March 11, 2010
Spring skiing is fun in the sun
by Tony Chamberlain/
Outdoor lunchtime looms large in spring. Not too much wine though - you might go back up. (photo: Tony Chamberlain)
How different is spring in the mountains for sliders of all persuasions?
When I think of spring skiing I often drift back to images of Aspen in the early 1980s during the Winternational World Cup races. Former U.S. downhiller Andy Mill was chief of press. At one point he and I had a chairlift conversation with Peter Mueller, the big Swiss downhill champion. He usually won the downhill because his size gave him an advantage on the flattish Ruthie’s Run – a course for gliders.
But that was not our conversation. Instead, someone brought up the idea that the Roaring Fork River would probably be full of brown trout, and that’s when the three of us discovered we were all mad fly fishers.
Sure, the spring skiing was great, but after that day’s training run next morning, we were down at the river where we could cast and look across to Ajax at the course workers preparing the runs.
That picture gave me the notion, years later with a friend, to go cod fishing one early morning in the salt water bay near my home, then jumping in the car for a quick toot to Wachusett Ski area in Princeton, Mass., for a few spring runs.
Obviously, in March the skiing changes profoundly. To me, aside from the obvious physical changes taking place in the mountains, the season is about lightness, fun, a break in the winter routines. Sun bathing, all sorts of outdoor alternatives to skiing, and apres ski partying rule the season.
So if this is the season you’ve decided to be a hang-in-there snowslider, leaving the cover on the boat and the golf clubs in the basement, a few things to think about.
Last week we talked about some things to consider before your spring trip, and here are some more.
Spring means stronger sunshine. Pour on the heavy sunscreen and take good polaroid shades along – remember, sun reflects off snow.
► Literally every day, I get notices from the ski areas – both East and West – of the package deals and the really drastic savings at hand. They’re everywhere, especially this year with heightened competition for market share. Even if you’ve done comparison shopping in recent weeks, it’s time to go back and look again.
► With the warm sun, unless you ski well in mashed potatoes (who does?) go early and be ready for the milk run. Many areas start the lifts at 8 or 8:30and the first couple of hours can be the best ones of the day.
► If you do quit early because of warmth, make sure you have some other activities planned, especially if you have kids. Tubing, skating and shopping are just the beginning of options. In North Conway, you can take in a movie; WatervilleValley, check out the ice skating. Snowmobile rentals and even dog-sledding still go on when the snow goes soft.
► Usually lunchtime starts early on some outside sundeck or sidewalk cafe, but don’t drink too much wine at lunch time (even in France – check photo) because you might want to get a couple of afternoon runs when the temperatures drop again.
► This is the definitely the time to take a guided back country tour, and if you’ve never gone zip-lining, it’s the current new thing. It’s a blast and doesn’t require any particular sort of snow.
► There are lots of ski races going on these days, from junior championships to NCAA championships. Ski early, then check out the races as the day warms up.
► You may want to dress in lighter clothes, but do cover up in lighter layers. And never let your kids ski in shorts, Hawaiian shirts, bare hands, etc. Blood in the snow is ugly. As a veteran ski dad, I speak from experience.
► Pack your fly rod. In southern Vermont, the Battenkill is primo, and the Orvis Fly Fishing School in Manchester makes a nice alternate use of time after the ski runs are done.
