That is a fitting quote from the one and only Yogi Berra to set up a little story. I took my first trip to Maine during Presidents' Week of 2018. It was a typical last minute call with two buddies, all loaded up with M.A.X. Passes and a thirst for cheap lodging (Rumford is yet another story). Things were starting to melt brutally closer to home, but Maine holds on longer than anyone with their natural snow and so our plan was to visit Sunapee on the way out, stay the week out by Sunday River and Sugarloaf, and then hit Loon on our way home. Trails at Sunapee were taking a beating but by the time we reached Sugarloaf we still had one more day of winter conditions left before the big melt hit. It was brutal, though not quite as brutal as what we are seeing right now, but it sucked the winter spirit right out of us. On our way back through Loon things did turn cold again, the groomers worked their magic and made it skiable. It felt like winter had just given up in one fail swoop and all we were left with was bare spots and granular stuck to blue ice.
Just one week later a nor'easter hit, 'Winter Storm Riley' as the Weather Channel called it, and I caught that in the Catskills. Over 40" fell nearby and Plattekill had to tow people out of their lots with a groomer is what I recall hearing. I waited out a power outage until noon at Windham and then got to experience more double ejections than I've ever seen, but so few were left that it felt more like a private mountain than it does now. Just 5 days later Winter Storm Quinn hit and I rode that one out at Magic Mountain before packing it up to head to Colorado the next day. Another 6 days later Skylar hit, and 7 days after that was Toby. We called it Miracle March and it was the snowiest March ever recorded for a good number of ski areas with many reports of over 100" of snow that month. It was rags to riches for the Northeast and many ski areas stayed open into late April.
I'm afraid that this weekend's storm isn't quite a Riley, Quinn, or Skylar, but maybe a Toby. As I like to say, all snow is good snow, and it's a start. I've been eyeing a coming change in the pattern starting around March 18th since mid-February and things are still looking good at least for cold and the possible storm track, in fact things are looking even better than before, and maybe just maybe we'll have some more powder days to look forward to this season.
Yes I am, but just a chance, and if not, break out those grills, pit vipers, and tutus, and celebrate what is left of the season (and visit the indies before they close). Joy and happiness is a choice and some of you all need a pep talk more than a forecast!
Let's just hope that the next time I send out a note it will feature a different Yogi Berra quote... "It's Like Deja Vu All Over Again."
-- Matt
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