Crystal - 01/19

Was expecting a CD report already...hope we don't cross post....

Short Report - Arrived later than desired on a Friday...more slow traffic...nice sun, filtered sun, wind, cold, great early groomers, great all day GV Bowl and PB snow, some new (wind loaded?)...not many folks around, never a line on REX/FQex/HC..or even GVex when I passed through there once...Snow
quality still great with icy spots noticeable...especially mid day on LS and MIFB...otherwise just good.

More Words Report - ?hhhhmmmm...grooming early was very nice, off piste places I went were variable to very good...lifts all running nicely today...winds blowing and felt pretty cold to me...
Another very nice day, with sun and views and no crowds and reasonably nice groomers and some very nice off piste left over pow. Most everything was open and running....except for maybe SouthBack? Will be big tomorrow...plus the crowds.

Other - Soup at CB lodge was Chicken Rice...crowds in the lodges was not totally bad...

Other Other - Pay lot was big (for the kids buses), had cars parked in B lot (probably C also?). Buses were rolling in when we left.

Here's today's scoring: **

While there was more traffic getting to and from the mountain, crowds were light on the mountain, so a 1.

Visibility was mostly filtered sun with occasional very light snow not affecting the vis, so also a 1.

Snow is a little more difficult to rate. The colder temperatures are a welcomed change and coverage has improved a lot. The new snow was very nice, but the groomers got scraped down to ice almost immediately. Off piste, there was just enough snow to hide the frozen rabbit and pig heads lurking beneath the surface. Fortunately, GV bowl didn't have any of those, but just about every other place we skied was full of them. We did find a several very nice lines in Campbell Basin with rope line being the best. The base was smoother and the new snow deeper, so absent the aforementioned frozen heads. So, I think I'll give the snow a .5 today. With the improved coverage and new snow forecast for most of the coming week, it's gonna get good.

A pretty good 2.5 out of 3 day.

** Quick foot rating method.

Some good snow, some great snow, some bad snow, some very bad snow, and we turned some of the good snow into bad snow. Most smiles for me this year.

Boot top or more new snow was great - where you didn't hit the frozen-in-place glop from previous wet days. Best of the day was CD's A-Basin rope line. (the hike to Southback opened at 10) Watching for frozen junk balls kept the reckless abandon at bay. The Frontside was bad, and below 6Kft everything was bad. The disappointment of the day was Powder Bowl - a lot of ice and Cow Heads under the new. Bear Pits was perfect untracked for awhile leading to who-skied-this-line frozen junk. Valley Bowl south side and north side started great and stayed good all day.

Coverage is good due to the rocks being frozen in brown ice and now edge-friendly to alert navigators. Groomers (Iceberg/Luckyshot) quickly ground down to acres of said brown ice. Who suggested a T2B via Sluiceway, Berrypatch, Lower E? *slowly slinks away...*

Ken
+

Best day of the lift season for me. 2 runs on Chair 6, 2 in Avy Basin, and Silver Basin was almost untracked in the PM. I had my fat boards and they rammed through or floated right over the "frozen junk balls" (good description). Wednesday was like April, today was back to December.

Great day, Northside of the King Ruled, Silver basin very good....best inbounds was powder bowl, skiers right from the gas-ex. was suprised to read otherwise but i was there very early and it was scraping on the second lap.....after that it was all south.....hail the King

sidenote to the kid yelling single @ chair 6 ,sorry about the mix up....I tried to say something when I saw you in your baked potato colored truck but you recklessly sped away, I guess you were tryin
to pass those busses.....