Depressing, really. I'm not ready for this season to end yet. <BR> <BR>It wasn't depressing due to a lack of snow. Rather, given the recent weather events it's almost surprising how much snow is still on the ground. Sure, there was the occasional thin spot on some of the trails, but frankly they were easily avoided and rather few and far between. Really, I never felt the need to switch to rock skis -- I was on skis that have only 3 previous days on snow and never worried. <BR> <BR>Instead, it was depressing just because it felt like winter is dying. Grey ice. Empty slopes. Mist in the air. Lifts down due to a lack of customers. A nearly empty cafeteria at Stateside staffed by bored servers. A little bit more rain and/or warm air, and those bare spots won't be so limited anymore. <BR> <BR>Just how much snow was there? I'll speak in terms of how much natural snow is left. Down low it's melting out around the base of trees: <BR> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/3715.jpg" ALT="melting out around the base of trees"> <BR> <BR>but anywhere from mid-mountain on up there's still a ton of snow in the woods: <BR> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/3716.jpg" ALT="more snow in the woods up higher"> <BR> <BR>Once again, as so often seems to be the case for me this season, it was all about quality rather than quantity today. After the heavy rain and refreeze, anything ungroomed was rock-solid grey refrozen trash topped by about a half inch of the heaviest, wetest snow imaginable that fell overnight. After a warm up down Northway I hopped back on the Green Mountain Freezer (for once, a comfortable ride!) and dropped into Everglade. I was rewarded with the aforementioned bone-jarring grey base where anyone had gone before me, and sticky, slow sludge coating areas that had yet to be skied today: <BR> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/3717.jpg" ALT="Everglade"> <BR> <BR>Again, however, cover was more than adequate. <BR> <BR>Fortunately, there was hardly anyone there today: <BR> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/3718.jpg" ALT="light crowds"> <BR> <BR>Unfortunately, even if there was anyone else there, you wouldn't see them, anyway. Visibility is highly overrated: <BR> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/3719.jpg" ALT="visibility is highly overrated"> <BR> <BR>After Everglade I stuck my tail between my legs and headed for the Jet chair: <BR> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/3720.jpg" ALT="Jet triple chair"> <BR> <BR>and headed down Derrick Hot Shot, erroneously believing that it must've been groomed. It hadn't, and couldn't have been, for Derrick sported some of the thinnest cover I saw all day. I tried to escape to Haynes at the first cutover, but that must've been groomed early, for it was a grey skating rink pockmarked by clumps of last night's slush all glued together by passing skiers. Given my options, I went back to the icy bumps on Derrick. <BR> <BR>The fat lady's not singing yet -- check out the weather forecast and cross your fingers: <BR> <BR>(<A HREF="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/wx/cgi-bin/hamweather.cgi?user=default&theme=default&forecast=warnings&state=vt" TARGET="_blank">Vermont state weather warnings</A> from the <A HREF="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/wx/cgi-bin/hamweather.cgi" TARGET="_blank">First Tracks!! Online Weather Center</A>) <BR> <BR><BLOCKQUOTE><HR SIZE=0><!-Quote-!><FONT SIZE=1><B>Quote:</B></FONT><P>Urgent - winter weather message <BR>National weather service burlington vt <BR>245 pm est sat apr 3 2004 <BR> <BR>. A spring snowstorm is expected to impact much of vermont and northern new york Sunday afternoon through early Tuesday. <BR> <BR>. A strong upper level disturbance across the great lakes tonight will track southeast into pennsylvania by Sunday morning. This will result in the development of low pressure off the southern new england coast Sunday, eventually intensifying into a major winter storm in the gulf of maine Sunday night and Monday. <BR> <BR>Nyz029>031-034-vtz002>004-006>008-016>019-040900- caledonia vt-eastern addison vt-eastern chittenden vt- eastern franklin vt-eastern rutland vt-essex vt-lamoille vt- orleans vt-southeastern st. Lawrence ny-southern franklin ny- washington vt-western clinton ny-western essex ny- western franklin vt- including the cities of. Barre. Canaan. Montpelier. Morrisville. Newcomb. Newport. Saranac lake. St. Albans. St. Johnsbury and swanton 245 pm est sat apr 3 2004 <BR> <BR>. The national weather service in burlington vermont has issued a winter storm watch from late Sunday afternoon through early Tuesday morning. <BR> <BR>This watch is in effect for the adirondacks of northern new york as well as north central, northeast vermont and the western slopes of the green mountains from rutland north to the canadian border. <BR> <BR>In the adirondacks. The combination of rain mixed with snow in the valleys and wet snow in the higher elevations will develop Sunday morning. Colder air will eventually change all precipitation into wet snow during Sunday afternoon. <BR> <BR>In vermont. Rain in the valleys and mixed rain and snow in the higher elevations will develop by midday. Colder air will eventually change precipitation into wet snow in the higher elevations and then west to east in the valleys during the afternoon and evening. <BR> <BR>Snow will become steadier across much of the region Sunday night with heavy snow possible in the adirondacks as well as north central, northeast vermont and the higher elevations. <BR> <BR>Wet snow will eventually taper to snow showers Monday night and early Tuesday with a wide range of snowfall accumulations possible. Storm total snowfall accumulations will range from several inches of wet snow in the saint lawrence. Champlain and lower connecticut valley floors to possibly a foot or more locally in the watch area. <BR> <BR>A winter storm watch means the potential exists for more than 6 inches of snow. Stay tuned to noaa weather radio or commercial media for the latest forecasts and information on this upcoming winter weather event.<!-/Quote-!><HR SIZE=0></BLOCKQUOTE>
