Best February since 2001

Mt. Snow reports they're closing the books on the snowiest February since 2001. They got a total of 50 inches this past month and a total of 11 feet for the season.

"We've had an unbelievable February. Conditions are about as good as they get right now," said Kelly Pawlak, Mount Snow's General Manager. "And the best part is that March is typically our snowiest month of the year. So it's only going to get better!"

They're 101 percent open--today they opened a trail they've never opened before (see above), which is under the summit local chair lift.

Mt. Snow is one of my favorite places to ski in the spring when it's warm and the snow is deep.

Back on Top

February was quite a roller-coaster of a month, swinging from five stars to two stars and back again. Fortunately, it's ending on a good note. Yesterday's snow storm brought up to a foot and a half of snow to the north country and conditions are now excellent with more snow predicted for Friday night.

T.S. Elliot must have been a skier when he wrote "April is the cruelest month," because March is on average the snowiest month only to see all that delicious white stuff get washed away with the spring rains. Don't put your skis away yet, there is likely to be another month of excellent snow conditions yet to come.

Snow depths are now ten inches above the historical peak for the entire season and we've still got another three weeks before typically hitting maximum snow depths. Let's see how deep we can go. On Mt. Mansfield we're already at 85 inches of snow pack. Can anyone say 100.

The Snow Detective is headed up for some turns on Saturday, so check back here Saturday night for a fresh perspective and maybe even some nice photographs.

A tough week

That rain on Monday really did a lot of damage to the conditions in the North Country, all the way up to the Canadian border. Right after the rain the temps dropped to sub zero and surfaces are rock hard. Plus the large crowds of President's Day vacation week are quickly scraping off anything that's soft. The groomed runs are loud and scratchy but skiable. The glades unfortunately are still pretty treacherous.

However, things are looking up. Jay Peak got four inches last night, which was unexpected. Small accumulations here and there are improving things slowly. Forecasts are for moderate snow Friday, so the weekend may not be lost.

Don't put your skis away just yet. There is still plenty of good skiing to come. The Mt. Mansfield snow stake is reading 78 inches, which is down from 85 before the rain, but still about three inches above a typical year's deepest accumulation--and the deepest snow depths don't typically come for another week or two. The best skiing may be yet to come, and that's saying a lot for a pretty spectacular year so far.

Still great but farther

There is still great skiing to be had, but you're going to have to travel for it. Wednesday's storm delivered plenty of rain in Massachusetts, lots of ice across south/central Vermont and New Hampshire and good snow along the northernmost sections of New England.

Places I'd recommend for this weekend are Mad River Glen, Stowe, Jay Peak, Sunday River and Sugarloaf.

Don't forget, it's President's Day Weekend, one of the busiest ski weekends of the year, and then vacation week next week, so the mountains are likely to be crowded.

Epic Conditions

It's hard to imagine how the conditions could get any better up north. The Snow Detective stayed at the Mt. Washington Hotel with Mrs. Snow Detective last weekend and had a great time. We skied both days at Bretton Woods and the snow was just fabulous.

On Saturday there was a few inches of fresh powder and then three more overnight to make excellent morning conditions Sunday with sunny skies. Then it got even better. It started to snow hard and by last runs Sunday afternoon we were skiing in five inches of fresh powder!!! This was some of the best skiing I've ever had in New England.

Forecasts for this week call for more snow, so February vacation should be prime.

As for the Mt. Washington Hotel, it's an elegant grand dame. We'd recommend it to anyone who wants to experience New England as it was in the early 1900s. The hotel is gorgeous both inside and out, only to be topped by the views of Mt. Washington out the panoramic windows. We found an excellent deal online--$200/night for a couple to ski and stay. Mt. Washington Hotel.

We'd also recommend Bretton Woods to anyone interested in a mellow ski experience. The mountain doesn't have much of a slope to it with plenty of easy greens and blues. We would have been bored in about half an hour, if not for the glade skiing. They've opened up quite a lot of intermediate glades that aren't very hard, but are beautiful and fun to ski. It's also very family oriented with lots and lots of young families all around.

What a Difference a Week Makes

This time last week the New England Ski Detective was feeling pretty glum. He had downgraded conditions to a mere two stars (in early February!) and forecasts were calling for a lot of rain.

What's worse, he had booked a room at the Mt. Washington Hotel for a romantic ski weekend with his wife for this weekend.

Well, I must have been doing something right, because that rain turned into snow, lots of snow. So far the north country has gotten in excess of 20 inches of fresh powder with more to come.

Time to head north.

Tough Going

Warm temps have brought a mixture of rain, sleet and snow to the north country in the last few days. This has made for difficult skiing. Several inches of sleet covered by several inches of powder do not make for a good mix.

Sorry folks. I advise you wait for better conditions.

Mad River Glen Rocks

I'd always heard good things about Mad River Glen--about how it's a skiers mountain and a throwback to the good old days. But I'd never gotten around to getting up there. Boy what I've been missing.

My wife Carolyn and I skied there on Sunday and had a GREAT time. It's a haul from Boston; about half an hour past Killington, but in my opinion worth it. Tickets cost $25 less and the terrain is terrific with lots of challenging stuff and plenty of glades. It's a local Vermont family mountain with lots of young kids, most of whom will blow your doors off, and a super friendly non-corporate atmosphere.

I only gave the conditions three stars, but that's because the cover is thin and scrapped off in many places. Mad River doesn't make snow, which means the cover might be thinner, but since it's all natural it doesn't easily turn into the steel boiler plate you often find at some other more famous mountains.

A single chair (that is one person) accesses most of the most challenging terrain, which I actually found to be quite enjoyable and surprisingly fast, getting you up some serious vertical in no time. I'm a fairly social guy but there is something nice about not having to sit next to people you don't know and either pretending they're not there or making small talk.

And don't be intimidated by its challenging reputation. It has trails that will suit all levels. A word of caution though, they don't distinguish between black diamond and double diamond trails. If you decide to ski diamonds and aren't careful you might find yourself out of your league.

I suggest you check it out, unless you're a snowboarder. Sorry, Mad River Glen is for skiers only.

Excellent Skiing

Reports from North Country are that the skiing is very good right now. They've been getting small batches of snow every other day or so, which is making for some sweet conditions.

For instance, Jay Peak has gotten a total of 25 inches during the past week: 1/18 6", 1/20 6", 1/22 3", 1/23 8".

Conditions have improved enough that the glades are now skiable on most mountains.

Now is the time to go, as there are some nasty rumors that there might be some warmer weather and -- God forbid -- the R-word in the forecast for early February.

See you out there.

Bretton Woods

This just in from Jr. Snow Detective Jonathan Acosta:

North Country definitely 4 stars..... Saturday at Bretton Woods was busy, but snow great. Good amount of pow in the woods and trails. First chair made it better. Throughout the day conditions were constant.

Sunday, new day even better conditions, like 1.5 inches of powder snow just seemed better. Both days 4 stars all the way.

Thanks Jonathan. Glad you had a great time