Day 71 a really really short day

I was picking up yet another Irish buddy from Calgary Airport today (it's amazing how many friends you have when you own a house in Fernie) so it was always going to be a short day. When I clicked on the flight tracker this morning I was astounded to see that the flight was going to come in about half an hour early so I was going to have to be off the hill by 10:30.

It was -9 on the way to the hill with no new snow, a base of around 230 cms and the promise of a bluebird day but staying quite cool - I have no idea how it actually turned out. We went to the Old Side and dropped Cedar Ridge off the top of Bear and took various faces down to the Gulch. Snow in the Gulch was taking a nice edge.

From Haul Back top Kangaroo was the only way to go and the top section was really nice and crisp. Lower down it got a bit icey and bumpy but no worse than usual. We then dropped Cedar Ridge right again which was still nice and crisp and returned via Kangaroo which was as before. We only then had time for a run down Boom Ridge which was mellow bumps with some soft before trailing out on Cedar Trail and calling it a day. I know this is as long as some people ski in a day but to me it seemed hardly worth strapping the skis on for - ah well, I suppose it was ok when the alternative would have been not skiing.

The run ro Calgary was very different from last week when I got temps of +13 in Nanton. Today it was minus temps all the way with a lift to +2 at the airport. Highway 22 was deep drifting snow and on the Deerfoot trail I got hit by a full on winter storm. On the way back the snow held off until the pass and then it really started to snow - so hard at one point I thought the pass might close as the road kept disappearing under the wind blown snow.

As soon as we came through the pass it cleared and Lynda tells me that Fernie had been bluebird all day. What crazy weather we have here in Canada. Tomorrow will be another (full) day.