The not-so-calm before the storm!

While most of the northeast prepared for the first major snowfall of the season this past weekend, it was business as usual for vacationers, locals, and the avid skiers and riders at Maine's ski resorts. And while the snow guns were blasting away on terrain at a rate I haven't ever seen, Mother Nature threw a bit of a curve ball our way this past Saturday.
You always know who the hearty souls are out on the mountain. Aside from the telemarkers who are seemingly always the hearty souls, I include anyone who gets out and skis or rides when others shriek at the mere possibility of stepping outside. Granted, this is usually what happens in January as the mercury dips to below freezing and the winds begin to howl, but for a bunch of us, January came a month early and put on an early test of fortitude.
With temps hovering around five degrees and a steady wind of about 20-25 knots, the snow conditions were nothing short of amazing. With less humidity, the man made snow is drier, which makes for ideal grooming conditions and buttery snow on newly coated trails. So I found myself with a handful of friends, ripping down a trail that had just opened and jumping right back on the lift. It seems that not everyone gets excited about these wintry conditions and I understand. The bitter cold can really hurt, but the reward it well worth the extra layers.
And while Sunday brought more seasonable temps to the mountains of New England, it was for good reason as a front moved in and coated resorts like Sunday River with over a foot and a half of Mother Nature's finest. Yes, the storm came in while I headed back to the coast to work, but we can't pick when such storms are going to hit, nor can we pick when the weather is going to be bitter cold. What we can do is decide to make the most of whatever the conditions allow. That's what we did this past weekend and the smiles were all around!