Low Clouds, Wet, and Windy,

The good news is that it snowed a couple of inches last night. The bad news is that it was raining when I arrived this morning. I was late arriving, making it difficult to get first tracks in the thin new wet covering that those waiting in line at 9am enjoyed. However, I found a few hidden lines.

One of my favorite things to do at a ski area is to sit on a wet seat while raindrops fall from the sky and cling to my goggles. It is hard enough to see when the sky is gray and the light is flat, but drips on the surface of goggles certainly do not enhance the visual experience of skiing. Add a mountaintop engulfed in clouds, and you have nearly a zero visibility situation.

The top of Summit Chair offered near-zero visibility this morning along with drips on my goggles. I am not sure why I had to prove to myself that I could venture to the top of the mountain, but I can tell you that I did ride Summit Chair into the clouds.

Since I was hardly able to ski, let alone see the terrain, there is really not much to report. I skied somewhere near Sunspot, most likely skier’s left of the run, in search of trees to help with the visibility. I found some lightly skied snow that was a couple of inches deep, allowing me to make a few turns in relatively fresh snow. All I can say is that the feeling under my skis was soft with an occasional bump from icy clumps of snow left over from yesterday. I only made one trip up Summit Chair.

Snow in the trees below Rock Garden offered better visibility and a feeling that I was skiing in fresh snow. The thin layer of snow was thick and wet, but not deep enough to cause a real problem. When I arrived at Sherwood for a test of its slopes, the sun was trying to come out. I could see much better, so I made a few laps on relatively empty slopes. I once again tried to stay in, or close to, trees. Skiing was pleasant in the trees as the surface was soft. Power Line was very nice until I got close to the bottom, where the snow got sticky.

I thought Reily’s Run was pretty good even though previous skiers had pushed snow into small piles, leaving icy patches as they made their turns in the fresh snow.

Winds were increasing when I hit Lakeview Chair. Seats were coming down the hill in the up position. I always worry when I see this situation, as I once watched a couple sit on the chair with the seat up. Sitting on metal bars with a good-sized hole between them did not seem to me to be a comfortable way to ride a chair. Winds were pretty strong when I vacated the chair and headed down the road to try Seldom Slides. Pelts were blowing into the air, hitting my face as I skied toward the top of Scott Chair. I thought Seldom Slides was enjoyable as there were a few patches of new snow to turn in.

Scott Chair closed not long after I reached the top. I headed to Gentian Gully. The trip down Gentian felt better today than yesterday. I hit fewer patches of ice today, so it was more relaxing for me. I did receive positive reports from a number of people who were out on the hill to day.  Good skiing, nice snow, but wet were the main comments from those on the hill today.

Winds seem to be increasing when I quit for the day. It was a short day, but still worth going out and getting some fresh air. Around 1pm most lifts closed for the day. Roundhouse and TLC were the exceptions.

Enjoy your day.

Andy