After storm skiing at Alpental yesterday, and considering my next four days will be spent in a Spokane conference room, I decided to head back up and ski the tail end of this last cycle.
Well, apparently I wasn't the only one aware of the potential for good skiing at Alpental.
At 9:10 I stood in the back of the lift line watching the new snow being cut up, and baked by the sun. After about 5 minutes of not moving and watching the chair stop, then start, then stop, I imagined the line up top, and decided on plan B.
Clicked out and shouldered skis, confident that some exercise at Hyak would be more fun.
Drove in ski boots (Don't try this at home. I am a trained professional), towards Yak, and slowed at the Silver Fir entrance. Hmmm, no line, no tracks, and parking within 50ft of a padded seat. A mechanical delay enabled loading second chair (first chair loaded with two) at 9:30. Two untracked chair line runs, third crossed a few tracks, fourth, fifth, and sixth found creamy heavy fresh in the trees.
Drove in ski boots again (You should never do this! It's OK for me though, because I have Mastrales, and the guy at the shop said they drive as well as they climb. He was right) to Hyak and skied untracked front, back, and front again in the warm calm sunny weather. Visited with my friends Rusty and Joe, and scored a free Voile ski strap!
Voila! Lemonade!
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