Crystal - 04/17

Big day! - And finally at 5:30 the rest of my report ( and way ditto MR CD's report)....My version of a BIG day!...Big sun, big views from Hood to Baker and the Olympics!, big nice happy warm early made for nice fast soft groomers (LS and MIFB), big early off piste skiing in BP’s and SunnySide (old chair 2 line) by 9:30 and really happy big fun in PB skiers right side by 10am – had to do it over and over and….nice pause break on REX late morning doing more and more SunnySide runs – very primo fun. Not big crowds – actually no crowds except for a few random clusters, lots of rocks growing in the bottom of MIFB (and other places – top of HC was still happy doable with the right path, but getting more challenging every lap…but thanks to the ski patrol doing a little shoveling early afternoon). Thought the sticky world from REX to FQex would stop my lapping PB…but it never got to bad…which allowed for a lot of PB/BP laps – Bearpits…big bumps (easy on the edges), primo soft fun and steep and My Oh My Fun! Great day, had lots of great conversations with lots of Great happy folks (some more than once)

Other – Lucky me there was no Chicken Noodle again today at CB lodge…it was Tomato Bisque…so only spent time socializing and wishing all the folks a happy summer. Parking was typical in the A lot, but B and C did not have anywhere near as many cars as yesterday.

Other Other – Saw more Elk this morning than I have in a long time, drive up was very empty and pleasant and the drive down was fast enough to be mellow.

Great season (I have been told many times recently…and I can agree). Now on to other things…well Blackcomb for another month and a half…and tomorrow starts up the mountain biking season – finally!...Have a great summer all….reports will come from Blackcomb…and more than likely at Crystal in June!

What a wonderful day. Best closing day in the memory banks. It cooled off enough last night so the snow wasn't sticky this morning. The entire front side was corn from the first run with Sunnyside and Memorial getting many morning repeats. On a report from ddk, headed into Bear Pits. What a kick! Big ass blow up soft moguls. Lot's of repeats. Then, several laps in Powder Bowl and out BP. But the surprise favorite of the day was chute 0.5 just skiers right of C6. Many runs that became a blur of speed. Fast through the narrow top then out into the wide open, perfectly spaced, perfectly shaped bumps built for mach speed and face shots of corn. What a way to end the season. Between 12:30 and 1:00, the flats got pretty sticky, so at 1:30 today, our season came to an end.

The weather and the snow conditions brought the crazy out in everyone. Just a huge fun buzz all over the mountain. More Hawaii shirts than all season. But the best outfit was a 3-way tie. The gal in the shiny gold pants with matching cropped top, the gal in the work-out pants with leggings, bikini top and unicorn horn, and the guy in the red suit. My helmet's off to all of you!

Until next year...

It was a very good season, with today being a great capper. Ran into DDK a couple of times, and exchanged run info. He was zigging while we were zagging. Warm, sun, fun, and Sunnyside really delivered. Saw the Sunnyside Sliders out in force. Have not seen that in a long time. Lowell, were you there? Long live all of us, and the Naches Tavern.

Saw the Sunnyside Sliders out in force.  Have not seen that in a long time.  Lowell,  were you there?

He was indeed. One of the highlights of my day was seeing Lowell throw a big 360 off the Lucky Shot cat track to the cheers of a crowd of youngsters 35 years his junior . . .

Saw the Sunnyside Sliders out in force.  Have not seen that in a long time.  Lowell,  were you there?  Long live all of us, and the Naches Tavern.

Here's a photo of the Sliders from my Facebook post .

GUMMIN' IT

Lowell cracked me up yesterday discussing the fun skiing conditions.  He came up with the perfect term.  Probably not original, but I don't recall hearing it before.  I don't imagine even the eskimos have a corollary.  Yesterday we were "gummin' it".  Tentative definition:   Geriatric bump skiers, (us old SS Sliders) in spring moguls with a slight adhesive quality whereby control is greatly facilitated.

The Sunnyside Sliders call this day "Hunters Day" for Hunter Eng who very sadly passed away a few years ago.  A charter member of the Sliders he was fun, fast, "natcheral" and beloved by all who knew him.  The Sunnyside Sliders came into being in the late 1960's, mostly CMACers.  Greg L came up with the logo that he hand stitched on his jean jacket, (a common uniform back then).  Hotdogers were quickly added and many gravitated to the competitions that were begining in the 1970's.  Hunter was part of that and was honored by the US Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame in 2010 with about 50 others as "Pioneers of Freestyle Skiing".  Very nice medalians were presented to them all at that years inductee ceremony in Sun Valley.  Incidently Glen Plake (a truely great ambassedor for the sport) was inducted that year and gave a heart rendering tribute to those pioneers.  There's more history but thats enough for today

It was great gummin' yesterday. I'm looking forward to more if the area reopens in May.