Late Season Magic

This season I’ve been a dedicated New Yorker. I’ve managed to log 50+ days without crossing any state borders. The last storm delivered some late season magic in April. I had options in New York but I was ready to try something new.

Red Chair

Magic was in the 12-18 inch zone on the NWS maps being published before the storm, and the mountain’s reputation for low key and crowdlessness piqued my interest. I planned to ride solo on Friday and meet up with Tiffany and Evan for Saturday and Sunday on my Indy Pass.

At 5:30 a.m. Friday morning I was on the road and moving along, pleasantly surprised how clean the roads were given the storm that had just passed through.

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Killington: Colorado in VT

Lucky for me I had plans to ski Killington with my friend Mark on Sunday March 24. Due to personal commitments, I couldn’t make the trip until Saturday, and knew driving conditions might get tricky going into the storm on Saturday. Just after getting on the Northway at Albany, Waze started giving reports that traffic was building ahead, which was the first sign of travel issues.

Killington summit view
Killington summit view

A few miles north, the pouring rain started to freeze, which is where things got interesting. After crossing the twin bridges into Saratoga County, there were cars all over the place — off the road, in ditches, in the woods and pointed in all directions.

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Bolton Valley Delivers

A storm was looming, but where to go? Feeling tired from the work week, and unprepared to spend the weekend away, we pondered the pros and cons of a handful of options. With Robert’s recent PSA to “get it while it’s good” front of mind, Evan and I hopped in the car Friday night to make the best of the weekend storm ahead.

access road

The last-minute decision was made to set out for a late-season powder day at Bolton Valley. We drove to Burlington VT, making hotel arrangements along the drive, arriving just after 1:00 AM. Saturday we woke to 5 inches of snow at the hotel, yet we were confident that this was just a taste of what awaited us.

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