The Sublimity of Spring Skiing

Spring is a bittersweet time for many Coloradans. As the days grow longer and warmer, we look forward to camping, hiking, biking and paddling—all while lamenting the end of ski season.

Before hanging up our winter gear for the summer, however, it’s fun to close the season in style by hitting the slopes as often as possible. And up in the high country this time of year, the sun is shining, the snow is soft and the beer flows like wine.

I’m talking about a little thing called spring skiing, which has been in full effect for the last month or so. About a dozen ski resorts across the country remain open, including several Colorado areas hanging on to the last gasp of winter before mud season takes over.

There’s surprisingly a lot to like about this transitional period: Smaller crowds; warm rides up the chairlift; soft and slushy turns; après drinking that starts early and goes late; retro bands rocking the base area; the hilarity of pond skims; and even the chance for deep powder.

All of which makes skiing or snowboarding right now a sublime experience. As Sandy and I prepare to venture out for our last weekend on the slopes, let me first explain why I’m a fan of spring skiing and how to savor the season’s end.

First, it’s important to understand the hallmarks of spring skiing, which include everything from fun conditions to chill vibes. Here are the reasons we love it:

Soft snow. Sometimes called spring corn, the slushy snow resulting from warm days and cold nights “makes ideal conditions for edging skis, snowboards, or snowmobiles while also providing good snow stability.”

Sunny days. It’s sometimes possible to wear T-shirts instead of a jacket and sunglasses instead of goggles (see yours truly in the header image), and plenty of folks sport not much more than their ski boots and a bathing suit.

Smaller crowds. By late April and early May, most skiers and riders have moved on to other activities like spring sports and lawn work. Diehards rejoice over the much less crowded lift lines and trails, even though terrain is limited.

Season-closing parties. Each resort has a different vibe—some have blowout bashes, some have more subdued gatherings—but the après is always a blast, even if it’s just a few drinks in the parking lot with your crew.

End-of-season deals. Bars clear out their kegs before the summer, meaning cheap beer (sometimes), and if you’re in the market for new or demo gear, the ski shops have smokin’ clearance sales.

Spring storms. Spring in the Rockies also means the chance for deep powder because this is the snowiest time of the year here. Sometimes a powder day is followed by a warm and sunny one, and vice versa—the best of both worlds.

Resorts open this late don’t officially announce end dates until a few days before their trails are no longer skiable. They keep their lifts running ALAP (as late as possible), a term Winter Park uses to describe its season-ending schedule.

It’s a testament to Coloradans’ love for winter, and winter sports. Against all odds and the inevitable warmer weather, we try to make the ski season last, sometimes by hiking across dirt and rocks to find a patch of snow, even for a short run. That’s true fanaticism.

Before digging deeper, let’s go over the rules of spring skiing.

There’s a classic episode of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” called The Gang Hits the Slopes that makes fun of raunchy 1980s ski comedies like Hot Dog … the Movie, replete with raucous parties and ridiculous plot lines.

In the episode’s opening scene, the gang begins their wild Spring Break weekend atop a ski run as Dennis introduces “mountain rules” to Mac, Charlie and Sweet Dee. He tells them: “For some reason, the rules are just different on the mountain.” Here’s the clip:

You might understand that concept if you’ve ever been on a ski trip. The rules of everyday life don’t exist when you’re at the slopes for a weekend of skiing, drinking and general good times. It’s time to implement “mountain rules,” and here is my version of them:

No planning: Don’t schedule anything, be it sleep, meals or activities. Just do what you want, when you want. (*One exception: A powder day means you aim for first chair.)

No drinking restrictions: “It’s 5 o’clock somewhere” is the mantra on the mountain, which often means starting with mimosas, continuing with pocket beers on the chairlift, enjoying the obligatory après drinks and ending the day at a local dive bar.

No work: Leave the company laptop and iPhone at home. It’s better for everyone that way, seriously.

No skipping events: Attend as many festivities like pond skims and concerts as possible, no matter how exhausted you are. The people-watching is epic.

No passing up freebies: Grab all the giveaways—namely, those cheap resort-branded sunglasses, koozies and lip balms, etc. Do you need them? No. Should you snag them anyway for fun pictures? Absolutely.

No regrets: Leave it all on the mountain. Summer is almost here, and you’ll have to wait six or seven months before clicking into a pair of bindings again. It’s a celebration, so live it up—both on and off the mountain.

Some optional rules include wearing a costume, but no one over 30 should do this. It is acceptable to wear a neon retro ski suit at any age, though young people will assume you’re wearing it unironically because you’re old. Hence, I no longer wear mine. 

Speaking of which, let’s step back to a time when those neon suits weren’t considered retro—back to the roots of my affinity for spring skiing.

The year was 1998, and Sandy and I were ski-bumming in Breckenridge. That spring, we experienced the ideal combination of small crowds, deep snow, warm sun and fun après on several occasions, but a particular day stands out.

On a random weekday in late March, following a powerful spring storm the night before, we woke up early and ventured to nearby Arapahoe Basin to ski some pow.

The storm delivered the goods and cleared out by first chair, giving way to a bluebird sky and creating the perfect Colorado conditions. We warmed up with a couple of easy laps before venturing into more challenging terrain that had been on our radar all season—the Lower East Wall.

Once our legs and confidence were ready, we traversed across the wall and saw below us an open bowl of deep, deep powder. We eyed our lines, stood for a moment—as if in prayer—and then dropped. Into waist-deep powder. Into pure bliss.

We floated joyfully, giddily, down the slope and rendezvoused at the chairlift. Exhausted but elated, we knew it was our greatest run up that point in our lives and thought nothing would ever match it. We might’ve been right. It was one of the first times I felt “flow” while skiing, and it’s burned into my memory—perfect snow, perfect companion, perfect day.

True, I had fallen in love with skiing a few years earlier, and I would fully commit to the sport by moving back to Colorado and skiing often thanks to our annual multi-mountain pass.

But that spring day at A-Basin will live forever in my mind, unblemished by time or an aging body.

After a few more powder runs that morning, we celebrated with beers on A-Basin’s world-famous “beach,” making that day the first of many spring skiing memories. It remains one of the reasons we look forward to this ritual each year.

While this installment of “A Fan’s Notes” is a tribute to spring skiing, please note I love sliding down snow in any condition—even when the days are short, temperatures plummet to single digits and winter winds chill you to the bone despite several layers of merino wool and Gore-Tex. And I’ll always love deep pow anytime of the season.

I simply view spring skiing as a welcome reward for all those frigid days leading up to it. And I plan to get as many runs in as possible before the lifts stop spinning for good until late fall.

That’s what Sandy and I will do this weekend when we drive up I-70, first to Copper Mountain and then to Winter Park, where we’ll revel in perhaps our final turns for the next six months.

No matter how these last few days go—if we ski corduroy in the morning or slush in the afternoon or maybe a mixture of both—we know we’ll enjoy an après libation or two under the warm Colorado sun and remember why we are longtime and loyal fans of spring skiing.

And, as always, we’ll be sure to abide by “mountain rules.”