September 1, 2009,lean pickings on P.R.

The advantage of being retired is that I don't have to wait for the weekends; unfortunately, I couldn't find partners to go with me while the weather was nice and some snow still existed.For those with little time and no scruples for their monthly turns, there is a rock-laden tongue of snow 40 minutes from the Artist Point parking lot. Fifteen minutes later, there is a dirty semi-permanent snowfield that is wider than its height. I kept on walking. I was very disappointed to see that the "hairpin turn" snow is almost gone (photo 1); and even more surprised to see that the SE Coleman Pinnacle run(which we skied a month ago) was mostly rock (photo 2). I scrambled down on loose rock to a gully next to the C.P. run and managed to get a 250vf run with some "hazards' (see my other pictures).The "Goat's Throat" gully has broken up into 3 sections. It looked too dangerous to approach from Camp Kiser, so I continued down the slope to the base,( which interestingly enough is the same elevation as the parking lot). After one run of about 225vf, I had my lunch. I shot a video of my second run. http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=TelemonBob#play/uploads/0/kbUXeM3klDE                                                                              If it had been important to me to get 1,000vf, I would have gone again, but time was pressing and I had a some what difficult climb out and 4 miles of trail ahead. Photo 3 documents some of my (tele)marks. No other skiers out on the trail, so I got lots of the usual comments. I did meet a couple in the parking lot who are in their 12th year of continuous turns, but they, like the 10 year guy that I met in August, do not post on TAY.
More photos here for your education and entertainment: http://picasaweb.google.com/telemon.bob/SeptemberSkiTurns#