March 18, 2009 E-MAIL PRINT

Break out the spring parties

by Tony Chamberlain/

Winter dumps bring a spring base for skiing as with Jay Peak. (photo: Jay Peak)

Winter dumps bring a spring base for skiing as with Jay Peak. (photo: Jay Peak)

College kids on spring break (break from what? we might well ask) are shown by the herds and flocks heading for the southern beach resorts. Skiers, riders and snowsliders of all kinds — yes, even dog-sledders — know this to be a poor choice indeed.

If the spring thing is all about celebrating deliverance from another northern winter, all that feting is best done in the mountains, on snow. After all, we’ll be spending all summer on beaches, in boats and on hiking trails anyway.

What we’ll be missing is the white stuff. So, for spring break why not head to the hills, where the party life is just as intense as it ever was in Cozumel or Nassau? But the (whenever you start) party is preceded by some intimate interaction with that precious of all commodities: snow.

It’s going to be gone a heck of a long time.

It goes without saying that the partying should be done when the ski boots come off. I know for a certainty that the grandparents of some of today’s young revelers lived during the fashion of wine skins, a leather bag full of (name your poison) worn on a sling over the shoulder and at the ready whenever your group paused during a run or got on the chairlift.

Bad idea. No debate about it.

But since the party life can’t be ignored this time of year, here are
a few approaches:

► We’ve talked about Sugarloaf, where a kind of natural pond forms in front of The Beach and the fun begins around noon. It’s pretty spontaneous, and often begun by young folks stripping to the waist, taking a running start and diving in the mush — all done in the natural amphitheater of the base lodge. But pond-skimming is much more fun to do on skis and boards.

► Since spring skiing is about big snow, find those areas that have the biggest seasonal dumps — Jay Peak and Smugglers' Notch lead the charge here — and head on up. There’ll be a party going on.

► Killington always has a party — or several — going on. If you like home-spun, family intimacy, this is not the time or place. If it’s more about deep soft snow, slush bumps, killer bands and late nights, this is. Be sure to check out the Spring Loaded Superpipe competition through March 28-29.

► If you’re thinking that plane travel is attractively priced right now, Utah must qualify as the top general destination. Literally all the state’s areas are buried — an 18-inch dump went through last week — the ground transportation is short and easy from Salt Lake City, and Park City is a ceaseless mecca of spring celebration.

► Aspen in Colorado has some of the most staged party life, especially with the Bud Lite Spring Jam. But it’s a lot more spontaneous at Breckenridge, which is celebrating (hard to figure this) its 150th anniversary this spring. Go figure that one out and drop me a line …

► If you’re looking for the longest season of all in the deepest of seasonal dumps, the ultimate spring choice is Arapahoe Basin. It’s easy to reach from Denver (or Eagle) and ready to deliver skiing and riding well into June. Cars begin arriving in the dark to get parking spots for The Beach — one scene of manic debauchery after sliding in the nosebleed heights of this, one of the highest reaches in the Continental Divide.

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