Some days are just better than others. Today was one of the much better days on the mountain. My day began with the trek to Upper Saddle in an effort to hit the terrain accessed via the High Traverse. We were not alone, as you can see in the photo. I cannot remember seeing as many skiers and snowboarders hiking the High T at the opening as there were today.
The hike was worth it. Spring snow on the other side was in prime corn condition. We made turns in Sun Bowl and then headed to Big Bend Bowl to enjoy making numerous big sweeping turns in bright sunshine with Lake Tahoe in the distance. I only made one climb up to the Upper Saddle today, but I have a friend who was able to get three High T laps in before they closed it for the day.
We headed to an area that I have not taken very much advantage of this year rather than head over the High Traverse a second time. It was fun skiing in a less used area where the snow was just as good as anywhere else. It was perfect soft spring corn.
After a couple of laps on Summit and Roundhouse we chewed up East Palisades, D7, Yellow, and a few other trails on the lower mountain. Later, we headed back to Sherwood to see how soft it had gotten. Mark’s favorite, Chute Zero, was just right as was the less steep Power Line area. Art’s Knob and Expert Shortcut (full of large moguls) did not disappoint. A couple of easy laps on Scott Chair down Standard, Bobby’s, and Ridge Run got us ready to head back to Summit. D8, East and West Palisades, Middle Yellow Face, along with Waterfall, were excellent in the early afternoon.
One of my favorite runs is Gentian Gully. We skied it this afternoon and the survey taken at the base indicated it was between very good and awesome. We are skiers that love soft moguls, smooth corn, or even somewhat deep slush. We just do not like sticky snow or snow that has not turned to corn.
Word of caution: The area around the base of Subway Chair is almost mud. It is very dirty snow.
Sympathy Face, God’s Knob, and Gunner’s Knob were just delightful before 2pm as were the Palisades, and Medium Yellow Face (Lower Yellow Gully). If you like spring, then today was on top of the list.
Groomed areas were very good early in the morning, but who wants to waste time on groomed runs when off-piste is so good. We skied from 9 to 2 today, and I could have stayed longer, but I was getting hungry.
The word is that this weekend is the last day for Scott Chair as the tree removal work includes areas accessed by the Scott Lift.
Enjoy your day,
Andy
Hey guys…yesterday we signed off….other commitments take us off the ski mountain and to our other pursuits. Loud, bittersweet sigh, as we sign off the ’23-’24 ski season.
We skied a lot this year. Please know that your comments effected our decisions, created curiosity, and have changed the way we approach the mountain. As someone who has skied Alpine since I was a kid, I find that amazing. We look forward to your every post. We may not read them all (but close!) but we love what we do read, and always learn something.
Thank you, thank you, and keep up the good work. Can’t wait until next year!