Crystal - 4/15 Last Thursday at Crystal (and sometimes Tax day) Sad

Ski Report - Short version? A mighty fine day, actually a GREAT day!
Long to many words report - Randomly arrived even earlier than normal (allowed more sit around  time in the base lodge like the old pre covid days).  Lot more wind at the base today than yesterday, bigger crowd waiting (40 or so folks?), late opening (why?) at around 8:40ish or so. Warmest day to start this week, big winds up top, but praise the force the snow was almost prime down MIFB first run and got better every lap (and I did a bunch of laps early).  Didnt stray far from REX today - never GVex, but did do a few very fun PB laps (thought every ride up CH6 about doing some runs right and left of the chair - didnt).  PB was great packed cold carveable happy winter snow on skiers right side and BP's was nice and soft mush from my first early run off of REX - made me very happy.  Big off piste for me today was SunnySide and the gully skiers left of SunnySide - very happy soft slush carving bumps!   #1  had a big day (bigger than mine!)  she went out to do EH with Trista (and survived the trip), she had been wanting to and now that its happened she will not be doing  a repeat till next winter and a perfect powder day.  Glad that is done with, sounds like by next weekend it will be the big Chair 6 trip!  Anyway it was a great warm day even with the winds  up top, finally got back  to full on Hawaii gear!

Other - No real stop for food for either of us today (got into  the sandwich in the pocket pattern now - very nice).  Pay lot when we left maybe 1/2ish, B cars past the shuttle stop, lots of cars in  lot.  Drive up was fastest, nicest, cruise control happy drive this season.  Drive down was the longest most crappy drive ever!  We were in a 15mph slow drive from around Dalles creek all the way to just before Greenwater Lakes road!  Ouch! Why? Road strip painting - OUCH!  Dont cross the wet paint lines - next week with Crystal closed would have been better. So it was are longest drive home since I  dont know when....but at least the ski day was GREAT! for the last Thursday of the season!

With the ’21 Tax Deadline extended to May 17 it was obvious that the 22nd Thursday of the season was a must ski. (disclaimer, already got my money back)

Bottom line - warmer and softer faster which means going to unconsolidated and sticky quicker. The Valley has remained firm, but has smoothed out nicely. It was so warm that Iceberg couldn’t even deliver its usual skidiness and was good from the start. But, only did 2 as The Valley, Gully-Gully, and best snow of the day Elk Snort won the repeat award. Powder Bowl is really good, but the chair was running walking speed and Bear Pits early was a mess. Skier grooming fixed it later I heard. Lots of T2Bs out various Gap routes and Lower E delivered it’s usual menu of big soft bumps. Mr Toad’s Wild Ride was soft early and provided more excitement that the Snorting Elk groomer. We paid the price for the early softening with an early stickening (word?). It started in the flats and spread quickly just as Showtime started over the soft edge too heavy and mushy between waist high bumps. Gully-Gully’s lower half was skied enough to remain fun.

An early sticky induced departure and followed ddk behind the striping mayhem and then even a traffic jam in Black Diamond. Lots of people realizing it’s Spring and leaving the house to drive around.

I got stuck behind the painting truck on the way up. That was 15 miles an hour for about 5 miles. It was worth the wait though. I spent the morning all over, from Iceberg, a warm-up run, to Memorial, which needed more skiers, to Sunnyside which skied pretty well. Green valley Gondi Face was pretty good the one time I went down it early. Snorting Elk to Kelly's to lower E was nice about 11:15.  I took a break about 1130 on a picnic table outside of the Campbell basin lodge. After the break it was all chair six and Powder Bowl skiers left.  This was by far the run of the day.  I couldn't stay away and did it five times in a row. [channeling the hamster].  I had that side all to myself. A final run out Kelly's gap polished off my ski day.  Of course a nice cold one sitting on the patio at the Natchez Tavern. It was so hot there that I had to move my chair into the shade. Thanks to chair 6, the day was just stellar.