Mar 15

Photo of the Week: March Madness and Why Ski Patrollers Rock

With up to foot of mountain snows accumulating in the first week of March, followed by a good dose of spring last weekend/early this week, and then another 6-16″ falling across the mountains over the past few days, the month of March is upholding its reputation as one of the snowiest months of the season for the mountains of the Northeast. Its relative abundance of snow, combined with solid snow pack levels, makes it a favorite time of year for many skiers…including John Ayers, the director of Mad River Glen’s ski patrol and father of winning freeskiers Lars and Silas Chickering-Ayers. John had the pleasure of dropping the rope on MRG’s upper Paradise over the weekend, as this week’s photo of the week depicts. A solid foot of settled fresh snow blanketed the slope – terrain that just a few days earlier resembled something more like ice-smeared pavement.

Later in the day Saturday, after laying down plenty of fresh tracks in the morning, John and the patrollers at MRG tended to the younger daughter of fellow adventure skier Dave Bouchard. Cassidy fell down and bumped her head pretty good in the baselodge – sustaining a moderate concussion. She’s a bit shaken up, but she’s okay, and Dave and his family feel tremendous gratitude for the care and comfort offered by John and the patrol.

Whether skiing powder in the morning, or tending to bumps and bruises in the afternoons, patrollers have their hands full. John Ayers, through his very careful approach to managing skier safety on the mountain, tries his best to keep the scales tipped toward skiing powder… Here’s to a very snowy and safe March for everyone! And feel better really soon Cassidy!

-Brian
(Click on the thumbnail below to enlarge.)

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Mar 09

Photo(s) of the Week: A Taste of Spring in the Alpine

Although it was gusting to 80mph atop Mt. Washington, NH on Friday, and temps were still in the teens across the north country at sunrise today (Saturday), Old Man Winter has handed the reins to his good friend Spring for the weekend – even in the alpine regions of the Northeast. Most solar aspects experienced warm sunshine today, which left countless skiers with goggle tans, baked the recent fresh snow layers and helped to trigger at least a few small avalanches in the high country before the creeping shadows of the afternoon order ambien online pharmacy settled things down again. After all, it is March, so a few good tastes of the spring season to come are to be expected, even in the alpine. However, let’s hope the Old Man has got a few more solid snow storms to throw at us – so that we can continue to enjoy top to bottom skiing in the mountains for many more weeks to come.

Ski you out there.
-Brian

Sunrise over the northern Presidentials…

 

A quick snap from Sunday on Mt. Washington…

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Mar 01

Photo of the Week: Perfect Flying Conditions

Snowflakes have been in the air again for 11 straight calendar days over AdventureSkier headquarters (at some during either the day or night). This is the second longest snow cycle of the season thus far, with more than 40″ of fresh snow piling up in this time in some areas of the Northeast. For how many days will this streak keep up? Forecasts point to at least a few more days of daily snowfall…but beyond that, only Ullr knows.

In the meanwhile, conditions in the middle to higher elevations are about as good as they get here in the Northeast, with a solid base at work and a very dreamy fresh snow layer coating most terrain – the kind of snow that lets you put at least one set of tracks nearly anywhere. It’s been an especially fun snow pack for getting into rarely skied lines and for lining up a little bit of flight time now and then – as Lincoln, VT raised Dylan Dipentima demonstrates in this week’s photo of the week. (Click on thumbnail below to view enlarged image)

Ski you out there!
-Brian

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Feb 26

Skiing the Western Monts Chic Chocs, Quebec

A few years back, eager to check out terrain that we have been staring at from a distance for years (on prior hut trips in the region) we finally made it to the far western reaches of Quebec’s beautiful Monts Chic Chocs – beyond the boundaries of Parc Nacional de la Gaspesie. To kick things off, we took advantage of the new Chic Chocs Mountain Lodge, as its location makes it an ideal starting point for a one-way route through this region…and it’s hot tub and five course dinners weren’t too shabby, either. From there, we set off into the remote mountains along the border of the Parc, and then ultimately, through the Parc and out to a distant trail head – to which we had shuttled our vehicle at the start of the trip – a week later.

You can read more about the adventure, and view a few photos from the trip, in a recent post on OnTheSnow.com => HERE. We’ve included a few more images below, too, just for AdventureSkier readers.

Merci! and ski you out there.
-Brian and Emily

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Feb 24

Photo of the Week: Lots of Little Snowflakes

Wow. For many, many, many little reasons, the last several days have been a definite highlight of the 2012-13 season. With daily fresh snowfall since Tuesday, as much as 30″ of fresh snowflakes have accumulated across the mountains of the Northeast, with the deepest amounts, per usual, across the northern Greens. Still, even where only 5-6″ has accumulated, abundant fresh tracks have been the rule. With the holiday week in full swing, too, ski areas and ski towns have been full of great vibes. And in the backcountry, the skiing is on par once again with the historic snow cycle of the late December/early January period.

Speaking of snowflakes, we might have our own “Lil’ Snowflake” to thank for the latest snow cycle, as her arrival to the world on Tuesday (Feb 19) seemed to usher in the snow. Our new daughter, Maiana Snow Mohr, was born healthy, strong and vibrant after many months spent skiing upside down and backwards inside the womb – perhaps the ultimate! skiing adventure. Lucky girl. (In the second image below, Emily’s 9 months preggo w/ Lil’ Snowflake)

As the weekend wraps up and snowflakes continue to fall, Lil’ Snowflake seems mesmerized by it all, and we can only imagine what adventures lie ahead.

Let it snow!
-Brian, Emily & Lil’ Snowflake

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