December 17, 2008 E-MAIL PRINT

Region rebounds from Ice Storm of 2008

by Marty Basch/

The Ice Storm of 2008 was widely felt across New England's slopes. (photo: Marty Basch)

The Ice Storm of 2008 was widely felt across New England's slopes. (photo: Marty Basch)

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Where were you during the Ice Storm of 2008?

That's a question for all legions of skiers and snowboarders. The early December storm was but a tropical rain on coastal Massachusetts, but across New England's interior, it caused massive power outages, school cancellations, treacherous travel and a coat of ice across ski country.
Ski areas closed, some for the day, some for days.

Weather is the great absolute in New England. It absolutely dictates your plans, whether you've asked or not.

The Ice Storm of 2008 brings me back to the Ice Storm of 1998. On that day, my sweetheart and I were out skiing, free-heeling our way along a White Mountain National Forest ski trail. Before we headed out along the Lincoln Woods Trail, an easy jaunt along an old railroad bed that follows the crisp East Branch of the boulder-strewn Pemigewasset River, we consulted a ranger about the approaching storm. We were warned it was coming and figured we would beat it.

The ski took us over a wooden suspension bridge along the chilly headwaters. With the storm always in the back of our mind, we kept a pace a bit faster than usual. In a couple of hours, we were done and popped into to see a ranger about where the storm stood.

"It's coming," he said. "You better get home fast."

The storm came in as we drove over the sinuous Kancamagus Highway, the exact place you don't want to be in a snow storm (See Tony Chamberlain's Travel Tips on what to store in your vehicle for winter driving emergencies). Visibility decreased, as did driving conditions. If our ski was fast, the drive was slow and we made it home as blood returned to all parts of my body after the harried journey.

We lost power, but not for long, and in a few days we were out in the backcountry with sparking ice, chimes and blue skies snowshoeing to a mountain hut in New Hampshire's rugged Carter Notch.

This time, weather intervened during a southern Vermont road trip. We were on the road before the storm's approach and skied in the rain and ice pellets. The next day, the mountain was closed, and we slowly made our way some 25 miles or so along Routes 100 and 30 — not exactly straight and flat — to another just in time to reach it during a power outage that closed the lifts for the day and made for an interesting grocery store shopping experience by flashlight.

The storm's aftermath can be breathtaking. Blue skies and crystal-like decorations to the branches of softwoods and hardwoods are a New England spectacle. But it also plays havoc on the ski trails, leaving behind golf ball-sized death cookies and icy conditions. There are downed limbs, and those dazzling touches of ice in the woods snap trees and are potential dangers to those who are underneath at the time. It is a challenge to the resort's groomers and maintenance staff to bounce back after such a forceful blow.

The Ice Storm of 2008 surely reminds everyone of Mother Nature's power, one that will continue to command the stage throughout the fledgling ski season. And also, it is one of those events that, during an après ski beverage, skiers and snowboarders will tell their tales from another chapter of New England's storied ski season weather.

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