11-2010 Alpental Chair 2 - National Monument or ?

This is a picture of (the corner) of the ORIGINAL ALPENTAL hand-painted map by Dee Molenaar himself! 1978. You can see the signature in the bottom left corner of this picture.
I have this incredible map on my wall right next to my bed. Think of the possibilities.

OK so the "A" in Alpental has a symbol in the center of it. My question is this.
WHY is the symbol on ALL THE ALPENTAL MEMORABILIA have a SIX pointed symbol? I assume it is a snowflake which makes sense because a snowflake (and there are LOTS of flakes at Alpental) has six points.
BUT the original map hand-painted by the famous Dee Molenaar shows a 8 pointed symbol which I assume is an Edelweiss flower! Please refer to the picture in this post.
Please comment or just tell me, What's the deal?
BillyTheMountain

Snow lays but it never lies. Schluctism

BUT the original map hand-painted by the famous Dee Molenaar shows a 8 pointed symbol which I assume is an Edelweiss flower! Please refer to the picture in this post.
Please comment or just tell me, What's the deal?
BillyTheMountain

Why don't you e-mail Dee and ask him? He's a nice guy and I've corresponded with him in the past. Go here to e-mail: www.mountainexperience.com/Shops/Maps/index.htm

Here is a crappy picture of THE MAP.
The area pictured here is only part of the map. This is the Alpental BC. The map is very detailed and great to just gaze at it and try and see (on the map) where you skied that day! D. Molenaar got this map down to the tree and shadow. Amazing SKI MAP artistry!
When this map was done in 1978, only the most basic of runs were named. Now there are 100's of names that we have made up or changed or have mangled by time and ego. For example, Mach's Couloir has been moved to where  Martin Bowl ACTUALLY is by some folks at Alpental completely missing where Mach's Couloir actually is. Mach's Couloir is a very nice steep run with lots of vertical, and you pop out of a sweet couloir at the top if you drop into it at the correct point. THE MAP shows exactly where Mach's Couloir is. Its a good choice when the snow is pow and its cold out. Slightly less hike to get there and its a sun exposed slope. Or in the spring, if you can get there in the morning, it picks up windblown powder and it does pile up fast!

Thank you D. Molenaar for the fantastic map. I am sorry the picture does not show the detail but that's on purpose!
BillyTheMountain

I must admit, I've only been skiing at Alpental since 1980, after your revered map was drawn. But having on many an occasion the chance to ski with the Alpental pro patrol old guard, I would suggest the placement of Martin Bowl below Knoll 3 to be about as accurate as drawing a octagonal snowflake.

I have to say that I am in agreement with Scot's on this one, especially his more recent posts...

I would suggest the placement of Martin Bowl below Knoll 3 to be about as accurate as drawing a octagonal snowflake.

We could begin endless debate about which run is where and when it was named, I am not in to doing that much. I tend to lean towards the map but its all good. I don't really care WHAT the runs are called, it's mildly interesting to me at best.

The symbol in the Alpental "A" however is immensely intriguing and I am waiting for the real story. I emailed D. Molenaar but have not heard back from him...remember I pointed out that (I thought) the symbol was an Edelweiss FLOWER and NOT a snowflake at all.
BTM