Monday, January 2, 2017

Day 32 Just as I predicted

I'm afraid that todays blog can add very little to my forecast of last night as pretty well everything I anticipated has come true. It got cold (really cold) the holiday crowds disappeared, there was no new snow and the skiing got a bit tougher.

It was -19 on the way to the hill today with no new snow and the mid mountain base now settled to about 190 cms. During the day we had a lot of sun but with some cloud so that base temps while we drove away tonight had warmed to -17 although every time I looped through White Pass load it was -20 or there abouts. The good news was that despite weather forecasts the wind was very much down on yesterday so the wind chill probably only stayed in the mid minus 20's. During the day some ridge line wind was evident (which would account for Polar Peak remaining shut) but even this seemed to have died down by late afternoon.

We went to the Old Side where everything was open but declined the opportunity to push out to Snake Ridge. Our logic was that the skiing would be ok but the push out would be very slow in the grippy snow. A conversation with someone who did do it later in the confirmed that we were right on both points.

We looped Cedar ridge several times and found it a bit harder and chunkier than expected and best soft snow was in the Bear Cave chutes and New Lift Line below the cat track. Loops back through Kangaroo were also tougher due to the hard bumps and scrapped out conditions. Boomerang, Boom Ridge and Linda's all skied ok but were hard and bumpy except for Linda's Private Parts which still had soft snow but you had to cut out left at the bottom to avoid twigs.

We went to the New Side and spent the rest of the day doing Reverse Traverse loops. The traverse itself had become tougher and harder and I actually had to take one for the team by side stepping down and stamping in some snow/ice obstruction just before the bridge. Runs included Touque Chutes (really soft after the first few turns) Spinal Tap (now a bit scrapped out in the lower section) Decline (more tracked up but ok) Stag Leap (good up to the final pitch where it all turns a bit twiggy) Cougar Glades (run of the day with soft untracked snow in the trees to the left and conditions so good I missed it when I crossed the Megasauraus Trail and had to exit the left chute which was deep but a bit technical in the alders and dead fall) and Easter Bowl which was soft from about half way down.

Of Course final run was Skydive where the hard bumps are getting tougher and extending almost to the Decline split off. After that it's great but getting a bit sketchy in the final pitch. Still a very good way to finish the day.

Tomorrow looks like more of the same. No new snow, sun, very cold temps, and if I am any judge conditions getting that bit tougher - I do hope so.

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