I don’t think it could start out any colder than it did, at least in New Hampshire. This is what the Weather app gave me when I was warming the car up.
So alright then! Let’s get this party started. We drove 45 minutes south to Crotched Mountain, south of our house. We had to register with them, since I was late in attempting to register with Mt. Sunapee (which is only 15 minutes away). It’s only for 7 weeks — a small price to pay for Ski Racing Dominance.
It was, as expected, bitterly cold, but we managed. On Mt. Hood in Oregon, the lowest I’ve seen it is single digits, and that’s rare. Usually in January it’s more like teens, even in the morning, and 20’s when it warms up. You don’t need to take special precautions. I learned a couple things today. First, gloves suck when it’s that cold. You want mittens. And HotHands chemical warming packets are a Godsend. Second, when you wear a gator around your face all day (which is necessary to not get frostbite), your breath causes the material to get wet, which then proceeds to freeze when you’re flying down the mountain. Ick. Probably no workaround for that — just something you need to suck it up about.
All in all it was good day. Clare was really “skied out” by lunch, but like the trooper she is, finished the 2 hour afternoon training session. That stretch will make it easier the next time. And honestly, this bitter of cold is rare for New Hampshire. Next Saturday has a high of 20F. Balmy!
Columbia Gorge Dispatch 