Skiing The Sky Way - Ski Column

Sky King

HELLO SKI FRIENDS!!

A huge thank you to Sky for writing his popular ski column once again this past season for the

Northcountry News & Our Mountainside Guide. It was a fantastic ski season here in the north country.

Sky will be back with us at the start of the next ski season, which we hope to start in November!

Until that time, we thank you for visiting us here and you can certainly enjoy reading past season's

columns by clicking below. See you sooner than you think!!!

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READ SKY'S 2006/2007 SEASON COLUMNS BY CLICKING HERE

READ SKY'S 2007/2008 SEASON COLUMNS BY CLICKING HERE

..And What A Season It Was!

(From April 18, 2008)

I'm sure I have a few turns left in me although at this point in time I'm debating whether to hit the slopes today. Yes the forecast calls for partly cloudy skies and the temps are supposed to hover comfortably in the forties and I know that the cover is great on the hill. The kids are off from school this week which is an added bonus as getting to ski during April vacation is a rare treat. So you may be asking why am I even debating a trip to the hill today? It boils down to this, the extended forecast is calling for a couple or three days of bright sunny skies and temps in the fifties and I can end my season with the kids and maybe some neighbors and friends on some of the most glorious days one can imagine! Knowing that there is still almost full cover on almost every trail is truly amazing and reminds me of a season back in the nineties when we were open until the first week in May. If the people were still buying tickets I'm sure most areas would keep their lifts running this year. Yes the end of the season is close at hand and what a season it's been.

One of the high points in my book is the overall dominance of the U.S.A. in the world cup of alpine skiing this year with Ted Ligerty, Lindsay Vonn and of course New Hampshire's own Bode Miller named champions in several categories (Bode and Lindsay were the over all champs the 1st time since Tamara McKinney and Phil Maher did it 1983 that the US took both). But I only have to look as far as my back yard to see the impact of the season. My yard is pretty much flat but we were able to build a luge run from the huge piles that slid of our metal roof and even though we are seeing bare ground in most of the yard there is still a shaded corner that has over two feet of snow that was not accumulated by piling.

On one of the numerous times this winter when I was laboring to shovel snow up over my ten foot snowbanks at the end of the driveway I had a neighbor ask with all the snow I predicted earlier in the fall "Are ya happy now?". So in retrospect I can say "yes" as I can now see my driveway, half of my lawn and several items that were neglected to be put away before the snow. Also I can be happy that my wishful thinking prediction of one hundred inches of snow was exceeded early in the season. As a mater of fact according to a news story I heard on NHPR this past weekend, many ski areas are reporting close to or over TWO hundred inches of natural snow (I've heard from a close source that Cannon went over the two hundred and fifty mark!)

In a conversation with Karl Stone from Ski NH I was told that in an average year New Hampshire can expect some where around two million skier visits. The record was set in the 2000-01 season with 2.35 million and there is a distinct possibility that this season will top that.

"We don't have the final numbers yet as a few areas are still open" Stone says. The areas that are still open are Loon (Open to the 21st), Bretton Woods, Sunapee and Wildcat (Wildcat has been known to extend its season at the last minute). You can call Ski NH at 745-9396 and get all the updated information you need.

So as I sit here and sip my morning coffee and reflecting on this season just past I'm reminded again of just how lucky or dare I say 'Blessed' we are to live in this mountain paradise. And a season like this, that has me deciding in the late days of April which glorious ski days we'll choose to end the season on, is just more proof.

I'd like to thank Bryan, Sue and the rest of the staff at the Northcountry News for letting me share my thoughts on Skiing with you again this winter and of course a BIG thank you to all of you who read this column. I look forward to joining you on the pages of the NCN next winter!

Thank you to Sky for another great season on the local slopes. We’ll definitely look forward to meeting him in the paper and on the slopes again next season, which by the way, is only about seven months away!!! Thanks Sky - see you slopeside, soon! ...........