Not Yesterday!

Yesterday! Can I talk about yesterday instead of today? I closed my eyes last night and dreamed of deep, soft, white snow flying up to my chest and occasionally engulfing my face. Although there were many people etching fields of powder first thing in the morning, we were still able to find open slopes to paint our tracks onto in the early afternoon. The air warmed during the day, causing perfect powder snow to bake on slopes that faced the sun.

We were surprised this morning that more trails had not been groomed overnight. Reaching the top of Summit Chair, we discovered that Alpine Bowl was the only groomed slope. Sunspot, Wolverine, D8, and Terry’s Return looked a little rough after yesterday’s powder event. Trails were cut up, but not fully skier packed. This left some slopes with winter snow, various-sized moguls, and heaps of soft rubble waiting for more skiers to pack out the trails. Other slopes were firmer because of the sun exposure and more difficult to maneuver. I encountered breakable crust in some areas.

I was underdressed for the early morning chair rides. The air was cooler than I thought it would be when I dressed this morning. Assisting the chill that I was dealing with early in the morning was the cloud cover that played hide and seek with the sun. It was one of those mornings when I was just not in sync with my surroundings. Tiptoeing beyond the groomed areas showed me off-piste that was unpleasantly firm. It took me a while to finally move off the groomed runs and dive into the off-piste slopes. East and West Palisades retained the winter snow from the day before with various-sized moguls and soft skier-created rubble that was just fine. It was a little more work to negotiate than if it had been well-skier packed, but they were still enjoyable. In the flat area of Terry’s Return, I found breakable crust and very firm skier-packed tracks. Open Slope, Keyhole Slopes, High Yellow Face, and Our Father were filled with soft winter snow. On the other side of Summit Chair Wolverine Bowl, D7, D8, and North Peril Ridge also offered winter snow. I thought D7, D8, and Peril Ridge were all gratifying.

The Face was also filled with soft winter snow. Earlier in the morning, I skied Bobby’s Run. It was groomed and a little firm, but not icy. I did not venture to Sherwood or Lakeview, so I cannot report on those trails. High Traverse was closed today. I believe it was closed to allow the slopes to set in the sun and bake with hopes for reopening soon with a beautiful corn surface. High Beaver and Estelle were also closed today.

Today we had low visibility when clouds passed overhead and great visibility when the sun bathed the slopes. We had crispy slopes and packed powder slopes.

I thought I would bring up an issue that has been bugging me for a good portion of the season. If you have stopped at the Alpine Chalet to use the restroom, warm up, or grab something to eat, then you have experienced the short slope leading from the area filled with ski racks to the deck and entry door. This short slope, where stairs exist in the summer, is an accident waiting to happen. The stairs are covered with snow, and the stair railings are buried in snow.

The entry is a firm, slippery slope with no safety rail. We stopped to use the restroom this morning. I took a couple of quick steps on my way down the firm, slippery slope and found myself running over the deck as I reached the bottom of the slide for life. Maybe I am overdoing this, but someone is going to get hurt in the future. I suggest a railing be installed to assist patrons attempting to use the various facilities at the Chalet.

Enjoy your day,

Andy