So when do you call it a season?

[ski diva]

This is the third day in a row we've had rain here in Vermont, and that, combined with warm temps, has to be doing a number of the ski areas that are still open. I haven't been skiing since Wednesday, and though conditions deteriorated into mash potatoes pretty readily and there were a lot of bare spots, it was still skiable. Okemo still plans to stay open til the 17th, and Killington is going til who knows when. I have friends who plan to ski this coming week, though lord knows how it'll be after this rain. I'll probably get out there, too.

So when do you pull the plug on your ski season? Or have you already? What makes you say it's over? Do you ski right until the closing date, or do conditions make you end it earlier?

 

[ilovepugs]

Meh, I’m going to sugarbush in a minute but only to watch the pond skimming, not to ski and ride. The conditions will be crappy and it’s not very nice out. Tomorrow will be an early morning skin with @echo_NY during which time it is predicted to flurry, so that will be more enjoyable.

We are extending our season a bit this year by heading to Banff with @Jenny, Mr Jenny and my mom (who doesn’t ski but will do gentle shoulder season hikes with me). If my schedule allows, I might be up for another day at Killington, but May will be busy with school reunion and a baby shower for my sister.

 

[NewEnglandSkier]

Conditions mostly end it for me. I think if you live close it's easier/more worth it to go for just a few runs in the morning before it gets really sloppy, but I live 3 hours from anything that stays open into mid April.
It's just not worth it to me to drive 6 hours round trip for conditions that are not that great (mud, rocks, puddles, deep mashed potatoes).
I have no problem doing that drive when conditions are decent (I consider decent to mean there may be thin spots or not edge to edge trail coverage, but most trails are still open and they firm up a bit over night so it doesn't start out as slush but may devolve into that).
I was at Killington on Tuesday and considered the conditions still decent, but there was large patches of mud and bare spots on some trails and it was easy to hit rocks if you were not super careful. I knew it was going to rain the next few days so, it's not going to exactly do wonders for the conditions--will only get thinner from here on out---so I decided to have that be my last day.
I think I may feel different if I lived within say 20 minutes.

 

[SkiBam]

Pretty sure we'll be skiing to the bitter end at Tremblant (April 18). Thursday's rain turned into snow yesterday (7 or so inches), which caused widespread power outages (heavy stuff). Still looks like winter here at the moment. I skied last Wednesday and it was spectacular (nary a bare spot to be seen) - we'll see how it is Monday. There's still good coverage so I expect (hope) to be there for closing day. Seems like we've fared better up here than places to the south.

 

[Jenny]

Generally it's late March when our hills close. This year we get Banff as a season extender - maybe I’ll have to make this a regular thing . . .

 

[santacruz skier]

Toying with the idea of going to Tahoe Monday....... temps dropping 30 degrees and maybe a foot of snow expected.

Caveat: gusty winds AND both N* and Heavenly are limiting access to the mountains which means many areas will be closed.
I'm spoiled with having access to the entire mountain and friends are deciding whether we should go and chance it only to find gondola at H shut down due to gusty winds (then there would be no access).....
or limited skiing at N*........

Not to mention canceling appointments for next week including second booster (ugh I do not want this but feel I need to do it as going to Hawaii in two weeks.)....

 

[ilovepugs]

Not to mention canceling appointments for next week including second booster (ugh I do not want this but feel I need to do it as going to Hawaii in two weeks.)....

Hehe, that’s what we call a first world problem enjoy your trip and hope you get good snow in the meantime!!

 

[Pequenita]

We are lucky in California. Thanks to the major resorts vying to be the spring skiing capital, around May it shifts to novelty skiing, when they are snow farming and often have decreased operations because it's a losing proposition to open everything that *could* be open. I usually get a few novelty ski runs at a resort near the end of the season and end it with more novelty backcountry skiing. My season tends to go into mid-May, with an occasional June or July anomaly.

I think Monday is going to be crazy windy. The x factor is whether the second storm holds together and stays cold midweek....

 

[Christy]

When it stops being truly good, with new snow. So sometime in April. I love spring hiking here, and it's a great time for trips to the coast, islands, and rainforests, so I move on to that.

 

[Amie H]

I think my season is ending because 1) all the places I could drive to have closed 2) I'm out of days off and airline miles to cash in!

 

[BlueSkies]

When it isn't fun anymore: too many bare spots and rocks, mid-mountain 'pond skims' from the melting, too few trails open for the drive, warm temps when I'd rather be hiking....

 

[Christy]

I thought this week was probably the last of the good skiing, but it looks like we're still doing winter.

 

[marzNC]

Generally it's late March when our hills close. This year we get Banff as a season extender - maybe I’ll have to make this a regular thing . . .

Having a regular destination for a late season trip is quite addicting. Been skiing Alta in April staying slopeside for a dozen years at this point. Intend to keep up the tradition for as long as possible. My role model is Naomi, who skied at Alta into her 90s. She skied in April the year she passed away in early summer.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

When it isn't fun anymore

In a nutshell >> this ^^

 

[Jilly]

Yes to when it isn't fun anymore, or the hill closes as has been the case in the last 2 years.....Easter weekend is supposed to be the last, but.....

But then is doesn't matter this year, I'm flying the next weekend far away....

 

[Jenny]

Yes to when it isn't fun anymore, or the hill closes as has been the case in the last 2 years.....Easter weekend is supposed to be the last, but.....

But then is doesn't matter this year, I'm flying the next weekend far away....

Dragon boat world(?) championships, right? Finally!

 

[SkiBam]

Yes to when it isn't fun anymore, or the hill closes as has been the case in the last 2 years.....Easter weekend is supposed to be the last, but.....

But then is doesn't matter this year, I'm flying the next weekend far away....

Yes, but some of us will still be here and might be very happy for an extension!

 

[Ski Sine Fine]

Ever since Breck started having late seasons and opens well into May, I go there right after tax season. By that time, it no longer matters to me if there were snow. I absolutely have to get away from the horde of late filers and de-stress. Yeah, I’ll be at Breck in 10 days to close out my season.

 

[Luvs2ski]

Our home mountain (Stratton) is planning on Easter Sunday 4/17 as their last day & based on conditions today, they will make it (which didn’t seem to be the case a few weeks ago). However, due to other plans, we cannot make it back up for the last day, so today is it ….and it pains me, as mentally, I am not ready to hang up the skis. It was a great season; I literally skied every weekend from New Year’s until now!! So thankful for each & every day.

 

[daniwrites]

I live in NYC, but my office is based in PDX. Going out there next week, and doing a ski/pit stop that weekend before heading back home. If it wasn’t for that, my season probably would have ended last weekend :(