It Is Dumping

Hello Skier and Snowboarders,

I do not really feel that I should be writing anything today with regards to the ski conditions. We were on the hill at the opening bell, but we decided to stay on the lower portion of the mountain. Conditions on the upper mountain looked nasty so we loaded Roundhouse. Winds were blowing on top of the mountain between 68 and 76 mph at 9 am. By 1:15 pm winds had picked up in a range of 85 and 107 mph.

It was not snowing at the opening bell, but light was flat from the overcast sky, and snow could be seen swirling off the ridge tops driven by high winds. Plenty of people were in line waiting for Summit to open, although the line was not exceptionally long. It appeared to me that many people arrived late this morning as the parking lot was not overflowing early in the morning, and drive times were not noted as excessively long by those hanging out in the locker room well before 9 am. The parking lot was reasonable full when I left the area near the noon hour.

On the other hand, the lodge was filled with people waiting in line for food and drink at the time of my departure.
Around 11 in the morning Alpine Bowl Chair closed for the day. Summit Chair followed soon after. Both closed due to the high winds, driving snow, and poor visibility.

We skied a few runs on Red Trail and Weasel Trail, enjoying a well-groomed surface, before hitting Chicken Leg a few times. There were bumps, rocks, and bushes on Chicken Leg, but the snow was decent. Lucky for us we managed to avoid hitting any rocks. I also played in East Creek, picking my way down the small moguls that have formed this year. After six runs or so the lines on TLC and Roundhouse were increasing and Summit found itself spinning without anyone on the chairs. We called it quits for the day.

Although we did not venture to the top of either Summit or ABC, we did receive reports from others. D6, D7, and the side of D8 appeared to have been good skiing. Lower High Yellow was reported to have been very good yesterday. I assume it was today.

It is snowing this afternoon. Snow is dropping at a steady pace giving me hope that tomorrow will offer some excellent conditions. If this keeps up overnight, we will have some good depth to report tomorrow morning. Temperatures are supposed to be very cold meaning the snow should be light. You should expect a delayed opening as avalanche control will have to be done prior to opening. This reminds me to caution anyone thinking of skiing outside the ski area in the backcountry to take extreme care. Even though the existing snow pack is low it still can avalanche.

One last item noted from a couple of women in locker room 3. Evidently, I have not seen this, a towel dispenser has fallen off the wall in the women’s restroom. They claim that no effort has been made to repair or replace it. They also claim the stall doors do not lock (according to them this has been the case for the past 35 years). Perhaps the women’s restroom needs some upgrading.

Enjoy your day,

Andy