Feb 17-18, 2013, Alpental, Fresh Snow!

Sun. Feb, 18
The convergence delivered and the crowd converged on the upper slopes of Denny Mtn for some fresh turns in what amounted to 14" of new, rightside-up snow at the top and an arguable 10" down below. Having left town before dawn we were in prime position to participate in the line for a ride on the padded seats to the top. From there we pointed things straight down underneath Chair 2, getting first tracks into Rollen, over Gunmount and down the Fan in an attempt to off-cycle the handful of folks ahead of us who elected to go top-to-bottom. It worked and we were whisked back up top in time to catch patrol marking Snake Dance as open and catch up with them just as they were dropping the rope across the lower gate. We logged another two laps through the lower "back bowls" before the upper gate opened and with valid proof of backcountry card holdership, we were rewarded with an untouched line through Brownie Bowl with minimal effort while the horde set the bootpack up to Knoll 1. We grabbed another two laps out the upper gate before calling it quits early and checking out what the second day of Vertfest had to offer - what a difference 24 hours can make!

Mon. Feb 19
We celebrated Former President Washington's birthday in utmost style - picking-up leftovers in the near BC in the morning before venturing out for a lap through Pineapple and down a barely-touched Great Scott Bowl. Both the High T and traverse back from the lake were in superb condition allowing for a quicker lap than anticipated. The bootpack up 5456 was a little bit soft, but we took care of that and it's now in great shape. Despite a forecast of low clouds and snow, the good visibility held through the day while the clouds kept the temps under control. The snow had noticeably consolidated since Sunday and was heavier and more wind-affected. We noticed several small (<5" crown, <20' wide) releases on obvious convexities - based on the telemetry they're most likely wind-loaded and didn't seem to be very cohesive, but it doesn't take much to push you off/into something you'd wish to avoid. With the improved weather, I snapped a few photos with my new phone which has a pretty awesome camera:


Great Scott Bowl from the top


Atop Point 5456

much good arises fom the padded seats destination when conditions were as described by pipeD. flowed with my lil bug throughout the cycle of snow,
catching my breath long enough to get the straw in my capri sun.
the monday lite crowd with sweet snow played right into our plans.
sums it up
bF