Wednesday, March 25, 2009

25th March

Day 93 and a pretty interesting day. The official site said 9 cms overnight but the boards by the lifts were saying 15cms of fresh which seemed about right. Temps started at -4 but got up during the day to plus temps at mid mountain but cooled down by evening so that the freeze level was almost at the base by the time we hit the bar.
With the fresh snow generally improving the hill we decided to try Snake Ridge again first thing. The viz was very bad first off but improved as the morning wore on. The new snow had made Snake untracked so we just kept cycling off that side getting nearer to the edge of the area until by lunch time we had reached Steep and Deep and Redtree. The snow was ok but with a very fragile base and of course the way out through Gorbie was always a challenge in between in avi debris lines. Two runs through Kangaroo and Boomerang both proved a bit tough but better than yesterday although the refrozen crud base still meant that skis had a mind of their own. A final run down Boom ridge before lunch just confirmed why this bit of the hill has a double black diamond rating.
At lunch some buddies confirmed that the new side had been nice and soft and a quick trip up White Pass showed that this was right in Lift Line and Gun Bowl. Encouraged by this we tried Surprise Trees which were rather unpleasant with a very bumpy base making everything very difficult. Skydive and Siberia Ridge supplied some surprisingly good skiing in not the easiest of conditions. A bit more fun up on top was finished off by a run down Stag Leap which was quite challenging including a double somersault when i hit something under the fresh snow in the trees.
At the end of the day I discovered my boots had sprung a couple of rivets so took them back to Top Shelf to be repaired. They have promised them for the morning free of charge - a very different experience from my attempt to get a warranty claim on my bindings, and so a lesson as to where you should be buying your kit.
More snow in the outlook.

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