Crystal - 12/08

Late report - whats up with everyone else? - I been trying to get a conection on my computer for the last hour....Oh well - Question in the lodge this morning – “Is it gonna be a Big day today: Scotsman” – don’t know (me)…After the first run down the front side of REX – “It’s a BIG day: Scotsman!” Yes oh yes it was a big day, big early crowd, big full parking lots (I had to park at the front of the C lot ? Ouch), big new snow to fill in the left overs from yesterday, big lineup on REX after a couple of “BIG” powder runs on the front side, typically big 10:30 crowd blowing through REX – kinda like a January weekend! But as usual lift lines disappeared as side lifts opened – the first HC and later Northway – after that no lifts lines in the core area. Passed through CB lodge around 11 to check the soup promise – Lordy – Chicken Noodle! Wasted 5 minutes of ski time for that – very nice with lots of noodles and chicken chunks….On to PB, not good vis but great snow. Spent a while from BP’s (!) to Memorial, all great, all good snow quality. Thought about NW when it opened but to lazy. Went back to CB lodge during the afternoon for another soup hit – gotta say it was still very good. Finished the day during the 2 o’clock hour running REX front side – vis got better and better. Finished the day with a Exterminator finish – very nice top to bottom (lazy person entrance). Fun day. Big quality snow and maybe left over Chicken Noodle tomorrow!. Parking lots pretty much full season full – Big day for Crystal.

Boot-top new snow over yesterday's leftovers was great out of the box. A big crowd today wasn't was as powder-hungry as yesterday's, and awesome Frontside runs lasted longer today as we waited for Six and/or Northway to open. When Six opened, it looked like a fog-out over there, so we took one more Rex ride. On the way up, got the word Northway opened. The lights on the sign still showed NW on hold, and we got in two lunchtime faceshot soup runs (a bowl of Paradise and a bowl of Bruce) before the hordes grew the line to 10 minutes. We went back to the lineless Rex where Bear Pits, Doors, LS Trees, Memorial, Sunnyside, etc kept us busy. The snow was packing as the day wore on but will continue to ski great till the expected snow level rise tomorrow afternoon.
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Exterminator in the morning was outrageous. Chest shots on the top to midway and nice quality boot top all the way down. A basin was deep- had to parallel- couldn't tele my 95's in the wind packed but WHAT lines!!! Certainly there was a good crowd but you could always find an uncrowded lift. Spent a half hour caring for a guy under six who creamed himself on the rocks on the first right chutes. Hope he was OK but pretty sure his knee was exploded and possibly a back injury. Good work of the patrollers extracting him from a tough spot.

...all true...lift lines were predictable...quite predictable, actually...shady stashes top to base were easily past the knee...stopped to help one fella who lost his ski by ejecting into a big depression, so then i fell into his hole delivering his ski!...patrol was busy with their sleds...was proud of the mrs as we bagged 6.5 hours north to south...another marvelous day at the local ski hill we call crystal...