Back in VT for all the right reasons, visiting my daughter & family (3 grandsons)for Christmas and a bit of skiing. After Christmas I'll be staying a while. It seems that the rest of the family is not really into mornings, they want to relax for the holidays. I am a man of leisure now. Rest? I rest all the time. The best skiing is early in the morning so that is when I go, by myself if necessary. On 12/23 I skied nearby Catamount Center,
http://www.catamountoutdoor.com/ . The temp when I left the house was -4. Riding lifts in that didn't sound like fun but what a perfect day for XC. Powder everywhere, some set track but mostly I just skied. It was one of the best days of XC I've ever had. Catamount is a gem.

Christmas eve 12/24 rising temps and afternoon rain were forecast so I headed for Mad River early, picked up my senior shareholder season pass and headed out for powder. Mad River Glen - every day in every way better than you thought it would be. Some single runs, some double runs, a practice slope run and a Birdland run.
http://www.madriverglen.com/maps/iMapLarge.php
The run of the day was Fall Line to woods detour to Creamery to Ferrett to Glade. The powder was light dry, and in the woods really deep. Simply incredible. I skied into a few spruce traps and left a couple of craters, all part of the game if you like real skiing. Saw a coupkle friends but mostly the place was really pretty empty. Left by 2 as warming took over, 20 deg when I started, 38 w. light rain when I left. It rained with a warm wind all night here in Willston and at least a foot of snow is gone. Skiing is like fishing in that if you don't go fishing, you don't catch fish.

Dennis, I was just kidding about moving to the rockies. Sounds like I good couple of days. XC at -4, that could work. Just out of curiosity, how have you survived in DC for so long? My parents keep asking, but I don't know if I will ever move back. Its just too far to the mountains.

Sounds like a good time. I always like the idea of skis as a tool for crossing snow covered ground. I'll be in North Bay, Ontario next week and I'll take the skinny sticks with me and at least get some time on the public paths and maybe at the local nordic club, http://www.northbaynordic.ca/ , which is one of the training sites for the Canadian team. Mostly, I'll be trying to survive camping in -10C weather :-)

well, to sum this up, bad news. no canada trip for me, so Denis remains the only xc trip reporter on the board, for now. we canceled the trip due to bad weather - it is too warm, leading to potential flooding (rain + snow melt) followed by ice. *sigh*

Things sure changed fast. On the 26th we skied 'loud powder' at Mad River. Then it got really warm with heavy rain & wind. On the 28th the mounbtain was down to about 5 trails and only one route down from the single. Much bare ground showing and one point where a half dozen patrollers were shoveling slush on an open spot so you could continue down to the bottom. In the afternoon we skied the practice slope, where they actually make snow, with 5 y.o. grandson Daniel. The company made up for the conditions.

I am at my sister's in Rochester, NY for a few days. It got cold yesterday (enough to freeze the mud) and right now it is snowing with about 8" on the ground. I hope it makes it's way east to VT with as much or more snow. I'll be headed back that way tomorrow. Will be doing a little cross country in an hour or so.