This morning Scott and Lakeview were closed because of the strength and direction of winds. Summit remained open with winds occasionally gusting to over 60 mph. Excessive winds, along with overnight temperatures that dipped below freezing, created a boilerplate surface over much of the mountain.
An example of the condition of the off-piste snow occurred when someone yelled up from below Summit Chair, “Don’t come this way,” as they were inching down North Peril. The north side of Peril Ridge, along with other non-groomed north-facing trails, was just plain nasty this morning. Yesterday these areas softened to some extent under cloudy skies with the addition of an occasional drizzle. Overnight the entire mountain froze solid. Groomed trails were the easiest to ski, but they still shot unpleasant feelings up my legs as we skied over frozen corduroy. Trying to ski over the off-piste trails that included frozen ski ruts and moguls would numb a person’s legs in seconds. Trying to ski these frozen slopes might have put a smile on my face, but I most likely would not have had any teeth left to show off.
After seeking some softer snow by skiing south-facing slopes, we headed for Sherwood in hopes of finding spring snow. These were the better areas we skied before heading to Sherwood. Solar Flare, the north side of the groomed area of Wolverine, Sunspot, and Lower Rock Garden were tolerable in the morning, but not recommendable to the average skier.
On the other hand, Sherwood was softer and more spring-like when we headed down Maid Marian from the top of Treeline Cirque.
The sun had softened the surface enough so that my numb legs could return to feeling the snow under my skis. The surface was not corn, but a turn in it did not require a long side-slip to reach the base, nor did it require turning down the volume made from skiing over the icy surfaces we had just left.
Areas on the Sherwood side that had been well skied offered a condensed surface. Areas that had not been well skied retained a certain amount of air in the pack, making it more difficult to execute a turn. This condition made me think of a partially cooked pancake. Turning in these conditions requires purpose and one’s full attention to the snow surface. A partially cooked pancake has a thinly cooked topping that gives way to a soft, doughy center. We found this condition in the Power Line Trail. I enjoyed South Face, but it also required full attention at each turn. Both runs showed wet, soft snow that had not been fully condensed by today’s skiers.
We went back to Summit and skied Sunspot just before lunch. It seemed to have refrozen a bit as the soft snow sounded as if crystals of ice were sliding down the hill with each turn. Up until I retired for the day, solid ice still held on to many areas, but the temperature was rising and winds were dying down. Perhaps the afternoon was more friendly to those that shared the mountain.
Enjoy your day,
Andy
I wonder whether the Scott & Lakeview closures also had to do with the extreme ice conditions and the possibility of another slide for life incident. The only terrain that skied safely on the front side this morning was where it was regroomed on the graveyard shift. Since Scott and Lakeview usually don’t get any of that early morning grooming, it would have been very hazardous between steeper terrain and a lot of trees.
Hopefully we get another freeze-thaw cycle in that will help with consolidation on the Sherwood side.