Spring Skiing

When I dream about spring skiing it’s usually something like this! It’s a bluebird day, not a cloud in the sky. Conditions are actually firm when you start the day, but as the temperatures rise, the surface softens. First on the trails with the direct sun you begin to get that reassuring feeling of the top surface peeling off in corn snow. And then you begin to think about peeling off some of those winter layers of clothing.

In the Retro-Ski days you always dressed so that you could take advantage of those days. Under your parka was a sweater and under the sweater was a windshirt and under the windshirt was a turtleneck. So depending on how warm it got, you could take off a corresponding number of layers. Spring was windshirt weather and you usually wore a festively colored shirt just for the occasion. I wish I still had the two flowered windshirts I used to wear. By the way, Tim “Griff” Griffin has a collection of windshirts he has acquired from various online sites selling retro gear. I am very jealous of his acquisitions.

Oh, and no hat or helmet! Although now I’d probably opt for a cap as my forehead seems to have expanded with age.

Back to my dream spring day, eventually the bumps get soft enough and you become the mogul skier you wanted to be all season. You’re able to stay in the fall line, bashing the bumps and sending the corn snow flying.

Then, before things get too soft, you find a place in the sun to enjoy a tall cold one. Maybe it’s on the deck at the lodge, or tailgating in the parking lot, or at a watering hole on the mountain road, but sun and good friends should be involved.

OK, so that’s my dream of spring skiing. In reality that dream rarely comes true. It can be cloudy or rainy. Or like this past Friday the mountain can be in a cloud making visibility challenging. Then there are the days when it gets too soft, too soon. That can make for a lot of work and not a lot of fun.

As I mentioned last week spring skiing is also about traditions. This past weekend saw the renewal of pond skimming at Stowe. So when and where did pond skimming on skis start?

Banff Sunshine Village in Canada claims to have been the first. They trace it back to 1928 before lift-served skiing when two skiers, Cliff White and Cyril Paris, came across a snow melt pond. And of course they just had to give it a try. One made it and the other didn’t. Banff Sunshine Village has turned that into an annual event, the Slush Cup! The 96^th Slush Cup will be held on May 19^th this year.

Mount Baker in Washington state also has an annual Slush Cup and many people credit it with inspiring all the pond skimming events around the world. Their event started in 1948, but was discovered in the early 1950s by Warren Miller. Miller featured footage from the pond skimming at Mount Baker in his films for many years. Miller said, “In the 60 years since showing the 1954 Slush Cup at Mt. Baker, it has become a tradition at almost every ski resort in the world to try and replicate what happened that day,”

There’s one more Stowe spring tradition left this season. This year will mark the 70^th Easter Sunrise Service on Mount Mansfield. The tradition started on April 10, 1955. Reverend Douglas Brayton, who was in his first year as pastor of the Stowe Community Church, arranged the first Easter Sunrise Service with the Mountain Company. It was held atop the single chair near the Octagon. In 1958 the service moved over to Spruce using the Big Spruce double chair. In 1961 the service returned to the Mansfield side with the addition of the Mansfield double chair. When the Easter weather was inclement, riding those old, slow chairlifts required dedication – and a few of the famous blankets. So as soon as the first Mansfield gondola became available in 1969, the service moved to the Cliff House and has been held there ever since.

The Sunrise Service seems like an appropriate way to celebrate the end of a great ski season. I want to say a great Retro-season! With 350 inches of snowfall and almost 100 inches still at the stake, this season is a reminder of some of those seasons before snowmaking was necessary. My first season here in Vermont was 1968-69 which set the record of 149 inches at the stake. So this season has brought back fond memories of that time.

This wraps up my Retro-Ski season as well. Thank you to my loyal readers who keep me going. Particularly those who chime in on my trivia questions. Have a great summer and we’ll see you next season!