Big Storms Seem to Bring out Memories - and Lunacy

Boy that storm brought back some memories.

"What do you consider a bad storm?" A Vernon emergency management official asked me that question as forecasts for the Friday and Saturday blizzard were coming through.

Tahoe, atop Squaw Valley, about 15 years ago, I was riding a lift and I couldn't see the tips of my skis. Even Lt. Dan would call that a whiteout.

Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort, three seasons ago. A three-day dump hit Lee Canyon and left 54 inches behind. The great thing about the resort is that it lies in a box canyon. What falls comes straight down without any wind. The rep there is the parks, but the tree skiing the day after that storm may have been the best I've ever experienced.

Killington, about seven years ago, an overnight storm dropped 29 inches Saturday into Sunday on the tail end of a weekend ski writers seminar. I skied until noon, went to the SUV and the roads were clear. It was stellar.

U.S. Open Snowboarding Championships, about eight years ago. There were 2 fresh feet at Stratton that day. It was a plain in the neck keeping the pipe clean, but oh was it cool to do ski testing in that stuff.

It's funny, but a storm like the one we just had brings out the lunatics every time.

This was an actual call into customer service center at a Vermont mountain:

"Will there be corduroy?"

"Yes ma'am, but under 3 feet of fresh powder."

The complaints after a storm usually range from why no grooming to too much snow. Yes, too much snow.

I caught up with Okemo Mountain Resort Public Relations Director Bonnie MacPherson on Friday. She said she spoke with a lodging official, and the lodging official said the call center was flooded. Some said they couldn't ski or ride in that much snow. Others did not want to make the trip. But for each cancellation there was an eager last-minute booking, she said.

There's a saying that there is no better feeling in the winter than staring out the window at a major snowstorm knowing you'll get to ski or ride in its bounty the next day.

Pro snowboarder Elijah Teter said you're just raring to go after a big storm.

“I would say there is mostly excitement for that day or the following day because you know it’s going to be good out there on the mountain," he said. "Sometimes it's hard to sleep because you’re so excited."