And then, there was one. And soon, there will be none.
This is what Snowshoe looked like when I rode it on Thursday.
And this is what it looked like yesterday:
While it was a little bit discouraging to look at a mountain bike trail as I rode up the chairlift on Thursday, the fresh snow refill was more than welcome early Friday morning. There was just enough to make my own tracks on a number of trails, and fill in some gaps in coverage where dirt and gravel was making its presence known a little too well.
It’s been a crazy 24 hours. I’ll be back at the ‘Shoe for my last day on snow in the southeast of the season. That will put me at 30 days on the year, and while of course I wish that number was higher, it’s been an amazing year for me.
The snow was a little weird, in all honesty, Friday morning. It was super sticky, and tough to keep speed up. But as the sun came out, the snow softened. That made it easy to take advantage of.
There is technically a terrain park open at the ‘Shoe. But if you’re making the trek just to run some park laps, know this: there are only two features and two jumps, and the features are far too heavy for the average (read, 30-year-old) skier or rider to effectively lay any tricks on.
It’s definitely the time to get out the rock boards and rock skis. There was a lot of exposed terrain to navigate around. Do not break out any late-season purchases for a demo. There are almost certainly core shots coming your way.
Upper Shay’s still rips, even in the final days of March. I lapped that pretty repetitively both Thursday and Friday. Just a warning: the midsection of the run is pretty flat, and with the sticky snow, it’s almost impossible to get enough momentum to ride it out all the way to the bottom. I had to unstrap from my board and skate each and every run. It was worth it, but I was working hard.
Here’s what the daily message from the Snowshoe team says:
The forecast has shaped up considerably for our Saturday shenanigans, with the chances of rain now coming later in the day than originally expected. With mild temps and soft snow, it’s going to be another day of classic spring skiing out there! There are some thin, narrow areas and bare patches around the mountain so please ski under control at all times. Upper Flume and Powderidge trails are open for Basin access only (return via shuttle). The Western Territory is open with Shay’s Revenge only (expert terrain). Our summer season kicks off May 23rd! April 20 for the Raven Golf Club! Check out the full summer events calendar at www.snowshoemtn.com.
One piece of advice if you’ve never been to Snowshoe before: the options for food are kind of limited. I had an amazing chicken club sandwich at The Junction on Thursday, and some buffalo chicken tacos at Old Spruce Brewing (along with some crispy beers), but as far as grocery stores go, you pretty much have two options: The Wildcat Grocery – which is at the top of the mountain and priced about how you would imagine – or Dollar General. So pack a cooler and load up on cold cuts before you make your way to Almost Heaven.
Since Silver Creek was closed, I took my dog Ollie for a hike, and played some fetch at the summt.
Video Of The Day
Speaking of dogs. Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?
Red Bull Media House presents: Old Dog, a Travis Rice video part.
The Michael Jordan of snowboarding takes on a 3,700 vertical drop at the Velvet Castle in British Columbia, the backcountry of Valdez, and good ol’ Wyoming.
The Rest
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