March 24, 2010
Mount Snow, VT
Ski Watch Reporter Paul J.

Ski Watch Reporter Paul skied at Mount Snow in Vermont on Wednesday, March 24. Here's what Paul had to say about his ski day:

Not a very pleasant time at Mount Snow today. Weather was the problem. It affected the Tuesday night groom, the snow quality and the terrain availability. The summit was shrouded in a wind-whipped fog. The corduroy had set up very stiff and both the North Face and Sunbrook trails were closed. That left about 20 major trails open on the main face, plus all the terrain parks. 

Reading the surface was difficult in the summit fog, and not much easier the rest of the way down in the dull flat light. Wind was strong and gusty from top to bottom, but at least it was mostly down trail.

Through the day the temps ranged from 25 to 35 at the summit and about 30 to 40 at the base. The wind chill was not dangerous, just bothersome.

You know those rumble strips on the shoulder of a highway? Sometimes that’s what the corduroy felt like.  Skier traffic didn’t help very much. Often the surface got skied off into golf balls and even bigger chunks, and much of the grooming was less than full trail width. But it’s understandable that sometimes there is only so much that can be done in a mean weather pattern.

The outlook is not that bad. Base depth and snowpack on most main face trails is still good and Saturday looks like a pretty good pick. Temps subfreezing with much welcome sunshine.

Overall, Mount Snow will probably in a re-groom and recovery mode for the next few days in order to provide the best possible conditions for the weekend.

North Face base depths are certainly the best on the mountain promising some excellent late season challenges once the weather settles down.

And it’s Reggae Fest Weekend at Mount Snow (3/27-28) so dig it man!

-Ski Watch Reporter Paul J.