The best packed skiing I've had this year. Arrived around 10 AM to bright sunshine, no high cloud cover what so ever, bright, bright, bright. What a surprise from what I expected from forcasts. Seemed a little warm but most of the trees were wearing a pretty heavy layer of cold looking snow. The wind had blown the snow off the trees on a few of the usual exposed slopes. A very beautiful winter wonderland scene. The wind was kicking up a little at the top but nothing to be concerned about ........ yet. Skied Iceberg to warm up. The top was a little hard from traffic and grooming about a day or so ago. I am lazy and dislike sharping skis and am of the camp that feels if you need sharp skis its not worth skiing. But the lower part . . . man I love it when the bottom gully gets filled in and you can swoop up & down the side walls in long fast turns was great. Obviously not many people skiing this day. Next was Break Over and it was so good I saw no reason to go anywhere else, & didn't. Very soft packed powder that was just a little sun touched to make it even softer. Very forgiving and fairly smooth snow that said faster, FASTER! Yoyo'ed it for 2 hours pushing the envelope a little more each time. At around noon a big lenticular obscured the sun and Break Over started to set up slightly making it incrementally more challenging to let em rip. This was good because the legs needed that incremental wind down too. I've been in the BC too much. AT just doesn't build the right muscles to ski hard. The wind also kicked up fierce at noon but it was kind of magical the way the snow blew across the slope, filling in the bumps on Green Valley with a fresh layer of splendid soft, fast skiing, snow. Of course the chair slowed and I knew it would close soon. It did at around 12:30 and it was certainly justified as it was about as windy as I'd ever seen it at the top. This was just fine with me as it was my leaving time to get mom to her Dr appointment.
North back was open and I suspect that there was some good snow to be had out there but the front country was too good to leave. I did find a turn or two in ~ 6- 10 of nice snow in a very wind protected place on my exit down lower Exterminator - which was fantastic soft packed powder, too.
My guess is that the sun will have affected the south, east & some lower slopes enough to set it up hard for the next few days, but maybe not. Other wise the north & west exposures should remain packed powder and definately worth a trip. Groomers were of course buffed but I get bored of them after a few turns.
It was truely a great morning of skiing that turned into a windy overcast afternoon with all the upper chairs closing. What a difference a half hour can make.
