Three cheers!
Three cheers: for temperatures in the high 20s, for 5″ of new fluff, for seventeen NB skiers, for “oohs” and “ahhs” as skiers started off on the fresh snow, for Utley Brook Trail, for waxless skis, for MaxiGlide, for rolled-up sleeves, for no snowmobile tracks on the backcountry snowmobile trails, for artwork and messages in the snow, for climbing skins, for friends along the trail, for Rootbeer Ridge, for tele-turns in the woods, for warm, sunny photo breaks, for skiers who carry folding saws, for intentional faceplants, for skating down Jenny Coolidge Trail, for four new End-to-Enders (congrats to Sue, Kevin, Craig and Nancy!), for ski poles making a celebratory tunnel,for champagne on the Weston Town Green to celebrate End-to-Enders, for chocolate, for another great SWLT, for eating pizza on the way home at the J.J. Hapgood General Store, for eating next to THE Paul McCartney at the J.J. Hapgood General Store, for everyone getting home safely!
Thanks to everyone (skiers, co-leaders, day-leaders, CTA staff, trail chiefs, landowners) for making this another safe, friendly, fun and memorable SWLT. Marie and I can always go out and ski just the two of us, but doing it with new friends and old makes it more fun.
Here is the SWLT by the numbers:
8 days of skiing,
over 210 skier days registered,
166 actual skier days skied, reduced due mostly to extreme cold,
53 skiers skiing at least one day,
71 miles of Catamount Trail skied,
1467 skier-miles,
31, most skiers on any day,
16, fewest skiers on any day,
1800 dollars raised, at least (more is always welcome), for CTA,
4 degrees, top temperature on the coldest day,
35 degrees, top temperature on the warmest day,
-6 degrees, temperature at coldest start,
2 days with ‘life-threatening cold and wind chill due to frost bite and hypothermia’ in the forecast,
2 people who got confused about where to meet,
2 key-swap snafus,
5 days of key-swaps,
1 broken pole,
1 broken ski,
1 minor case of frostbite,
6 new End-To-Enders on the tour (is this a record?),
1 other End-To-Ender who finished that week with our help,
1 father-daughter pair,
11 couples skiing together at least part of one day,
4 skiers who skied at least part of all eight days,
15 skiers new to MultiDay Tours, 13 skiers who were already End-to-Enders,
3 skiers who skied every part of all eight days,
11 (at least) skiers who went skiing more after a day tour was over,
2 pairs of wooden skis,
2 foot/boot problems,
5 group breakfasts,
4 group dinners,
1 cancelled Gluttonyfest,
1 skier from Florida,
3 bailout cars used,
3 days of new snow,
4 skiers who ‘bagged’ another CT section on the Rest Day,
13 trail chiefs who helped keep these sections of trail clear and available,
478 emails to or from the SWLT coordinator,
8 co- and day leaders,
5 hosts who opened their homes for SWLT skiers,
0 days cancelled for bad weather,
0 days cancelled for bad skiing,
0 injuries,
0 lost skiers,
0 skiers who went away mad,
0 skiers who missed a day due to communications mix-ups,
0 skiers left at a trail head,
0 car problems or accidents,
These things were all uncountable, as they should be: smiles, laughs, thank yous, tele-turns, brownies, etc., calories burned, help offered, beautiful vistas, tracks in the snow, interesting trail conversations.
