november 6, 2005, mission ridge

Thought I'd relay a little info about eastside conditions. Drove up to the ski area about 930 to a crowded parking area of locals with skis, snowboards, snowshoes, sleds and and just plain lookyloos. Quite a bit of snow at the base, about 12" and drifting to 18". Put skis on at the bottom of Mimi and skinned to mid mountain on cat packed increasingly deeper snow. Evidence of very strong wind everywhere. Continued up to the top of chair 3 again in deeper snow. Noticed someone had skiied th gut of Nertz, nice. At the top of chair 3 I looked around and decided on Tilikum as it was the only run not tore up by the groomers. Very deep snow in this area probed a few times past my grip before hitting bottom, about 140 cm. Flailed my way to midmountain in very stiff windpacked, but dry and cold powder. Not the best conditions but base building appears to be well underway. I think they could open if the chairs were strung on the quad. I hit no rocks or the ground at all top to bottom. There was some brush and small trees poking through but this was in snow 2-3' deep.