Spring XC Skiing

Roger Lohr- It happens every year – winter wanes and spring blooms with a flip of the calendar page. People, who live to ski and ski to live also known as snow lovers or winter worshippers can be disappointed to see springtime come. But there are a few well kept secrets about so called “spring skiing.”

Spring snow conditions have many faces and offer many different opportunities. We see wet snowy blizzards that dump deep heavy feet of pillowy snow. And the warm March or April sunshine turns the snow to beads of corn before it turns to mush. The days are longer so we can ski after work or into the early evening hours.

We lose the long underwear (well, maybe it is good to allow perspiration to wick away) and breakout long sleeve shirts, sweaters and vests instead of jackets. We change from goggles to sunglasses and dig to the bottom of the accessories bag for the sun lotion.

There’s undiscovered fun in the spring snow out there for xc skiers, who may not be familiar with it. Get out there in the morning (following a night of below freezing temperatures) when the snow is crusty and just take off on top of the unbroken snow through the woods or across an open area. You can even do it on skate skis, which treat the hardened morning snow like an oversized ice rink. Then again, if you wait until midday, the crust will soften and allow you to carve turns down hills. Set it up so you have a car at the base of your downhill, so you can drive back up to the top for some springtime “up and downing.” Skiing down hills on this corn snow may require power turns and some heavier equipment and you can expect that you’ll get sweaty even though you are lightly clothed.

Spring Tips

* Take a layer off and plan to take advantage of the longer daylight hours (sun rises earlier and sets later).

* There’s always more mountain for you to enjoy because March sees a drop in the number of skiers from the holiday vacation months such as December, January, or February.

* The snow is soft and plentiful in March and with the warmer temperatures it is the perfect time to introduce first timers to xc skiing or to take a lesson to improve techniques.

* March is a time when resorts offer deals so it can be less expensive to ski and what ever is left on store shelves is discounted, too.

* And of course, don’t miss the springtime barbecues, Mardi Gras, St. Patrick’s Day and costume fun at many resorts.

Ski Vermont Survey

Alpine skiers and snowboarders in Vermont were surveyed about their opinions on March skiing:

14% like the warmer temps and sunshine

21% enjoy the fewer skiers on the trails

11% like the snowbase and soft conditions

4% like to take advantage of bargain prices

48% vote for all of the above

2% do not partake in spring skiing

Sooner than you want, rapidly dwindling snow cover will decrease your opportunity to ski. Within a few weeks the wonderful combination of soft snow and bright sunshine is followed by the end of the season. XC skiers are known to quit skiing in late winter even earlier than alpine skiers. XC ski resorts shut down for the season for reasons that there are too few skiers more often than a lack of snow.

The spring