What a Difference a (Powder) Day Makes

What a difference a (powder) day makes.

All winter we skier types have been lamenting the lack of snow, which has been compounded by the rain that has seemed to follow every scant snowfall of an inch or two, and by the numerous dashed hopes of promised storms that amount to, well, not much.

Skiers tend to be grumpy during low snow seasons, oozing sarcasm when the forecast of 6-12 inches becomes a reality of a trace-1 inch, becoming bitter when we can still see the grass in our yards in February, lamenting past winters of deeper snow.

But this morning dawned a powder day on Cannon Mountain. An unanticipated, delightful drop of 7-10 inches that fell in the night.

This morning there were only happy faces on the first Tram. No grumps. Just fat skis and smiles from the regulars, most of us playing hooky from work or whatever else it is we should have been doing on a Monday morning. Two weeks of February vacation and the associated uptick in skiers on the slopes ended yesterday, so we locals had the mountain all to ourselves – with plenty of first tracks to go around.

It was a hero snow day, with a perfectly grippy base buried under fluffy, knee-deep snow. The turns came easy, and everyone looked like a pro.

True to the zany weather pattern we’ve had this winter, the temperature is supposed to rise to the 50s on Thursday. And as we enter the first full week of March, spring is likely on its way. But last night Ullr decided to show up, at least fleetingly, giving us one sweet, smooth, wonderful powder day.

For that, we skier types are thankful.