A few weeks ago, we got a call from Ernie. “Skiing conditions are the best in years” was an easy way to persuade me. “Can you take a day off Friday and come up for a few days?” That’s all we needed to hear. Phone calls were made, sitters were arranged, and away we went. As the early school bus made its way down our street, so did we; our destination, Jackson, NH. Three hours later, with crisp fresh air in my face, the edges of my ST11s dug in as I carved a perfect turn on Tim’s Trauma, our first trail of the morning. Much to our surprise, we were still able to find virgin corduroy. Up again, this time Dave chose Saco, where we made a trail-edge stop to admire the cloudless sky and breathtaking view of Mt Washington in the distance. Next was Upper Ptarmigan, my favorite. Up, down, up, down, the snow was superb and we never had to vie for a chair, which is very unusual. We only stopped once for a quick beer and a “thank you” visit to Jeannie working at the base lodge. Come Saturday morning, we did it all over again while Joan and Sharon Scrabbled the day away. After passionately pounding the slopes of Attitash all day, we headed over to the Shannon Door Irish Pub, where we settled in for après ski at its finest for the evening. What a great place to end the day. Live Irish music, great atmosphere, award-winning thin-crust pizza and pitchers of cold Guinness! Rumor has it this pub has Mulkern family roots from the Lynn area! What a relaxing way to end an escape weekend getaway on the slopes! As always, thank you JEM for sharing your mountainside home with us! Spending time with you guys created memories that will be remembered forever!MassWildlife has recently completed the final trophy-sized broodstock salmon stocking for the season. The majority of fish came from the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s White River National Fish Hatchery in Vermont and the remainder from MassWildlife’s Roger Reed Salmon Hatchery in Palmer. These fish are all retired from broodstock service and were released into lakes and ponds across the Commonwealth. In Boston – Jamaica Pond; Concord- White’s Pond; Framingham/Natick – Lake Cochituate; Groton – Baddacook Pond; Haverhill – Lake Saltonstall; Lynn – Sluice Pond; Methuen – Forest Lake; Wenham – Pleasant Pond; and Woburn – Horn Pond.Preliminary deer season figures for the 2007 archery, shotgun and muzzleloader seasons have been calculated. The initial figure for a statewide total is 11,132 deer. This includes the 7 deer taken during the special 3-day season for paraplegic hunters. The total harvest figure does not include the 149 deer taken during the controlled hunt at Quabbin Reservoir. Here is a breakdown by season. Archers bagged a statewide total of 3,223 deer. During the shotgun season, a statewide total of 5,745 deer was taken. Muzzleloader enthusiasts took advantage of snowy conditions and harvested a total of 2,157 deer across the state.Final figures for the fall 2008 turkey season have also been compiled. Hunters harvested 149 turkeys during the six-day season. The total included 69 toms (males) and 80 hens (females). Last year’s fall total was 107 birds.In closing, don’t forget: the longest-running sportsmen’s show in New England, the 32nd Annual Toyota Eastern Fishing & Outdoor Exposition at Worcester’s DCU Center this weekend, Feb. 7-10. Show hours are Thursday and Friday, 12:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $11 for adults, and $3 for children under 12. Children under five are admitted free. Worcester’s DCU Center is located in downtown Worcester. From I-290, take Exit 16 and follow the signs.All for now.