MARCH 24, 2023 – Today in these parts, the spring melt was final on, full force. The mercury soared well into the 40sF under a sky monopolized by the sun.
As I skate-skied up and down the Bernese Oberland of “Little Switzerland”—my 109th day of the season—I reveled in ideal “spring skiing” conditions. These occur for a few days when all the stars line up: 1. Sub-freezing temps overnight; 2. Daytime temps climb quickly into the upper 30sF, then 40sF; 3. The sun is shining full force; and 4. The snow has become granular (“corn snow”) but hasn’t yet turned to complete slush. If good luck prevails, these conditions can produce seven to 10 days of perfect “spring skiing.”
I free-skated (skied willy-nilly over the landscape), since the set track that is groomed during the winter has all but disappeared. In full delight of my good fortune, I recalled the spring skiing in seasons past—at Stowe, Sugarbush and Mad River Glen in Vermont; Sunday River and Sugarloaf in Maine; Big Mountain in Montana; the Birkebeiner Trail near the Red Cabin in Wisconsin; at the sprawling Porte du soleil seven years ago on the French-Swiss border, which is as close to heaven as I’ll ever get, short of . . . heaven; and “Little Switzerland” a mile walk from our house in the Twin Cities. I savored the memories of skiing without a parka or heavy mittens; chasing my shadow down favorite runs; finding my groove down a perfect mogul field; chatting freely on the chairlift rides because people’s jaws aren’t frozen and their chins aren’t pressed down into their down jackets as they often are in January; in the early afternoon, eating lunch—a $15 bowl of chicken chili, $3 orange and $2 chocolate chip cookie—while sitting on the outdoor deck of the summit house, smiling back at the sun, as upbeat tunes are pumped out of the PA system.
Though with a tinge of sadness I watch the ski season dissipate, I also delight in the prospect of new beginnings. By the spring equinox, it’s time for the snow to go. Every ski day after March 20 is a gift. As the snowbanks shrink and patches of exposed earth grow, I feel the relentless rejuvenation of life. Winter’s harshness yields to spring’s resilience. Hope and promise fill the air in the expanding daylight and steadily warming temperatures.
This ski season is now my fourth best in 29 years of record-keeping. I’m 14 days away from matching my best, but I’m indifferent, really. Every day is a gift, with or without snow, with or without skis with or without beating a record.
In a few short weeks, all trace of winter will be behind us—not counting spring flooding. The birds will be singing gaily, the grass greening, the trees budding, our expectations rising. New life will burst into being, and the ice and snow of the long winter now behind us will be the stuff of fast fading legend.
Soon we’ll find ourselves complaining about the latest heat wave.
(Remember to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.)
© 2023 by Eric Nilsson
