Closing Day At Stowe
All good things must come to an end, if only to make space for more good things.
Alas, closing day has come for Stowe. I hadn’t been to Stowe for a about a month for a variety of good reasons, including being out west, so when I got there in the morning, I was truly shocked at how much snow had disappeared. I suppose a week of some seriously high temps (I think there was one day with the thermometer peaking around 80°) will do that though. Even so, it’s sad to see the season ending so early. Oh well, life goes on.
Lifeline was pretty barren down low. You might have had to walk the last ~200 yards. It might not have been “open,” either.
This was the end of the snow. Rest assured that I skied all the way to the end – the lowest patch of snow on this photo.
A few random skiers making their way over the interesting spring conditions on lower Lifeline.
Oh Spruce Peak, where did all your snow go?
Oh Mt Mansfield, where did all your snow go? If you really want to be sad, see how this comers with Mt. Mansfield on March 6 (protip: have this picture near the bottom of the screen and you can still see it when the other one opens up).
Not too much snow left near the top of the quad. Sad.
Mt. Mansfield shining in the late day light, as I was taking my last run down the same run that I started the season out on, Nose Dive (and no, it may not have been “open” either time).
Goodbye, Mt Mansfield. Until (hopefully) October…
Sad to see all the snow gone, but that’s what happens come this time of year. I am glad though that I can now go trail running again, and climbing will get going soon, as will fishing. I do still hope get a few more ski days in – it’d be nice to end the season with 65 days!
2 Responses to “Closing Day At Stowe”
Well now it is sort of dismal, but very photogenic at the same time. While I have skied Stowe many, many times, I never grow tired of it. It offers a lot more than meets the eye. It takes only a lifetime to find all that is there to be offered. It is small in comparison to some of the Whites or Daks for that matter, but offers some great adventures. Looking at the one picture you show of the top in the sun, takes me back to a lot of time spent on Hell Brook,(when it was skiable). Nose Dive is great, but Goat and Star are my favorites. (Especially Goat). Well your photos are very excellent. Keep up the excellent adventure, never stop!
Thanks for the comments, Butch. Mt Mansfield really is an awesome hill – there’s just so much terrain out there, it’s amazing. Just in this past season of skiing there, I’ve found so many neat places, and I’m sure that there’s just so much more to explore. Hopefully I’ll be seeing lots more of it next year.