Crystal - 03/13

As expected a really big frenzy day. Jumped into the third row of CHex waiting at 7:50 am to spend the next hour standing around eating breakfast in the nice almost sunny conditions, watching the line behind me grow and the Gondy line get really big early. CHex started loading kinda early so it was up to stand in line at REX, again third row…wait…wait…not sure what time it was but when REX opened the real frenzy was on…everything that was open was cut up fast, it was nice if you stayed away from the really high wind impacted spots. Couple of big Door runs and off to HC – big bonus it opened really really early, got one big nice line down PB/BP’s before HC line went to big for me, so spent the middle of the day on REX running hamster like in the Doors with a number of BP, OuterFerk(!) and Lucky Tree runs…never went North of part of GV bowl till my last run of the day. Lots of nice big deep powder early, lots of cut pow later and even more fun packed pow in places. No real lift lines on REX all day. Ended the day with a pass through CB lodge to check out the soups of the day – Cheddar “Broccoli” and Mushroom (ugh), asked for some Chick Noodle sometime…maybe, no secret hidden pea soup today….then went and had a nice final run down PB/BP’s great vis, sun starting to pop out. Then off for one last big run – out EH just to check it out….all okay, all skied out by 2pm (north didn’t open till 1:30 but a lot of folks were waiting). A parking lot pretty full, C full, B half full?....definitely a busy day for a Tuesday. Fun day, ready for more.

Right angle good all day, gate 7 to left angle opened at 1222pm.  Fun chatting with free and mrs bird while waiting.  Scary mob start when it opened. Doors stayed soft all day, bp and deer fly too.  Exterminator skied great, smooth firm snow below a big avalanche crown, then some soft debris, then minimally tracked powder under the gondola to the base. 

Thanks to my helpful Crystal local friends for showing me where to find nice snow.  Many TAYers in attendance:  Amar, haggis, Kyle, Nickd, richb, robie to mention a few; it was a shame there were not more!  Little sun damage today, still snowing when we headed down at 4pm.

You beat me to it Dan, overheard the BP vs Pb discussion at the top of 6, no mention of jelly with the PB. Was going to title my post "Stop the Coral Reef Building"  Slid into the frenzy early, I had a hard time with the Sat-Sun mentality on a Tuesday. After more than my share of snarky clean lines  I repeatedly dropped fall line aspects and wound up with my knees in my chest. With all the new snow reef building is monumental. Plea to skiers and riders, if you lack the ability to ski down the mountain please find somewhere else to perfect your traversing skills. PB, BP, NW, SOS GV face all cut perpendicular to the fall line. This outrage ranks right there with skidding sideways down chutes with 150cm underfeet and pushing all the snow to the bottom, makes for a really nice jump. End of rant. I agree with what he said, great day, lots of folks enjoying the fresh with massive more to come.

Lots of deep pow that was tracked in 2 runs by the crowd of powder skiers. Last week's ice layer lurked inches under the surface on open south (wind) facing aspects (top of the Frontside), but behind any trees (Doors, LS Trees, Bear Pits) it was knee deep. The snow stayed nice till the end of the day in the trees. The ice layer caused lots of slides, a big one with 5' crown on Exterminator travelled a long way down. Tried Chair 6, but the line and avie debris in the fog on Powder Bowl drove me back Frontside. Waited for Northway to open, but the light board and Rex's whiteboard didn't update. The lift op at the bottom of Green Valley chair announced NW open, and by the time GV riders got to Employee Housing, skiing past the red X on the board, it was already tracked out. An hour later the light board turned green. No communication on Rex. Lots of good snow today, but lots of ice showing by day's end.

Ski Patrol announced at 5pm that C-6 and Northway will be closed tomorrow due to expected winds.

Ken
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Picture of Exterminator avie crown. Not sure who to thank for the pic (emailed to me).

Good to see you Silas!
Glad you got first tracks down employee housing

See the guy in the dark grey jacket and hat at the front of the gate 7 line?



It was good!