Who says there are no friends on a powder day? We rustled up three friends to hit the slopes and glades at Smugglers' Notch Resort, Vermont, today. We enjoyed about six inches of light, fresh powder that fell overnight. And, when we skied into the glades and woods, as well as wind-blown snow deposits at the side of the trails, we could find foot-and-a-half-deep powder. (Smuggs says 30 inches of snow have fallen over the last week.)
Was it fun? Heck, yeah!
All morning we skied off of the Madonna Mountain lift, which carried us to the 3640-foot summit. As far as groomed trails go, we played in drifted snow on the sides of Drifter (go figure!) and Upper FIS. But we were mostly in the woods enjoying Mother Nature's bounty in places like Shakedown, Doc Dempsey's, Three Mountain, Red Fox, Knight's Revenge, The Shire and Bermuda woods.
Among our crew of two telemarkers and three alpiners, we took turns leading the pack. We had a whole lot of fun in the fresh snow. It was especially amazing when we got into a gladed area that was open enough to offer many possibilities for lines to ski. We each blazed our own trail.
Of course, we are opportunists. We know tonight's forecast may provide mixed precipitation, even at higher elevations. And the snow has been great lately. We just couldn't pass up a snow-filled morning of skiing with friends!
