Ski Portland!

Some old buddies from New Hampshire arrived to visit on Friday night, and they kindly brought four inches of fresh snow (and bacon). Tom, an old hutman and current researcher for the Observatory, and I spent most of Saturday afternoon skiing the hills and trails on the Eastern Prom. We spent most of our time on the short, steeper pitch by the playground, where we had to wait our turn among a small crowd of sledders before we had a chance to link three or four quick turns (plus a small jump at the end). But we also explored, skiing cross-country out to the railroad trestle to the north and around to the Portland Company complex to the south, and finding a few lines of untracked powder on the hills in between. The slope between the street and the ocean is short and not terribly steep, but how many ski runs end on a beach? It was only about 25 degrees out, but we got suntans anyway.

Jess skis off into the sunset.

Skiers less concerned with scenery can find a hill with grander aspirations on the other side of town, at the Western Prom. New Hampshire's Mount Washington is visible from the top on clear days, which lends this ski run more of an alpine flavor. It's also longer and steeper, although you'll have to watch out for the plowed walkway that traverses the hill in switchbacks. This is a good place to ski off into the sunset at the end of the day (see photo).

All in all, this weekend's skiing was as about as good as any I did last winter at Carter Notch. Global warming got you down? Don't burn gas on your way to the mountains - ski Portland!