January 27, 2013, Summit at Snoqualmie

Started the day nice and quiet on Silver Fir at 845AM with 3-4" fresh, a welcome change from the past 10 days, until it got skied out around 10.   Then over to Hyak (East) via the crossover (with too much uphill) to look for freshies, and found plenty on both the front and back sides, as well as some blue sky.  Back to my car around 1130 and then drove to Alpental where parking was scarce but lift lines were short (lunch break?) and Nash gate had recently opened!  Nice 10-12" light fresh snow over a firm (sometimes icy, on steeper slopes) base made for a great untracked run through the Heavenly Trees. 

Sadly, lunch was over and lines were long when I returned to the base, so I did a few soft runs on Chair 1 before the storm started up again and I headed home.  Tomorrow is forecast to be a refresh!

#15 – 1/27/13 – Hyak was really fun with 5.5 inches of new snow over the firm base. Lots of fresh turns for the first hour or so, still finding little pockets here and there at 1230. Never much of a lift line all day so lots of runs both front and back were had. The trees in hidden valley were especially rewarding. TomK & Kerry

If you got to Nash gate just after it opened we missed each other by about 30 seconds.

I'd add that the conditions got better and better all afternoon. Nash, Shot 5 (puckery entrance to 6 but doable), Breakover all excellent. Last run off the top was the high traverse out to the ropeline. Knocked off a small slab on the way out but the run down hadn't been skied for several hours and was all filled in, as in knee deep. Finished skiing the ropeline from Ingrid's to the base. Excellent.

Horrid traffic coming off the pass. Tomorrow is a day off but its back to work at Alpental on Tuesday.

Gotta add. Saw two people skinning up the side of Debbie's on Sunday. Not recommended. Remember to check in with the pro guys (customer service can call them) so they can tell you the accepted route.

It just got nicer and nicer all afternoon at Alpental, right up to closing time. Though the lines did suck for a little while, things cleared out nicely once the schools shut down and the snowfall cranked up in earnest.