Mowing or skiing?
Thursday, April 9, 2009 at 07:47 PM
You know it's April in Vermont when on the way to skiing you stop in to look at a lawn mower.
The Skimeister and I saw a used reel mower (you know, the human-powered kind that your grandparents may have had) in Craigslist so we arranged for a look-see. We were lukewarm on the mower, but we really enjoyed our late-afternoon runs at Smugglers' Notch today.
The highest parts of the mountains in northern Vermont have continued to receive some snow. At the very top of Sterling Peak (the only lift now open at Smuggs), if you were to look beyond the snowy trees to the very white Mt. Mansfield, you might think it was February. Near the summit I measured about five inches of newish snow in the shade.
But of course, with warm temperatures the snow is definitely springy. Mashed potatoes and frozen corn come to mind. As you descended trails like Smugglers' Alley the snow on the trees disappeared, and near the base area we hit some slightly slushy areas—the kind that put the brakes on a little too fast!
The snow coverage is still quite good; I avoided all rocks and patches where the grass is showing through.
We most enjoyed Smugglers' Alley to Crossover to Treasure Run, but also liked Upper Rumrunner to a portion of Harvey's, with a short skate over to Full Nelson.
Limited terrain with only Sterling open, but a fun afternoon outing nonetheless!
If the weather is good on Sunday morning, we may hit one of the Easter sunrise services at the top of Stowe or Smugglers' Notch. I've never done it and if the weather cooperates, I think it would be beautiful.
Hockey note: Hats off to the University of Vermont men's hockey team for making it to the Frozen Four. What a feat! Unfortunately, BU overpowered them (5-4) on Thursday night, but it was a heck of a game to watch.
Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Smugglers' Notch, Spring skiing
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1. Nicole Ballinger | Friday, April 10, 2009 at 06:32 PM
Great new logo! I hope to get one more day in on the snow. Thanks for the report on Smuggs.
If you buy a used reel mower, make sure its sharp. You are welcome to give ours a test-drive sometime.
2. Hollerin\' Jer | Monday, April 13, 2009 at 04:07 PM
I have enjoyed your posts this past winter. We're all done here in PA, but there's still dreg skiing left at a couple of the DH areas in SW NY. Thanx for promoting the free-heeled life.
3. Skimaven | Monday, April 13, 2009 at 05:27 PM
Thanks, Hollerin' Jer!
I checked out your website and enjoyed your snowy photos. It's been a pretty darn good ski season, hasn't it. We're very lucky to be able to go out and make the most of it.
4. Skimaven | Thursday, May 21, 2009 at 10:26 AM
In case you are wondering, we did end up getting a reel mower. We got a new Scotts Classic. It is quite a workout, but we enjoy taking a break from work to do a portion of the lawn at a time. As suggested in the reviews we read, it has a hard time with long grass, so we have to keep our lawn under control. It also does not always cut tall dandelions and some of the tall, stiff pieces of grass. But the best thing is that we're not spewing fumes, dirt, rocks and excessive noise when we are working on the lawn!