February 16, 2014 Crystal Mountain

Today was a balance of waiting due to crowds and great snow. I stood at the front of the Chinook line for an hour (after a 7:30 arrival put me in the sphincter of A lot) watching a huge line form behind. Great untracked on the Frontside didn't last long, but lift lines weren't too bad on Rex with an early Six opening. Patrol forgot to open the Bear Pits gate which saved some pow for mid-morning. When Northway opened, we dodged the NW line and went Employee Housing. Awesome choice. Heard the Six line was huge and that NW was 40 minutes. I-5 was well covered, but a lightweight kid held up 20 people and wouldn't let anyone by. Lots of sun kept the hordes out skiing instead of inside eating soup as they should be. Sun also heated us and the snow much more than the cool telemetry temps would suggest. Sun-facing aspects will have some firm potatoes under tonight's dump. Below 5,500 ft it was heavy and firmly packing by day's end. I left early to try to get in front of the full-to-F Lot crowd. Didn't work.

Watch for elk on 410 at The River Ranch. They were on the road when I went by, and turns out had jumped in front of the truck I parked behind in the lot. Even a slow hit buckled his hood and smashed the grill, sending the bull elk bouncing into the ditch. You'd think they learn.

Ken
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Great report Ken.  Those photos of the Doors and EHousing have my mouth watering.

Those photos of the lift lines have my blood pressure up.

Sounds like a fantastic day overall.  Appreciate the regular first hand reports.  Keep on sliding!

You would think drivers would learn to slow down around elk. The first million years of their evolution did not select for motor vehicles.

The elk that was hit ran out on the road whilst Lee was driving slowly by another standing in the road. Doesn't take much for a 800lb body with very low IQ to wack the crap out of your car/truck. Woulda gone through the windshield of my Suabaru. Four other cars and I drove by possible the same pair at 10 mph just a few minutes later. Buzz on the hill is that someone in the River Ranch feeds them and keeps them near the highway.

I can see from your ski tracks I had a bit of a different day.
A totally awesome new snow sun day.
Paranoia of a nightmare drive in 10 inches of new snow had me leaving the house at 5:30, to a 7:00 AM arrival. I was the 2nd to last car in the first row of the "free parking" A lot.   To kill some time I decided to skin up Gold Hills. Last night heavy rain for a couple of hours meant Gold Hills was dust (4") on frozen, rained on and groomed base. That's why anything under about 5300' was mank. 
Could have been on the 1st or 2nd bucket, but because of my side trip ended on the 10th or so.
6 laps on Green Valley and Snorting Elk in snow just like the pics of Employee Housing. Deciding Northway had been on hold about long enough book packed to Northway Peak (top of chair) where upon reaching the top the rope dropped right on my last step. So me and the 5 people waiting there got the first 6 runs down from the top of Northway Peak, very sweet. 4 more laps, one with the aforementioned (probably more like 25 minutes-30 minutes) when I got in it line at Northway.
A run down a very skied out O-meadows lead me back up the shuttle and to chair 6, which was shut down with a problem and every chair filled. Not fun to be at the top, as that is when the storm started to roll in. A quick traverse to Rex and I was two chairs away from getting on before they closed due to wind, Gondola also closed. So at two oclock the top of the mountatin closed. 5 hours of constant skiing and booting was enough and thought I'd beat the masses filling up every lot. An easy drive down the ho chi minh trail of cars.

Blasting in Southback well in to 1 o'clock hour, so I don't think it ever opened. If it opens Monday will be epic.   Tonights dump should fill in nicely. Most of mountain is now skiable.

Lapped Grubstake several times before it was too cut up

Powder Bowl. Rode up with a guy that hit 6 opening just right, said PB was epic-good.

Top of Northway Peak

Added some Video

Ken