Ila Bumagin, Junior
Are y’all ready to hit the slopes? Well, you may be ready, but the weather sure isn’t. This week I went skiing at Loon Mountain in New Hampshire, and it felt like spring skiing. Slush, ice, and a new layer of slush. Delightful!
Whether you’re a skier or not, you may have noticed the unusually warm weather this week. No White Christmas to be had! This is because the Gulf Stream is directing the most recent storm southwards. It was colder in New Jersey and other places farther south than it was in New Hampshire this week, and this is supposed to be one of our warmest Januarys yet in the Northeast.
While this might feel like lingering good weather, it wasn’t fun for anyone trying to ski/snowboard during last week. Although there was a good snowfall about a week before Christmas, a more recent rainstorm drowned the powder out. This combo creates ice and slush – a recipe for disaster. There were ski injuries this week, and I saw many kids just take off their skis and walk down the mountain. While that doesn’t sound fun either, it’s probably the safer option.
To add to the conditions, most mountains in New Hampshire only have half or fewer of their trails open. This creates overcrowding on the trails and long lift lines. Despite all the bad weather, skiing is always fun. I only had a couple of wipeouts, so no need to worry! Hopefully there will be better skiing looking into 2023!