Crystal - 12/13 Ouch

Sorry for all the words…..Double Ouch what a nasty bad crappy day!....Thought I’d be good and casual and arrive late and all chilled out…..but dang it…new snow…upper mountain closed half of yesterday…dang it oh me….there I was right up front of that danged bucket ride…all hyped up with to many of the really good hard core amped and hyped up hard core…Yee Haa…what a great BIG day!  (ahhh….I used a second B word).  Crowd at the base was the biggest of the year when the lifts started loading around 8:40 (new Crystal policy is to say nothing will happen till 9am and then what are you ready to go early – nice).  Because of some cutting and crowding and certain folks, ended up in bucket #2...dropped into the middle of the Valley – sweet, gotta say, not BIG deep, but deep enough with some of the easiest soft powy turns I’ve had this year in GV.  And BTW it got even better down in the protected areas (Ann’s run! Ouch! Thank you Ann for not being there today). Before the big lines hit GV chair (second BTW comment, you can now easily load from both sides of GV chair, I like that) I started hamstering REX – early morning there was something that looked like a BIG line (not really) and by 11 for the rest of the day no line at all. Coverage is Excellent most everywhere, a lot of the firmer icy patches are disappearing. Sadly all the late morning HOT sun was baking some of the lower sunny aspects on REX.  Got a lot of nice runs from Memorial to the Doors (JM door).   Heard pluses and minuses about Northway…almost went, WOW shocking!  Thought about HC a couple of times, but the lineup waiting for Southback was to painful for me.  Great day, great snow, great crowds (in places), great coverage and a really great time!  (lots of G words)

Other – Passed through CB lodge (must have been a couple hours of time), very happy busy spending money folks.  Soup was Corn and Green Chili?  Smelled good and a guy that was eating it said it was actually good…..Big bonus for me was the White Chocolate Macadamia Nut cookies – ouch good. 

Other Other – Power went out around 10:15, everything stopped and re-started on backups….Parking lots were full down to E...even the pay lot?

Other Other Other – it was snowing hard when my day started to slow down…and it was dumping when I left.  Might be crunchy in places tomorrow…but there will be a lot of very very Happy places to go!

NO need to apologize for anything! What could be better than daily reports from a regular at Crystal! Keep up the fine work!

The SB line wasn't too painful for me and the run down the King and lower trees (no clue their name) were even better. That was the icing to first tracks down Sunnyside, the Throne and the Queen. Never even made it to the Northside, didn't need to.

The SB line wasn't too painful for me and the run down the King and lower trees (no clue their name) were even better. That was the icing to first tracks down Sunnyside, the Throne and the Queen. Never even made it to the Northside, didn't need to.

Big congrats! If it was on the north side of the King into Avie Basin the trees would be DFF (Damn Fine Forest) which is mighty fine. Might still be fine tomorrow.

DFF - a perfect name. And it was. I caught far skiers left and only one other track.

I was North... I pulled into the A lot EARLY 2nd car.......before the Avi guys showed up even, I could have dropped my skis in  the line up, but thought about bad karma, I knew I could get the lines I needed to get and I did, Green V skied very well early, I was in the 3 bucket going up and it was good and then it was gone, As I was booting up and relaxing over the AM coffee, Seth Waterfall came by to chat and it was good to meet his wife, they both are living the dream......., I sauntered out to the line up and wow, the first group of bucket getters were a who's who of mt. guides, I counted  at least 5 E sum-miters standing right there........I was standing a ways back with a group of guys that talked the whole 1.5 I was standing there, in their 40's and they dropped the Dude word, "LIKE" 5000 times only to be followed with DUUUUDE how about that BUD we had last night DUDE, I am still sOOOOOOOOOOOOOFUed.....I got into Spook hill and and a few laps in BB and GB.. I lucky shot out and headed South  and got to the bottom of 6 and the biggest back up I have ever seen, at that time I made a promise to myself to only hike and skin on Sundays,,,, Great to seen all the old Red Jackets, I bailed early and took a long nap.