I'm not sure of the origin of the expression "March winds bring April showers ...", but the author clearly didn't live in Vermont. A little over a week ago, on March 30th, the temperature in the parking lot of the Learning Center locker room at 7:30 AM was a crisp 13 degrees Fahrenheit. By 4:30 PM on that same day the temperature was 46 degrees Fahrenheit. I took the photo of my house on the left that afternoon - please note the height of the snow banks. For those of you who don't spend a lot of time in the mountains of the Northeastern USA, 46 degrees with the sun up on a cloudless afternoon in March leaves us feeling as though we've been furloughed from prison. We get giddy and, both literally and figuratively, the sap starts flowing.
We've had such a phenomenal season here at Okemo that one week later on Sunday April 6th, the last day on which we were providing lessons for our guests, Okemo still had a trail count of 115. Of the two trails not open, one was a double diamond glade trails (which is more granite than snow even in the best of conditions) and the other was a minuscule "trail" alongside a short magic carpet used to teach children in our MiniStars program. The latter was closed simply because our lift department decided not to spare the staff to operate the carpet. The mountain has extended the season and we'll be skiing and riding through April 20th. Bear in mind that it is now six months since anyone saw their front lawns here in Ludlow.
As for me, I'm far more interested in figuring out when the snow banks will disappear and I can get on with my plan of furiously enjoying warm weather in advance of my return to New Zealand and Treble Cone. I'm very excited to head back for another Southern Winter, but my flip flops need some exercise out of the house and my road bike desperately wants to actually move somewhere other than the dining room. I'll get my chance soon enough, and I aim to make the most of it.
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