December 27, 2012 Crystal Mountain

Today's lessons were: Don't buy a ticket, ½ hour line. Don't rent gear, 1.5-2 hour wait. Don't fear the post-christmas crowd, lines were zero all day (Rex, Chinook, Northway, Gondy). Nice packed powder everywhere, fluffy cut pow here and there. Employee Housing was the run of the day, 4 times. Power outages and Northway's flakiness cost us a 20 minute wait halfway up, but our first tracks on Penny Dawgs and Paradise Trees made up for it. The thickest fog I've seen, from The Queen to Green Valley, kept us in the densest trees. I don't know where the hordes went, but they weren't in line or off piste.
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No lines on Six either until about 3:15 when there was maybe a 10 chair wait. Otherwise it was a ski on. And minimal lines on FQ, mainly thanks to 2 Patrollers organizing groups of 6. While not quite in the same league as Juan, they were trying to make it fun.

Second the props to ski patrol on FQ and GV lifties for bringing back lift line control. It's a lost but necessary service the mountain has neglected. Helps keep the fist fights to a minimum and can be entertaining when done by someone with even just a hint of personality.

Long live Juan. He's got to have some siblings Crystal could employ?

Long live Juan. He's got to have some siblings Crystal could employ?

I'm pretty sure he told me last spring that his brother and sister - Two and Three - were already employed.

Pretty sure I saw GSA today. BCA airbag, harness hanging out of his pack, 2 BD ice axes, dukes on carvers. Trying to be all so sly as he deftly cut in line on Forrest Queen, really showin some style down Toilet Bowl. Not hanging with the Powder Clowns.Was refreshing to see so many folks having such a good time today, none of them wanted to be where I was, which was fine with me. No soup report. Boycotting CB due to no refills on coffee policy. Even Starbucks at Safeway gives free refills.