 68 mm wide in the shovel, they are narrow enough to fit in groomed tracks, but wide enough to provide better flotation in deep snow. They have three-quarter-length steel edges to help handle crust or ice where the snow has blown off.

We paired them with Alpina backcountry ski boots (BC 2050 for me, BC 1550 for her). These are sturdier than touring boots and more at home off-trail, especially if you are wearing a pack. If you are only going to have one pair of cross-country skis for groomed and ungroomed terrain, you want something in this category. Check out similar backcountry skis from Fischer, Rossignol, Madshus, and Karhu.

Finally, the ultimate toy for playing in deep snow here in the may be the “Karvers” from Karhu. These are a combination of snowshoes and very short, wide skis. You can wear them with ordinary boots (even Pac boots). They they have built-in skins on the bottom so you can climb up most hills without sliding back. They won’t go very fast, but they’ll get you places that other toys won’t go.