Wet! Wet! Wet!

Wring It Out

Sometimes, perhaps more than sometimes, I wonder if I am nuts. Standing in the locker room this morning with a warm cup of coffee held in the palms of my hands, I wondered if I was nuts to even think of heading outside into the wet weather.

Everyone in the warm locker room was aware of the fact that rain was falling from a dark sky. We were warm and dry, but that was not enough to satisfy our craving for at least five chairlift rides every day when the ski area is open.

Yes! We suited up, climbed the breezeway stairs, and stood in line waiting for Roundhouse to open. At this point, I was sure I was nuts. I knew it was going to be a very wet day when I slid through the Roundhouse turnstile, glancing over to say good morning to Samira, who was standing with her tablet checking skier’s tickets or passes. Attached to her tablet was a six-inch squeegee that she would be using to swipe water off her tablet.

Of course, the chairs were wet when we sat down, even though the lift-operators were doing their best to remove snow and water from the seats. By the time the second ride was completed, my rear end was cold and felt wet, and my fingers were wet and cold because my gloves were already soaked. Sometimes it is just a challenge to ski in the rain. The question is really, how long can I last before just giving up for the day?

Why would anyone want to ski in the rain? One reason is that the snow is often very nice. Rain can create a lovely soft surface that is pleasant enough for skiers, especially those that have been dealing with a very firm surface for many days prior to the rain. I guess I should mention that it snowed yesterday and overnight. There was a new layer of four to six inches of snow on the ground on the lower portion of the mountain.

The upper mountain was not open today. Yes, the snow was wet and not easy to ski. It was the type of snow that desires to split your skis apart, sending them in two different directions. This often leads the skier to a faceplant. If the snow does not split your skis in different directions, it can also just send one ski careening off toward another trail while the first one remains on the owner’s desired track. Of course, I am speaking about skiing in new, ungroomed, snow.

Skiing on snow that was groomed overnight is easier to ski. The surface in these areas was wet, but smooth and enjoyable. I decided that I did not want to ski trails that were too easy for me to ski because that is what I have been doing for the past many days.

As soon as I made my first turn in the untracked snow, I was happy. Even though it was not powder snow, I was able to make powder-like turns in the six-inch deep snow. Of course, there was no chance of getting a face shot from this wet snow, which some people claim is like skiing in cream cheese. I was thinking it might be like skiing in old liquid laundry soap that has congealed, but is still soft to the touch. I do not know of anyone who has skied in cream cheese or congealed liquid laundry soap.

It does not take much to put a smile on my face, but skiing God’s Knob, through the tight trees into Chicken Leg, or on the open slope of Power Line, on the Sherwood side of the mountain, put a smile on my face today. Today’s new snow put a soft surface over the icy conditions we have had recently, except when it was warm enough to create spring snow in the late morning or early afternoon.

The fresh conditions led me to ski Expert Shortcut and Counterweight Gully, trails I have been avoiding lately. Both of these steeper runs were pretty full of rubble-like snow created when small avalanches, or slides, were created as ski patrol did their safety work earlier in the morning. The rubble was reasonably soft and did not really create a problem for those skiing through it.

I did not ski all day, but I took a good number of chairlift rides. At some point in the morning, my fingers were just too cold, as were other parts of my body. The wet and cold conditions sent me back to our warm locker room. There is nothing like squeezing ski gloves and watching streams of water draining from them, to convince me that I should call it a day.

I spoke to other people who were out skiing and riding their snowboards, and they all claimed to be having a good time. All the people I spoke to on the chairlifts, or standing in line, or soaking wet in the locker room seemed to be enjoying themselves. Knowing other people claimed to be having a good time made me consider that I might not be as nuts as I thought.

Enjoy your day,
Andy