crystal 3_1_07

Another cold day at Crystal with light airy powder that became slightly damper as the day progressed. Snowed all day though with occasional sunlight filtered through thin clouds. Foggy at the top with flat light for most of the day. South back closed but North opened up around noon.

Enough snow today combined with yesterday to smooth out the slopes. But it sure got tracked up and chopped up quick.


Here's a photo of Tom in the steep and deep powder

How much bliss is there !!! Non stop deep powder turns, light crowds off the groom, NorthBack opened right after lunch. Knee to thigh deep in Northway Bowl and off the top of Morning Glory and Brand Y. Patrol was on top of their game getting the mtn open. Who needs out of state trips with this gem in our backyard. Can't wait for more fresh tonight and another epic day tomorrow.

Another rediculous powder day at Crystal. My last chance to hit it before it gets rained away. Started in bear pits for bottomless light fluff, went to Campbell for numerous bottomless laps, broke trail again to throne chute and again had it golden, Northway bowl for more unreal pow to end the day. Nuff said, it was absolutely sick, sickest week of my life.......skiing that is. Off to Utah in a few weeks hopefully for a repeat. My partner Graham wanted to try out his new splitboard, it was cool. Really cold up there, seemed like at least......amazing.

I never thought I would say that there is too much snow... but my legs were already feeling used from skiing Monday and after a few hours of pushing through the deep stuff they were feeling it again.  It was kind of a confidence builder, though.  Snow was basically knee deep, but I think a few skiers got in up to their chest.  This is where you need someone to break trail downhill.  I had an easier time skiing though chopped up snow.  But pushing the deep stuff is an experience.

I saw a small group collected about half way down the northend of Campbell Basin hill... one of them pushed off and he really was up to his chest.  I didn't wait around for him to move again. 

I thought the snow was a little on the heavy side, but it might start to self compact.  I have seen very light chest deep fluff on Rainier, so I know that is possible. Snowed all day... looked like winter.

A friend demoed Volkl Mantras and Solly Guns... He looked good on the Mantra.

Great pictures guys!  A pic says it all.


Keith - I didn't want to bring an old post to the top... but I heard that my 90 year old acquaintance did make one ski run a few weeks ago.  So you probably did see him getting on the lift.

Wow - I'm glad Yanna convinced me to take the day off and Cor convinced me to ski lifts at Crystal today! The first two pics above give a good image of much of the day. It took a few runs for us to get the balance dialed in, but once we did, steep and deep was the name of the game. It felt like there was a snowblower pointed at my head. Everyone getting on Chair 6 had a lot of snow on the top of their hats and stuck between their googles and noses.

Just opened my new copy of Skiing Magazine and one of the first things is a 2 page spread photo entitled

"Crystal Farming in the Northwest: Crystal Mountain, Washinton's snow is so good that even Utah faithful make a pilgrimage"

and a picture of KEITH ROLLINS floating through 2 feet of untracked on Silver King.

The next page is a 2 page spread about Mt. Baker.

Have fun at Crystal. I'm off to Utah on Sunday for a week...