February 19, 2014, Stevens Pass

Excellent day at Stevens. Promised drying-out of snow happened for the latest 8 top inches and the fact that the previous x inches were heavier no longer mattered. Powder to be had both front side and back side. Midwinter break had lots and lodges fuller than typical weekday, but there were fresh or near fresh lines to be had much of the day with only minor scouting effort required. Even in "obvious" places like Corona or Polaris. Wind helped to refresh by redistribute (although did make things more windpack than powder on the most open slopes, was still excellent windpack as far as that species goes.) Slackcountry provided best turns of the year IMO. So nice to still get pow turns at 5:15. I even got 3 pow turns skiing from Lot 4 to Lot 2...

Weather flux between good viz and calm, and snow flurries with wind, flipped like that 4+ times during the day. 5 inches or so on the car EOD.

There was some occasional variable density in few spots, which put me over the bars once and nearly so several more times. Poles useless for getting back up, polepen infinity. Falls into untracked headfirst literally put you in over your head, so once I got my first cold wet wakeup call I skied pretty conservative in the backseat despite the temptation to just rip it always.

One issue which may have vexed some is that Stevens ops never got to clearing the foot snow in lots 1 and 2, and there were enough people there that those lots were needed. Chains or awd absolutely necessary to get thru the wallows. There were people that were in lots chaining up (at that time hiway no longer required that) exactly where they got stuck eg in everyone's way in the entrances. I have awd thankfully. Normally consider Stevens to have the best non-skiing services of the Seattle feeder areas. But have noticed a trend @Stevens that the later in the season it gets, the more likely it is that aspects of their service (even the aspects that lead to net income, like plow/shovel accessible parking spots) are gonna fall down.

Edit to add a witticism that just occurred to me, relevant to the standard template of crystal reportage: the parking lot WAS the soup

Sounds like a fine day; we thought it was going to be lighter snow Sunday.
Good wisdom too. I wonder if that poor fellow who died in Corona Bowl last weekend was tearing it up too much in variable heavy conditons.
The whole west entrance to the Stevens lots is a mess-up and a bottleneck. So many people get stuck! I wonder if they could widen the entry, clear it of snow, add an offramp, add a lane to Lot2/3 (do I have the numbers right???), or sumthin'.

Soup report parody: on Sunday the snow was cold clam chowder :