Crystal - 02/02 Stormy Ground Hog Day

Ski report - Fair early crowd on Chex (more opinion about that later), started loading earlier than normal, looked like maybe a sunny day maybe? Not! First run for me down GV Bowl was sloppy due to vis for me and slow early morning muscles and  then MIFB was definitely IceBerg of old (only did it once today - did  it improve?).   Did a LS via the front side traverse - better, niceish snow and LS actually skied pretty nice.  Bailed over to FQex to ski with #1 - pleasant, but windy and cold (did I  mention wind  and cold?  It twas for the the mid morning).  Snowing  hard,  adding  nice cold new and  filling  in areas.   We went up REX during a period of nice weather - pleasant, nice snow, no lift line  at that time, big sun break got  us heading back  up FQex so  I  could do Ch6 - nope line  was just big enough and the sun break disappeared into another snow blizzard.   Snow quality improving all morning, lots of good places to ski and heard about some not so good parts of some runs mid mountain  and down.  Fun day ready for more! PS - The Doors where very nice!

Other - Tried to drop off #1 at CB lodge, but the wait time was 25 min, Ouch!  Maybe pre reservation might work.  Crowd was not really bad for the new normal.  Pay lot no where near half full, B and C had lots of cars.  Drive up was also  the new normal, drive down was mostly pleasant with lots of snow on the BLVD and some of 410.

Other  Opinion - CHex line set up is now kinda like they don't expect anybody to show up on the mountain (one singles line  each side and one  multi person line  on each side)  Rex line setup - weekend massive gates and ropes, FQex also new normal sized for  crowds.  Lift line  control not today - normally no big deal, but every once in a while it was kinda who can crowd in front of  everybody else - not really a big deal if you like to stand around. 

The only lift line we waited in today was Chinook at first load and when we did, they only had ropes set up for the first 20 feet.  Weird.  No lines after that.  In fact, by mid-morning it seemed like everyone went home.  The day started with variable and kinda weird snow everywhere.  And then, it started nuking snow.  The visibility drove us into the tree runs with Bear Pits, Doors, and Memorial Forest getting better and better every run.  During the occassional sun breaks between the snow storms, we hit the Valley and Grubstake.  Oh so nice.  We haven't skiied in a snowstorm like that in recent memory, but one of the best days on the mountain this year.  Didn't start that way, but definitely ended that way.  Didn't really notice the cold as the hard skiing and no lift lines (REX and GV) kept us warm all day.

Never saw any Goundhogs. We were some pretty good Snow Hogs, however. Some of the most fun skiing of the year. In spite of the blasting wind, dumping snow, and…. short lines. Well, maybe because of the wind and snow. The wind blown and packed snow skied great. Below last night’s rain line, the new was deep and somewhat heavy early and great later. In the trees, all good above Rex. Glad we knew M-World and The Doors as visibility was horrible in the snowy, windy spells. Some short sun break got us out into the wind-smoothed-new open areas. Tracks kept filling in each run and I was misjudging the speed to get places as the new snow slowed speed on the shallow angles. No lift lines except for those standing in line for Chinook’s opening. Bonus run - Cisco if you make the first 2 hairball turns and worth it even if you didn’t.

Sick deep in South and Silver, when you could see. North too.