Valentine's Day 2007

[witch hobble]

It’s been a pretty weak snow year so far around central NH, so when friends have lamented it I have tried to remind them about the Valentines Day storm and the 2nd half of the 2006/07 season. But it turns out that New Englanders got snow but not like NY did. It doesn’t stir memories.

So that year the Gore Ski Patrol ordered up some red baseball caps to sell and distribute at the end of the year party. It had been such low tide in December and January that when the hats were ordered, the tag line on the back said “2006/2007: the year that Ullr forgot”. Of course a few weeks later we get hammered with 3’ of snow in one storm, then we had a bunch of clippers and sleeper days, then we got another ~ 20” storm on St Patrick’s Day. By the time of the patrol banquet, everyone had been skiing powder for 6 weeks, the glades were all open, snowpack was deep. When the hats were handed out, it took a while for people to remember what the hell the tag line meant.

*Also, 2006/7 was the last year of the Burnt Ridge being “backcountry”, with no cut trails, liftlines, or the resultant piles of logs. It was an absolute paradise.

 

[Harvey]

Witch, I do the same thing: "Remember 2007!"

Valentine's day was the first of four really good storms. The last one was on April 15.

Here is the official NWS snowfall map:

Valentine's Day Storm 2007

Intense snow bands delivered snowfall rates of 2 to 4 inches per hour with localized higher amounts.

nyskiblog.com

Here's the spotter map showing 42 inches at our place:

Here's my report, but I didn't make it up until the weekend. Some pretty mediocre writing too, if may say so:

Gore Mountain and the Valentine's Day Storm 2007

Gore was in the bullseye. After we dug out, we skied and it was fantastic.

nyskiblog.com

 

[Campgottagopee]

Yes please!

 

[witch hobble]

Harv, we got V-day, St. Patty’s, Tax Day, what was the 4th? April fools?

It was such a great finish to the season that I’ve totally blocked the first half out. I think Gore reopened for an extra late april 3 day weekend, but weather was more typical April, 33 degrees and a light rain. So a bit anticlimactic.

 

[tirolski]

Saint Valentine is The Patron Saint of Tyrol.
Amen.

 

[Harvey]

I thought 4/15 was the fourth storm at Gore. I can't even remember my drivers license number so I could be wrong.

I remember at the end of January in 2007 we had a driving rainstorm at Gore with several inches that took us down to bear ground on much of the mountain. I have never seen that since. I remember sitting at my desk that day thinking WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK. I was so bummed.

I've learned to roll with it more, and I TRY to do a better job of skiing the storms vs skiing the weekends.

 

[Face4Me]

Of course a few weeks later we get hammered with 3’ of snow in one storm ...

The first time I ever skied the Whiteface Slides was the weekend after that storm.

... then we got another ~ 20” storm on St Patrick’s Day ...

I drove from the Lower Hudson Valley to Lake Placid during that storm ... it took 9 hours ... it normally takes about 4!

The good old days!