Saturday at Breckenridge was most likely my last day for 2007-08
I have a love/hate relationship with spring. The gardener and the gas bill payer in me love warm weather, sunshine and the end of the home heating season. I rejoice at the first crocuses, hyacinths, daffodils and tulips, but I'm never sorry when they are snowed upon. These early-season blossoms can take it. The skier and snowshoer rues the end of winter. Especially this winter, with great snow during much of the season across the North American and European snowbelt, the skiing and snowshoeing were great.
It rained in Boulder on Wednesday evening, April 16, but the high country experienced another wintry surge. Overnight, Breckenridge was blanketed with up to 10 inches of new snow. Powder in mid-April. Sweet! I met my son there a couple of days later. The powder, of course, was no more, but we enjoyed a great season-ender, skiing laps on the Mercury SuperChair that had to lines any time during the day. We started skiing with great spring conditions -- firm base with a surface was corning up in the course of the day. By mid-afternoon, the hot sun softened the snow still more, and it was time to hang 'em up for the season.
Sunday was Breckenridge's last day. In Colorado, the season has not quite ended at Loveland (May 4), Echo Mountain (May 4), Arapahoe Basin (June 8) and Silverton Mountain (April 27) that will run their lifts every day for a while, with Aspen Highlands and Wolf Creek operating for another weekend. Snowbasin, UT, is open until April 27 and Snowbird until May 26, with Friday, Saturday and Sunday operations only after May 1. In Oregon, Timberline on Mt. Hood is just cranking for its summer peak. Mammoth, CA, has a few weeks to go with skiing through May or beyond. Alpental, WA, at the Summit at Snowqualmie is operating weekends though May 5, ending with a Cinco de Mayo party on Monday the 5th.
Virtually every ski area that operates well into spring offers deals: buy next year's season pass and start using it at the end of this season, show a season pass from another mountain and ski free or at a discount, bargain daily lift tickets, even better deals on lift/lodging packages. Even as this season has ended for me, and I've done major spring yard cleanup, I'm already looking forward to 2008-09.
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