Gore Mountain: Closing at Home

I’ve been away from Gore; my last trip to Johnsburg was over a month ago. For much of April, the fickle sun and elusive warm temps had kept me off to the south. I have to admit returning for Gore’s closing this past weekend, I felt a little disconnected at the start. Lucky for me, the feeling didn’t last too long.

During the week, the forecast for Saturday looked sunny and cool-ish, while Sunday was just a bit warmer. I had some doubt that snow would soften, especially on Saturday. Eventually my faith in the strong April sun and a bit of fomo carried the day. I took to the highway, headed north to the mountains on Friday afternoon.

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Catching Winter at the Right Moment

The 2017-18 season has been a tale of at least two winters. We got off to a promising start with big storms in December that opened up trails, and the snow was preserved by a persistent and brutal polar vortex that lasted into the second week of January.

Then MLK weekend featured a devastating thaw with significant rain that devoured the eastern snowpack, and since then conditions have largely mirrored last year—extended dry periods with mild temperatures, punctuated by brief periods of heavy snowfall. Getting it while it’s good has required patience, luck, and a willingness to go the distance—sometimes even as far as Quebec.

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The Day After That

Certain questions linger in the minds of skiers and some will never go away. “Ski on storm day or the day after?” Last week I didn’t have to make that choice. I was locked in to ski the day after that.

I have a theory, or maybe it’s a coping mechanism, but it works for me. I’m better off getting to the hill as soon as I can, even if it’s not soon enough.

Last week, from the sidelines, I watched two storms drop snow on the East. Both storm tracks favored Gore, and if you count the snow from Friday night, the mountain recorded nearly two feet. Friday morning I headed north, rising at 3:30 to drive to the hill. I didn’t make first chair, but the crowd was surprisingly light and I parked in the A Lot at 9:30.

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