Crystal - 12/20 OUCH!

Ski Report - Short version... Ouch!!!!

Wordy version report....OUCH! Been a long time since I've skied such terrible conditions....sadly it was #1's first day - Big nice sun and if we had been willing to lounge around somewhere inside till the warm sun softened up some of the slopes might have been good....been a long time since I spent time in a lodge waiting for conditions to improve...and then it was because of rain showers (I hate rain...but rain makes soft snow). We only did one run down brutal Queens to Tinker to Slow Silver slope and to the base....OUCH! Decided to ride the Bucket up for the views and they were impressive...Hood to Baker and everything in between. If the kiddies had been able to get out last night it would have been a nice day, but since the last two days and last night were so warm and the snow pack is so ultra thin....Got to go home ultra early today - dang!

Other - No soup report from me sadly....A lot was pushing 10% when we drove away, B and C had clusters of cars around the Honey Bucket stations with a fair number of folks arriving as we left. Drive up was kinda late and slow, drive down was ultra early and a happy speed...didn't notice any Elk again today? Could have been a fun day. could have been nice sleeping in late...think it's time to take a nap right now.

Update

Don't go. Where the snow softened in the sun, it was paper thin and rocky. Where it didn't, frozen death. Even the much touted Queens Run was horrible and ungroomed. In fact, Crystal groomed zero last night. Don't give them your money no matter what the report says until they get another foot of snow.

This here (sun) made up for that there. (Ice)

Was interesting to see the little container/retailer across from the Chinook chair went kablooey overnight. Very thankful this didn’t happen with anyone around. Woof

Thanks for the reports, here's mine:

Started bright and early at noon, anything getting full sun is skiable but rocky and muddy. Anything in the shade is treacherous, hard boilerplate. Tough to put a positive spin on the conditions, probably not enough snow for grooming machines. I thought it could'nt get worse than last week and continue to operate, but it has. I recall similar conditions 20+ years ago this time of year and the area being closed. Best was probably Tinkerbell on the man made snow in the afternoon.

DDK, oops ddk, that's better,
After all these years I thought you knew better!
I'm not sure how sitting in the lodge will improve conditions right now?
Were you waiting for a foot or two of snow or the same crap with some sun,
Just think if you did not have a pass, it's only 179.00 tomorrow.
If you go X-mas shopping at the Right angle and buy a bunch of gifts, it's
only 2.00 for a bag.
Merry X-mas everybody.

Happy Blue Sky Big Views Wednesday! We arrived @10:30am to find a bewildered ski crowd trying to navigate the thin cover. Repeated top-to-bottom laps involved a strategy to exploit the sharp edges of my carvers while avoiding base damage.

Lucky Shot: the two steep faces were especially thin so am recommending skiers right; the 1st switchback ran out of snow so just left after the 1st hairpin; there is no snow on the 2nd switchback.

Downhill intersections : turn left onto Rolling Knoll but stay alert for last 10 turns; straight and you find dirt so avoid; do not turn right down the road as it is all dirt.

Stump Farm was empty *fun*. Queens was shady and slick with decent coverage. Quicksilver had best snow via snowmaking so best accessed via Snow Garden.

GV: pro course to west face ok but stay alert last 20 turns from chair. Snort Traverse and Huckleberry: independent legs and sketchy ice.

And...

The hot dog stand blew itself up @ 4:30am because the propane was left on from the weekend. Yikes! Nobody was hurt as the sirens came up the Blvd. The evidence was promptly cleaned up.