2012-13 ski season wrap-up and highlights

Objective measures like snowfall, temperatures and operating days for the 2012-13 ski season may tally up only to the average mark, but compared to last year’s disappointing ski season 2012-13 was vastly improved. And if timing is everything, this winter really delivered with excellent conditions for the major holiday periods and just about every weekend. It will be interesting to see the official numbers from ORDA when they are released in a few months, but it sure looked like Gore had several days of record-breaking skier visits, particularly around the New Year’s holiday.

What we really missed last year was skiing in the glades, and we were rewarded this year with good tree skiing from late December through the end of the season. Things really got going in the couple of days following Christmas, when two feet of powder fell over a bomber base. And although winter was interrupted by two ugly thaws in January and one in early March, the trees essentially remained in play all winter.

The marathon is an act of defiance and courage

Running a marathon is a big deal. Months of preparation. Time away from family. Long training runs, often solo, sometimes beginning or ending in the dark. By pushing your body to endure pain and run faster and farther than you ever have before, the act of running a marathon seems to defy human physical limits. Marathoners often run as a symbol of fighting back against a disease like cancer or diabetes, or in honor of a lost loved one. The marathon is a celebration of the human spirit.

Gore Mountain: 04/13/2013

Winter has yet to loosen its grip on the ski mountains of the northeast, Gore included. A mixed bag of sleet, snow and freezing rain coated the mountain on Friday, setting the stage for "interesting" ski conditions on Saturday. Actually, the skiing was pretty good wherever the groomers had been.

Fogged-in upper mountain

Gore Mountain: 04/06/2013

This is the time of year where you actually want it to be warm for skiing. With the snow now going through daily freeze-thaw cycles, the sun is a skier's best friend. A hard freeze Friday night had us worried that the upper mountain black diamonds - Gore's best spring skiing trails - might not soften on Saturday, but the strong April sun worked is magic.

Gary M telemarking down Lies

Jay Peak, VT: 03/29 - 03/31/2013

With Easter falling early this year, we took advantage of the 3-day weekend to plan a family ski vacation to Jay Peak in northern Vermont. Jay has long enjoyed a reputation as a skier’s mountain, thanks to its abundant snowfall and challenging terrain. More recently, the addition of an indoor water park, hockey rink, conference center, restaurants and two hotels has catapulted Jay into destination resort status almost overnight.

Jay Peak's tram on Friday, 3/29/2013