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Thursday, May 10, 2012
This week's mix of bright sun and soaking rains has ramped up the spring revival to a fevered pitch. You can almost watch the trees turning greener minute to minute. The plethora of fresh hues rivals autumn's display, only in reverse. From barren limbs and brown ground, life shoots forth, painting the Valley in lustrous colors, rising from the river banks slowly up to the mountaintops.
Coach Diggity enjoying an ideal May day.
The snow, both natural and human-assisted, is very close to totally gone, with only patches left in the usual places. In a normal year, we have lingering white spots well into June. As much as I miss the usual late spring turns, the mixed solace of sweet singletrack and sunshine has made it alright.
In particular, this Saturday looks like a stellar day; dry and warm, with a 100% chance of afternoon smiles. Hmm, this sounds like a perfect chance to spend the day racing through the Valley at the Mad Triathlon! For competitions like this, we know a lot of people wait until the last minute to see what the weather is going to do. No excuses now, it's going to be sweet!
Join us for the Mad Triathlon and Kid's Triathlon to benefit the Mad River Path!
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Thursday, May 3, 2012
Usually, the late spring message features a few closing carves on the mountain and the promise of summer fun to come. This year, we've been enjoying biking, hiking and golf for several weeks already and only random little patches of snow currently dot the ski trails. The winter was weirder than normal, but we haven't let it cramp our adventures.
At least with a shortened season, we will be probably have nice clean roads and trails from the upcoming Mad Triathlon on May 12th! We hope the 34th annual running will be more fun than ever.
Egan and Blue training in Moretown.
If you haven't had a chance to train hard, don't worry. This is a fun-based race with shorter distances and lots of team options. Most folks with decent baseline fitness, i.e. skiers and riders, can handle them. Our Kid's Triathlon is really fun too, complete with a cool obstacle course and bike park section. Be sure to bring your young athletes.
The Mad Triathlon is benefit for the Mad River Path Association and we are looking for volunteers to help with the race. To sign up, please send an email to path@madriverpath.com. Support the Path, support the Valley!
Ride like a girl.
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Thursday, April 26, 2012
Despite a few glorious warm days, April has been decidely more winter-like than March was. This week, the upper mountain continued to receive snow, while rain in the valley kicked off a rapid leaf and flower bloom and ended an extended period of fire danger.
The freshest lemony foliage dabs the hillsides, accented with darker evergreens, and framed by snowy trails and dramatic clouds. It's a bit like living in a Bob Ross painting.
Some happy little trees and a nice mountain, yesterday. Remember to get your 2012-2013 winter pass before May 2nd.
The tremendous growth spurt is soaking up the moisture as quickly as it falls. It is still noticeably dry for this time of year. Many low elevation trails are in good condition, the golf course is open, and the weekend looks sunny. Better be here!
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Thursday, April 19, 2012
After last week's return to winter, the spring sunshine has been pouring down. Under the solar assault, the snow is again retreating at a rapid pace. I've seen more snow on FIS on Memorial Day than we have right now. The cold did slow leaf-out a bit, although we are clearly still ahead of schedule. While we may be done skiing and snowboarding for a while, fun in the Mad River Valley is just shifting gears.
Egan trading ski boots for riding shoes.
Many of us still have ski racks and snow tires on our vehicles, hoping for one more storm or adventure before we put away the winter tools. The taste of powder last week was enough to bolster some enthusiasm for additional spring turns. Looking at the mountains today, it seems like a stretch, but stranger things have happened. May snow is quite common.
Last week at MRG. This is all gone now.
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Thursday, April 12, 2012
NOAA recently declared that we just experienced the hottest March on record for the US, while April has been decidely winter-like. In fact, the day after we "closed" for the season, it started snowing. Hard. By Tuesday, there was two+ feet of dense accumulation at the top of the ridge.
Oh, sweet irony.
Former Bush Pilot Fred on Paradise at Mad River Glen yesterday.
The storm was very elevation-dependent, and the snow line comes very close, but not all the way, to the base area. The difference between the Valley floor and the summits has been dramatic this week. Flurries continued through Wednesday, while it was sunny and warm in Moretown, only a few miles away.
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