One more time on skis before the rain! Last night, social media notified me of an “End of Winter” party at the Woodstock Inn & Resort Nordic Center. I thought: wait, that means they’re still open! This morning, I woke up early and skipped chores for the day - instead, I left Hanover at 0800 and drove to Woodstock (via I-89 and US-4). After early Mass (0830) at Our Lady of the Snows, I was one of the first people on the groomed Golf Course trails (started at 0920). The daily pass was kind of pricey but I would probably have paid almost anything to get to ski. It was overcast and windy, with temps in the low 40s, and the snow must have set near freezing overnight because I was practically flying on the tracks! After I’d been having a ball for an hour, a grooming machine came by and converted the nice icy ruts into mush. During my last visit here (2023), I’d been able to climb nearby Mount Peg so I thought I’d try my luck up there. Actually, that climb inspired me to buy my EVOs, to replace the shorter Salomons I had then. Boy did I need the newer skis today! Most of the trail uphill was a combination of ice, snow, mush, mud and grass - it was quite slow going… About half way up, though, I started getting some good stretches of only ice-snow and raced through those areas. The higher I went, the more I wondered if I’d be able to ski back down without hitting anything. So, after I admired the view at the summit, I did a combo ski/walk back down the mountain. Reaching the “good stuff” again, I did some more circuits of the trails with tracks. By then, many more people had arrived and started to really trash the tracks. Fortunately, I’d already gotten three hours of skiing (7ish miles) and felt ready to join the party in the Clubhouse. By 1225, I was seated at the bar, where I enjoyed a “Grilled Vermonter” sandwich and Upper Pass First Drop while listening to the soothing sounds of Ali T (local artist I’ve met at other events through the years). Wrapping up my day in Woodstock at 1315, I headed towards home (via US-4 and I-89) and arrived at my condo by 1345. While going through my ski stats for the 2024-2025 season, I discovered that I’ve hit 100 miles on skis (27 days on the trails). It’s been a good run - I’ll try to graciously bear the end of the Winter if I don’t have a choice. But I’m definitely going to be crossing fingers for more snow if I do!
