Awesome photo from Sunday night…

Until next year…Go Pack Go!

Like most of the continental US, Vermont hasn’t had much snow this winter.  That changed on Friday afternoon when a brief blizzard dropped close to a foot of snow in the mountains.  That was just enough to get out and play during the long Martin Luther King weekend…

Playing in the Powder – Friday Afternoon

Bread Loaf Mountain (both shots from the same place) – Saturday afternoon

…and everything in between:

Here’s to fresh snow! (finally.)

Still no snow in Vermont.  That, combined with cold weather, has made the skating ideal this winter.

Cruising on the Lakes in Minneapolis…

The Lemon Fair River in Shoreham, Vermont…

Pond hockey in the back yard…

With Cam MacKugler, Frost Mountain Nordic, and the Middlebury High School ski team…

The skating has been one of the highlights of the winter so far.  Time to get out and enjoy!

Thanksgiving Thursday in Craftsbury

Check it.  G-Kuz.com is back!  Finally resolved an issue that prevented photos from loading–part of a New Year’s resolution to get this site going again.  It might take a little while to get back into the rhythm of posting, but stay tuned for more…

Enjoyed the sunrise ski at Stowe this morning with a free gondola ride to the top of the mountain at 4:30 am, followed by 45 minutes of hiking to get to the summit, just in time for sunrise.  I’m sure if we hadn’t been surrounded by a thick fog, the sunrise would have been beautiful!

As it turned out, the descent down Stowe was pretty sweet!

The view from my last ski of the season?  Who knows.  I’ve already thought that at least six times this spring!

In any case, I sure am happy to be on real snow.  Not quite ready for this yet. . .

I’ll leave you with my favorite Easter comic. . .

Happy Easter

It may have been raining in the Champlain Valley on Saturday, but Mount Mansfield, the highest mountain in Vermont, was in the midst of an April 23 blizzard.  Sit at home and stay warm around the fire?  No way!  Gotta hit the slopes. . .

All the essentials.

Chris Rodgers on his way to the top

April 23, 2011 - Atop the Mt Mansfield Toll Road

As I took off my skis at the end of the day, I commented: “well, what a great way to end the ski season” for about the 5th time this spring.  Little did I know I’d be waking up at 4:30am the next day for another “last ski of the season. . .”

That’s right, still skiing out here in Vermont, even after Tax Day.  Got up to Mad River Glen last weekend and hiked to the top for a run on April 16.  If anything, it was still too cold to be great spring skiing.

Terry, Jake, Brodie, Cam and I got in some serious elevation skinning up to the top of the mountain.  Rafter, our 100lb Golden guest for the weekend, was a real trooper and made it all the way to the top-and back down.

The quote of the day once we finally pointed our tips back downhill?  “Wow, the trail’s actually worse than it looks!”  That may have summed up the descent, but we had a great hike up to the top.  I’m definitely going to get up there again this year, but next time I’m going to wait until the temperature’s above freezing so the moguls are a little softer.

Rafter definitely gets the effort award for the day.  Afterwards, he showed us all how to “sleep like a dog.”

Check it out.  Fill it out.  Make Wirth Park even better (if that’s even possible!).

The view from our back porch. 1:30am.  April 12, 2011.  Exposure: 45 min.  Photo: Matt Trueheart.

Years ago, NCAA skiing used to combine cross country, alpine, and ski jumping.  Individuals could compete in one or all disciplines, but the best overall skier in all disciplines was considered the “Skimeister.”  Unfortunately, in the age of specialization, we no longer have true Skimeisters.  This past weekend in Vermont, however, afforded the opportunity for everyone to become a skimeister with ideal conditions on both the alpine slopes and nordic trails.  Did I mention that it’s already April?!

Jake Whitcomb and Matt Trueheart get after it on skinny skis at Bread Loaf (yes, Patty, that’s two words).   The grooming was impeccable and I ripped around on my new pair of Salomon Zero skis with a synthetic base for a kick zone–all the joy of klister skiing with none of the clean-up.

Out on the trail, we ran into environmentalist, writer, and Midd Prof. Bill McKibben and Middlebury Ski Team coach Andrew Gardner.  The crew at Bread Loaf did a great job with the trails and groomed the Forest Road all the way to Ripton–a trail I’ve never skied before.

It was one of those days you dream about all summer, waiting for the snow to fall again.

McKibben and Gardner somehow dropped the much younger Whitcomb/Trueheart duo as they cruised beneath Bread Loaf mountain.

Does it get any better than a day like that?

Of course!  Sunday was, in fact, even better as the temps rose and the sun came out.  We opted to pull out the Alpine boards and head up the mountain to the Snow Bowl.

For some reason, they closed both Bread Loaf and the Snow Bowl after this weekend, despite one of the deepest snow bases in decades.  I look forward to getting back into the mountains to hike up, earn some turns, and soak up the rays as we move further into April.  Did I mention they got more snow last night?

The coming weekend might turn into a winter triathlon of nordic, alpine, and a lot of biking. . .the newest version of the Skimeister.