One Fine Day

The buzz around the resort community is that Wednesday, March 21, 2007, may go down in the history books as the best day of the 2006/07 season. Blue skies all day long, temperatures in the 40s, no wind and deep snow all combined to make for a memorable experience on the slopes of New York and New England.

My spy at Mount Sunapee described the conditions as “epic.” From Whiteface, I heard “couldn’t imagine any better snow or weather.” And at Jay Peak they were, yet again, skiing on fresh powder.

Where were you? Yeah, me, too. I was stuck in my office, facing unavoidable deadlines.

Not to worry. All this recent snow has prompted several resorts to announce extended seasons. So you’ve still got time. Now's your chance to make up for all those warm, rainy days in December and early January, when there wasn’t enough snow to justify the drive to the mountain.

While weekend lodging at resorts has been in short supply it’s still available if you are creative and willing to look. And weekdays, as always, are wide open with uncrowded slopes no matter how good the conditions.

I can absolutely guarantee you that in the next couple of weeks you are going to have a handful of amazingly wonderful days on the slopes. Sun, snow, wind and weather will all combine to make days you will never forget. You just have to be there.

Last days of winter

I got to spend the last few days of winter at Stowe Mountain Resort, and winter it truly was. We arrived at the tag end of a snowstorm that had dropped an extra two fee of light, dry powder. I’ve never seen this mountain in better condition in all the years I’ve skied there.

On the day we arrived, rather than fight the high winds, near-whiteout conditions and significant Sunday crowds, we retreated to the cross-country ski trails in the valley.

But Monday, the actual last full day of winter, was a day to cherish. The winds had died, the snow had stopped. The sun was out, and the crowds had disappeared.

The Mansfield quad opened at 8 am with enough fresh powder blown onto all trails to see your tracks. We made a couple of fast runs down Lord and North Slope to warm up.

The gondola had been closed by the wind since Saturday, so most of the few people on the mountain scrambled for first tracks there when it opened at 9 o’clock. We fell back on an old strategy of mine and took the new “Over Easy” lift across Route 108 to Spruce Peak and the high-speed “Sensation” quad which replaced the old, incredibly slow Spruce double (fondly known as the “Big Pig”) last season.

Spruce has always been the forgotten side of Stowe. It still is, even with new lifts, re-cut trails and major base development to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. We had the whole trail system on Spruce, and lots of fresh snow, almost to ourselves.

We capped off the day back at Mansfield with a couple of runs down the black diamonds Hayburner and Nosedive before heading back to our room at the Golden Eagle Resort to relax in front of the fireplace, soak in the hot tub, and get ready to do it all over again next day.

The next day was snowy, cloudy, cold and windy. By the end of the day, the temperature was headed below zero. But the snow was superb.

Fuel stop

Dining in Stowe is always a treat. We found two places we’d never been and had two exceptional meals.

If you can, try to hit the mahogany bar in the Tavern at Stowe Inn about sunset. The view of the hills behind the village lit by the setting sun is as delicious as the food and wine.

We have a new favorite fine-dining spot in The Blue Moon Café, where an unusual wine list complements a highly creative menu. The seafood arrives fresh daily from Boston, though our dining companion had a exceptional chicken dish as well.