Today was short because I had to drive to Cranbrook to pick up our next guest in the morning and what with one thing and another I wasn't on the hill much before noon. We decided to ski all the way through to the finish without a break although Lynda did take a short lunch so she would be in good shape for her first Skydive a 4 o'clock which she was.
Overnight we had another 7 cms of snow which pushed the base to 302 cms. it was time for the 3 metre party but as it was a Monday and not many of us here it was a rather subdued affair. Temps on the hill rose to +3 at the base and zero on top but with overcast conditions and a cold wind every thing stayed in great shape. As we left the hill it was +2 in the valley and although there were a couple of light flurries there was nothing to get excited about and I expect the next few days will give us no new snow and steadily warming conditions although I really hope not.
With limited time we went to the New Side and found the snow remarkably light and low in moisture and very deep in certain places as a result of wind activity. Polar Peak was open so up we went only to find that all the chutes were closed (including the Clown Chutes) and the only way down was the Coaster which was ok but not very exciting even in the marginal viz.
We looped down through Alpha Centauri which was lightly tracked and very soft as was Gilmar Gully below. After that we did a couple of White Pass loops which were good through the Gun Bowl as were all the options below. The next run to base was Cougar Glades which skied ok in the top but was rather sun affected in some of the open areas and had clearly slid in places lower down. We took the cat track to Stag Leap which skied really nicely and soft all the way down.
Next loop was Decline which being slightly more north facing had not been sun affected and skied very nice and soft. There was enough untracked snow on the side of the runs to allow the long sweeping GS turns in which you hold in the fall line for a long time before crossing the central ridge - great fun.
On the way out to the bridge at the end of the Reverse Traverse we had noticed that Currie Creek had looked more or less untouched so next time through we dropped it. Great untracked skiing (perhaps the best of the day) was to be had all the way through the creek and even the exit wasn't too scratchy.
Next time up I noticed that the Clown Chutes had been opened on Polar Peak. I learned later that they had been open for some time which was a bit annoying as having found them closed this morning I assumed they would be that way all day. I only had time for a drop of Crusty which skied soft and deep and even the entrance was just a straight forward drop in. I ran to base through High Saddle which I thought might be icy but turned out to be excellent soft edge to edge jumping all the way down. The skiing under the saddle was very soft and deep and you just had to avoid the blast trails which wasn't difficult as they were obvious with a lot of space in between.
We just had time for a quick White Pass loop and found the snow under the lift to be particularly soft and deep before it was time for Skydive. The conditions were about as mellow as I can remember and maybe that is why seven of us turned up for the run. It was a very easy soft snow run which made a pleasant change from some of the really ugly icy runs we have had there at the end of the day this season. We went for beers in the Griz to celebrate a 3 metre base and Lynda hitting her first 4 o'clock Skydive of the season.
Footnote - some of you will find that a number of people on the hill are addressing me as "Your Holiness" over the next few days. The reason for this is that when a guest arrived about a month ago I commented that due to his general lack of fitness there was more chance of me becoming the next Pope than him making Skydive at 4 o'clock, Well today he made it for the first time, an event not unconnected with the fact that he didn't want to be beaten to it by Lynda in my opinion. I am happy to be proved wrong and freely admit that he really is an awesome athlete, at least when measured against the standards of a post operative female senior.
Lets see what happens tomorrow.
Monday, February 22, 2016
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Day 73 the return of the Big 3
Now yesterday we had the whole of the Currie Chutes and the Reverse Traverse closed so despite the poaching which I mentioned in yesterday's report there had been very little traffic out into the Big 3 since the 35 cm snow dump of the night before. While we are on the subject let me return to a favourite rant of mine regarding the collective name for the three runs visible from the base area. They are not, repeat not called the fingers - this is a stupid name invented a few short years ago and only used by morons to describe these runs. They are, and always have been, called the Big 3 and if you don't believe me go and ask ski patrol. I only return to this subject because I heard the F word used several times today by people on their way out to ski the Big 3.
We had no real new snow over night but at least winter conditions reasserted themselves so that it was -5 on the deck this morning when we woke up and stayed that way on the drive to the hill. On our first lift up there seemed to be a bit of an inversion but as the day wore on normality established itself and we had maybe +2 at the base and -2 on top. At first it looked like we would get a bluebird day but luckily it clouded over in the afternoon so the snow stayed in good shape. Once again I had to endure idiots saying how lovely it was to get sunny conditions as if this was something good, rather than just the conditions that destroy the very surface we need to have to be able to ski. I suppose if you are a weekend skier and don't care what it will be like tomorrow it's just about understandable.
As I said I intended to ski the Big 3 so we headed to the New Side. The Knot Chutes and everything underneath were closed for the Junior Free Ski competition and stayed that way all day which meant that Anaconda, Triple Trees and Surprise Trees were all unobtainable. The Reverse Traverse was open but the Saddles were closed and stayed that way all day. Initially Polar Peak was closed but it did open later in the day of which more later. With all skiing taking part in the same general area the day panned out as,
Cougar Glades - A few tracks in the top which soon disappeared and after that it was awesome untracked lines trough the trees. I hit the left hand exit chute for only about the third time this year and found it very deep and untracked if getting a little soft in the last couple of turns.
Lone Fir - this had been closed on the earlier loop but was now open and I was about the third person to side step up it. The chute was ok but had slid out in the bottom part so the exit was edge to edge crusty ice jumping. The cushion below was sensational soft skiing all the way down to Freeway with hardly any tracks due to the closure of high Lizard Bowl.
Stag Leap - great soft deep skiing through the trees in the top and some nice lightly tracked line in the run itself.
Decline/Window Chutes - the snow in Decline was hardly tracked on the sides so you could push your skis in the fall line and hold them there for a long time. Window Chutes skied ok in deep snow and even the choke still had enough snow to cover the icy base.
Polar Peak - the Polar Chair opened but with only the Coaster open ,we didn't even get the Clown Chutes. It took me two runs to establish that what wasn't groomers was good powder away from the wind affected surfaces and either wind slab or ice crust where the wind had got to it. It didn't take me long to work out that there was better skiing to be had.
Touque Chutes/Spinal Tap - fantastic deep skiing through the trees and Spinal Tap itself had some very deep turns in the creek bed. Lunch.
The Brain - this had a few tracks but there are so many lines in there that you can always find untracked snow. The hock off the nose above the Megasaurus Trail was landed in such deep snow that you could take a lot of air and still have a mellow landing.
Namless Trees - these are the trees to the skiers right of Skydive and as everyone tells me they don't have a name, well, they do now. It was a bit tight in the top but fantastic hardly tracked tree skiing through to about half way down when I cut left back into Skydive, I was not sure we had enough untracked deep snow to attempt the creek bed exit so I played it safe.
Cougar Glades - still many untracked area although starting to set up where the snow had been exposed to direct sunlight. With my buddy Thomas we tried to get down to the old logging trail just to skiers right of Stag and although we eventually succeeded it was only after some very serious bush whacking among the alders. The snow itself was soft and deep and mostly untracked.
Just before last run there was time for a very mellow White Pass loop which in many places would be considered awesome but here in today's conditions was just considered ok. Skydive of course was sensational and deep most of the way down with just a couple of scratchy turns at the end and made a perfect finish to the day.
We had beers in the Griz wit buddies then home for an early night. I am picking up a guest from Cranbrook at 9 tomorrow morning so it will be a late start. Lets hope I don't miss a powder start which is an outside possibility looking at the forecasts.
We had no real new snow over night but at least winter conditions reasserted themselves so that it was -5 on the deck this morning when we woke up and stayed that way on the drive to the hill. On our first lift up there seemed to be a bit of an inversion but as the day wore on normality established itself and we had maybe +2 at the base and -2 on top. At first it looked like we would get a bluebird day but luckily it clouded over in the afternoon so the snow stayed in good shape. Once again I had to endure idiots saying how lovely it was to get sunny conditions as if this was something good, rather than just the conditions that destroy the very surface we need to have to be able to ski. I suppose if you are a weekend skier and don't care what it will be like tomorrow it's just about understandable.
As I said I intended to ski the Big 3 so we headed to the New Side. The Knot Chutes and everything underneath were closed for the Junior Free Ski competition and stayed that way all day which meant that Anaconda, Triple Trees and Surprise Trees were all unobtainable. The Reverse Traverse was open but the Saddles were closed and stayed that way all day. Initially Polar Peak was closed but it did open later in the day of which more later. With all skiing taking part in the same general area the day panned out as,
Cougar Glades - A few tracks in the top which soon disappeared and after that it was awesome untracked lines trough the trees. I hit the left hand exit chute for only about the third time this year and found it very deep and untracked if getting a little soft in the last couple of turns.
Lone Fir - this had been closed on the earlier loop but was now open and I was about the third person to side step up it. The chute was ok but had slid out in the bottom part so the exit was edge to edge crusty ice jumping. The cushion below was sensational soft skiing all the way down to Freeway with hardly any tracks due to the closure of high Lizard Bowl.
Stag Leap - great soft deep skiing through the trees in the top and some nice lightly tracked line in the run itself.
Decline/Window Chutes - the snow in Decline was hardly tracked on the sides so you could push your skis in the fall line and hold them there for a long time. Window Chutes skied ok in deep snow and even the choke still had enough snow to cover the icy base.
Polar Peak - the Polar Chair opened but with only the Coaster open ,we didn't even get the Clown Chutes. It took me two runs to establish that what wasn't groomers was good powder away from the wind affected surfaces and either wind slab or ice crust where the wind had got to it. It didn't take me long to work out that there was better skiing to be had.
Touque Chutes/Spinal Tap - fantastic deep skiing through the trees and Spinal Tap itself had some very deep turns in the creek bed. Lunch.
The Brain - this had a few tracks but there are so many lines in there that you can always find untracked snow. The hock off the nose above the Megasaurus Trail was landed in such deep snow that you could take a lot of air and still have a mellow landing.
Namless Trees - these are the trees to the skiers right of Skydive and as everyone tells me they don't have a name, well, they do now. It was a bit tight in the top but fantastic hardly tracked tree skiing through to about half way down when I cut left back into Skydive, I was not sure we had enough untracked deep snow to attempt the creek bed exit so I played it safe.
Cougar Glades - still many untracked area although starting to set up where the snow had been exposed to direct sunlight. With my buddy Thomas we tried to get down to the old logging trail just to skiers right of Stag and although we eventually succeeded it was only after some very serious bush whacking among the alders. The snow itself was soft and deep and mostly untracked.
Just before last run there was time for a very mellow White Pass loop which in many places would be considered awesome but here in today's conditions was just considered ok. Skydive of course was sensational and deep most of the way down with just a couple of scratchy turns at the end and made a perfect finish to the day.
We had beers in the Griz wit buddies then home for an early night. I am picking up a guest from Cranbrook at 9 tomorrow morning so it will be a late start. Lets hope I don't miss a powder start which is an outside possibility looking at the forecasts.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
