April 7, 2013, Stevens

Decent day. It was powder but perhaps only by NW definition. Ranged from somewhat heavy to quite heavy. Best when not in the sun like along treelines, and also better above 5K (duh). Took hiking to get the best stuff. Even though felt like powder turns when you were doing them if you really looked at your tracks could see that smeary cracked margarine look you get from saturated spring snow that has been compacted. At least was so post noon.

Snowed most of day but lightly. Snow often felt pretty wet on face and enough solar radiation to make it melt when it got onto you, the chairs etc. Not much of a crowd hardly any lines.

They didn't do grooming of the groomers overnight which might have disappointed some people but I didn't really ride groomers. One thing too about this snow was it took only a few tracks in ungroomed areas to make it set up and get chunky and gross. This wasn't good snow for recycling, and lots of random crossing tracks ruining fall lines.

7th still closed all day.

Wow, were we both at the same Stevens? Today was awesome in my opinion! Perhaps because I skied here Friday and Saturday as well, and they were not so great.

We had fresh tracks the whole day, and all but a few (below 4500') were soft and smooth. Upper See Yodelin skied as fun as I've ever experienced it. Two runs in Higland bowl and down through the trees were superb, as was our first run of the day on the skier's left side of Double Diamond. Even the run at day's end through the trees east of lower Big Chief bowl was untracked, though my friends chose a very tracked out gully for mogul like skiing. Maybe our group made the day seem excellent to me, or the conditions that were so kind to my knee. Anyway I'm thankful.