File under "Global Warming" -- I went SNOWBOARDING this weekend in VT!

[Atman]

Earliest I've ever been out. Mt. Snow on Saturday, the first mountain open on the East Coast. It was awesome just to be back on the snow, even if there wasn't much open. More opened today. The humidity is low and the air is cold, so the snow was nice and powdery. It's pretty much all fake, of course, but there have been a few flurries already and the ground was coated in white in spots on my drive up. Woohoo!

Never mind my subject line...I was just beating the lurking freepers to the punch. You know, the ones who don't the difference between the words "climate" and "weather."



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[babylonsister]

1. Gorgeous pic! What is the 'normal' earliest you've been out? I'm

glad it's more 'normal' there than 65 and sunny!

And many moons ago, Mt. Snow is the first place I ever went skiing, and was it icy, but fun!

[Atman]

3. Last year first trip out was Dec 16 at Killington

Killy always tries to be the first open. Getting out in mid December isn't too unusual, but last year after everyone opened, it didn't really snow again until late January, and some mountains even had to shut down. It was horrible, but I still got out a couple of times a week -- just had to know where to look (and head farther north).

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[cali]

4. Last year was horrible until late January

even up here in the Kingdom. My son was a ski instructor up at Jay and they were practically shut down thru the 3rd week of January. I normally ski at Smuggs and that was awful too. Fortunately, February and March were good.

[Atman]

6. I LOVE Jay Peak!

Closest thing to Lake Tahoe in Vermont, imho. I just love that mountain! But both times we made it up the conditions were pretty frightening. It was getting so warm in the afternoons that the morning runs were nothing but ice. They'd get huge storms later in the season, and it would all melt within a couple days. In March we were hitting bare dirt. I hope to hell it isn't another season like that!

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[StClone]

2. Not here

Our local slope typically starts making snow the first week of November. This year they tried and the temps went into the 50's. So they still aren't making snow and it's a week later.

[sailor65]

5. YOU SUCK!

We're still twiddling our thumbs and waiting! I've got a shiny new Custom sitting against the wall mocking me.

Did you take that pic? That's nice coverage for early season.

[Atman]

7. The coverage was great

It's been cold in VT all week so they'd been blowing 24/7 all week long. That pic was from the Mt. Snow web site. (www.mountsnow.com).

This one is mine, from one of my first trips to the top in the a.m....yup...top-to-bottom runs! Amazing!



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[sailor65]

8. Your pic is even better

I'm suddenly thinking Thanksgiving trip to Mt. Snow!

Go lay a few tracks for me, bud.

[Ishoutandscream2]

9. Well, I'm here in my bedroom

with the fan running. High was in the low 80s today. Mid 80s tomorrow. Amazing how different our worlds are.

[SoCalDem]

10. climate is not the same as "weather"..that said.. beautiful pics

looks like you had fun fun fun :)

[Atman]

11. That was my point

Every time someone posts something like this, the Rush-lovers of the world chime in to scream "SEE! They're snowboarding in early November, and they still think there is global warming!?" Global warming or CLIMATE change, of course, can actually cause serious flucuations in WEATHER patterns. The morans don't seem to understand the difference.

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[Nevernose]

12. I went swimming yeasterday, outside

And I can't wait until my kid's off to college, I don't have to worry about a custody battle, and I can move to either Vermont, New Hampshire, or Maine. I've already looked into getting a Maine teaching License (already qualify) and getting a job with my ELL experience shouldn't be too hard, either. The weather's cold as hell half the year, but I'm a couch potato anyways. If I can have my TiVo, I'll be okay, 'cuz then there'll be no need to deal with my pathological aversion to snow.

I've only been once, and that was this summer. It was SO pretty up there. Plenty of parks and natural beauty/resources, not much litter, no billboards, and the people there were as friendly as could be, despite the legendary Yankee dislike of outsiders. The ones who weren't in the tourist trade -- the nobodies walking down the street -- were the friendliest of all.

Southern California: rude as hell. Chicago: even ruder, except for the very friendly crackheads. Big cities in the South: also rude.

New England: awesome.

Even in New York City, the only rude person I met was a tourist.

If I spoke better French (or any French at all other than what's required to pass six credits of undergraduate Middle English; mine always ends up sounding Cajun :)), I'd fit in better in New England, but DAMN if where you're at ain't the place for me.

[Atman]

13. Vermont is like another world

Driving to the slopes is part of the fun. Miles and miles of nothing but trees and "villages." It's just a beautiful, unique place. I'd move there too, if I already had money and didn't need an income!

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[Atman]

14. Today's the day to skip out of work!

Looks like mid-40s and 50s and some rain in the forecast by Wednesday. But the nights will stay cold, so the light rain will actually help freeze this up for a nice solid base on which to blow more snow, cuz it's also dropping into the 20s at night with some snow in the forecast for next weekend.

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