Crystal - 04/08

Really big unexpected bonus day from what the fireman racing around the mountain to the next fire told me – tired to keep up early, gave up (some might say it was expected - hhhhmmm?). Pulled into the A lot at 8:30 with the usual way to big “pay” space, 4” new in the lot? Hhhhmmm? Jumped onto CHex at 8:50 – no lift line, not really many early morning folks. Discussed what chair line on REX might be like – until we saw that “fireman” racing down the frontside to a fire! Yee Haa! As he said “best bonus unexpected sweet nice cold smoke over left over surprisingly nice snow from yesterday” – okay maybe not that many words, but it was a big sweet surprise. Everywhere early in the day was go anywhere soft. Did get a little grey foggy at times, but when things opened up – nice. Spent most of the day doing Doors and the Pits, plus pokes out into the open areas of the front of REX and a number of PB runs – great snow, even when maybe it was not totally visible. Very light lift line crowd. Got warmer and heavier as the day progressed – actually heavy and bad vis during the 1pm hour, but by 2pm vis improved and my repeat hamster lines still felt nice. Gotta say it was a great day!

Other – Soup was Minestrone (again) – hopefully the last day this season. Pay lot wasn’t full, some over flow into C lot and B had a few rows, so the crowd was fairly light. By the end of the day for me the quality of the snow was a little more challenging, but for early April it was truly a great day.

Fun, exhausting day trying to follow the Birds to fresh lines all day. Great soft 12-18" fluff under the gondola the first couple hours, kinda heavy below 5000'. Fresh lines in bear pits before the hamsters arrived. Then grabbed the packs and skins for sidecountry freshies including 205 (half of 410) and other unspeakable stuff with some guys with funny accents. We broke into sun at the top of the king at 4pm and saw rainier. Brain damage was full of soft snow and rockless. Snowing hard in the parking lot when we left. Lots of tempting values in the ski shop!

Not that ddk needs any incentive to go skiing, but maybe some new forecast links are in order if he wants to not be surprised. Today exactly followed the forecasts I look at, and the only unexpected bonus was that the rain layer still hadn't frozen hard. Lighter-than-yesterday pow over cut leftovers over carvable crust was some awesome skiing in the morning. A non-crowd left it to us to beat it up. Thick fog ruled, but tight tree's visibility delivered the goods. With no one on the hill we made clean runs till noon. Then, the temps won out and it thickened with each run. For a while momentum and attitude overcame the heaviness, but it finally wore us down. Freezing overnight will not be kind and rising freezing levels will just turn the snow to slop.
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I agree with everything said above by the three musketeers. Slipped into the back of the A lot myself around 9:15 and was on my way up REX by 9:30. Chatted with an older fellow on the way up Chinook who almost sold me on a top-to-bottom lap down Exterminator, but I opted for lower BP instead. Excellent choice as I worked in a high traverse and crossed nary a track down the rider's right side. Confused myself coming out of the woods and ended-up at FQ, hoping that six would be running as Northway was not. Was pleasantly surprised to find the entire Campbell Basin crowd-free and hamstered several laps down lines I hadn't ridden for years. Caught a chair behind ddk at some point in the morning who commented that I looked like a normal person - about as normal as someone who's riding soft snow on a Monday in April can be!

Attempted to get into BP from higher-up only to find the gate closed so I enjoyed the lightly-tracked snow along the ridge before heading out towards Northway for a long run down to the car for lunch. Paradise Bowl was fantastic - worth the long, flat traverse out. Visibility improved dramatically after lunch and held for about an hour - long enough to bag a handful of excellent sunny laps in GV. Attempted to exit at the end of the day via Guntower Ridge but was disappointed to find Right Angle, Left Angle, Employee Housing, Niagaras and O-Meadows closed. Opted for a line through the woods right of Otto Bahn and another long, less-worthwhile traverse back to the base.

Other - Patrol dropped a pair of big bombs into Rock Face as I was eating lunch but not much seemed to go. Hoping they'll find the same in the Southback and get 'er back open for business soon!

Not that ddk needs any incentive to go skiing, but maybe some new forecast links are in order if he wants to not be surprised. Today exactly followed the forecasts I look at, and the only unexpected bonus was that the rain layer still hadn't frozen hard. ......

Big congrats on never being surprised and also your perfect weather forecasting. Lucky me I don't always pay attention to the forcasts. It was a great day as noted by other posts.

Somewhere in this thread I read words "cold smoke"..............I am laughing pretty hard right now.