East Coast Skiers Are Radder Than You
Conor Pelton, aka Peltski on Instagram, released a video of him skiing the White Mountains in New Hampshire to Instagram today that has East Coast skiers sympathizing with the skier and West Coast skiers shocked by the conditions.
Using an Insta360, Pelton records footage of himself skiing a wooded trail that requires a lot more dodging of dirt and trees than usual due to the lack of snow coverage.
Sadly, it seems that the White Mountains are looking a little more like "The Brown And Green Mountains" these days.
The East Coast has had a warm winter, with historic flooding affecting resorts in Maine.
This isn't just backed by videos of the flooding. AccuWeather reports that the '23/24 was a record-breaker, and the cities ranking number one for having the warmest winter include Des Moines, Iowa; Fargo, North Dakota; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Burlington, Vermont; Caribou, Maine; and Albany, New York.
These cities had average winter temperatures of 8 to 12 degrees Fahrenheit above the historical average.
Related: Donny Pelletier Raising Money For "Mainahs Effected By The Floodin'"
Despite the poor conditions, Pelton makes the best of the line, weaving, dodging, and airing over terrain uncovered by the lack of snow.
If there's one thing we know about East Coast skiers, it's that they are not deterred by conditions... to a fault. -20 degrees outside? Perfectly fine, just grab an extra puffy for under the shell. 60mph winds? The T-Bar will still be running. No snow? Just use the beater skis.
Pelton writes about his less-than-snowy run that he "missed out on skiing this covered in snow by a few days but still managed to get a few soft turns. With the east coast experiencing one of its warmest winters on record and the forecast showing all rain, figured I better give it a go before all the ice was also gone. Let’s hope for a miracle March!"
It almost looks fun.
Despite how uninviting the run looks, there is no denying that Conor skis it with skill. Skill built up from setting and holding an edge through ice patches, skiing tight glades, and working extra hard to source conditions to powder chase.
So, in that sense, we have to hand it to the East Coast for ability and sheer determination. If Conor can have that much fun skiing actual ice, imagine him skiing West Face off KT-22 at Palisades Tahoe, CA, or a smooth, open bowl at Alta, UT.
Conor gets his powder days in, though, reminding us that the East Coast isn't always fear-inducing and icy.
Right now for skiers on the East Coast, snow is not a hope, a want, or a wish. It's an absolute need.
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