February 6, 2005, Mt.Baker ski area

The ski season is not over after all! Ted and I took advantage of reduced rates, the Super Bowl and the fresh snow to get our turns at the Mt.Baker ski area yesterday. With limited visibility due to falling snow, it also made sense to avoid the backcountry. <br><br> The snow coverage is still sparse in places; there are lots of shrubs and a few rocks showing in the lower sections. You just have to pretend that you are tree skiing through a miniature forest. On the other hand, Pan Face was a blast. With the masses worshipping at the alter of the Super Bowl and a nonenforced effort to close the Pan face area, I felt like I was in the backcountry.<br><br> I found that my turns benefited from concentrating on the limited amount of real estate that I could see at any given moment. My hoots and hollers were the only sounds around me. I was "one with the mountain" or "in the groove" or whatever cliche works for you. The only downer was having to avoid some rocks near the roadbed.<br><br> I do not know how I should technically define the quality of the snow. I would call it "hero snow", since I just couldn't do wrong in it. Hopefully, it is a sign of what is yet to come.