The time has finally come. Whitetail and Liberty will close for the season this Sunday, at 5:00 p.m. Before they go, they are sponsoring a “two for one” special price on lift tickets and rental equipment, but not on tubing. (Editor’s Note: Ski Roundtop may also close shop after this weekend, and is also offering a “two for one” special.)

Both areas say they had a wonderful season, despite erratic termperatures and less snow than last year. When Whitetail closes Sunday, it will have enjoyed 95 days of operation this season. The previous season was only slightly better, at 104 days.

My son and I snuck off to Whitetail for a glorious afternoon of skiing on Thursday. As I have often said, one of the best features about our local areas is the fact you can drive in less than two hours and have a wonderful half day or evening. In fact, night skiing was probably better on Thursday. When we got there, the glorious sun was doing its work on the mountain, trying to turn it to slush. But, excellent grooming kept snow on most runs, and we were able to ski.

With no lift lines, we took several fast runs on Farside, Angel Drop, Limelight, Homerun, and Stalker. Bold Decision was closed, but Exhibition continued to make up for it! Its full series of bumps covers the mountain. They were soft, and relatively easy, except for cowards like me who just picks her way down. Now why can’t I just ski the fall line?

The skiing was heavy, and my legs and heart really felt it. I managed to miss most of the rocks and bare spots, but they were there - mocking me. Nature was at its finest - sun, a few clouds, and hawks (or are they vultures?) flying so close you could almost reach out and touch them.

Never underestimate the miracle of snowmaking. Without it, we might have had a season of just a few weeks. But, we had at least 95 days around here, and that is not bad. Now, it is time to explore further afield. Thank you Whitetail, Liberty, and Roundtop, for a marvelous season close to home!