I drove up to an empty parking lot to take a firsthand look at the ski slopes. My timing was earlier than normal, so I picked up a cup of coffee at Treats. The locker room was empty except for one or two other people brave enough to walk out into the rain. Just before nine, I walked up the steps, looked out at the wet, rainy, cloudy conditions, and decided to turn around and try later.
The weather forecast called for clearing skies later in the morning or early afternoon. Instead of rushing out to get wet, I drove to the Start House in Truckee to pick up my newly tuned skis. After working on my taxes for an hour, I took the plunge and headed for the slopes. It was noon when I sat down on a slightly wet Roundhouse chair. The lift operator was kind enough to squeegee the seat surface before I sat down. It was drizzling, and I wondered when the clearing sky would appear.
It did not appear the entire time I was on the mountain. As I headed back to the locker, the drizzling seemed to be letting up, and some blue sky was visible in the distance. The good news was the warm air that kept me from getting too cold as I sat on the chair.
My ski day ended after 10 runs on Roundhouse. Given the conditions, I lasted longer than I expected.
Limited lifts were operating. Options were Roundhouse, TLC (to the mid-station), Meadow, Subway, and the Carpet.
Limited visibility was bad enough, but the drizzle planted drops of water on my goggle lens.
Limited terrain was available due to the lack of operating lifts. Yellow, Dance Floor, Charity, and Werner’s Schuss were groomed and skied well. The surface was typical for a rain-soaked day. My experience was that the groomed runs were smooth and not sticky. Most skiers and boarders stayed on the groomed terrain. I should mention that Hot Wheels Gully was open for the first time over the weekend. It was pretty sketchy and not a pleasureable experience for me. Today it was closed. In addition, the stream that created Hot Wheels Gully was full of visible running water. Care it required when skiing over a creek in these wet conditions. You do not want to fall into running water.
Limited people on the slopes were a blessing for those of us who had endured the weekend crowds. Even though the weather was not so great, skiing on vacant slopes offered some satisfaction.
By the way, parking was not limited today.
Those who know me well understand that I can only ski groomed trails for a limited amount of time. I had to try the off-piste, if for no other reason than to prove I could do it. It is difficult to describe the off-piste conditions that were presented to me today.
The three inches or so of rain that fell over the past 24 hours condensed the previous snowpack, leaving it something like muffin batter. Soft and sticky with about a six-inch depth. Turning in these conditions takes determination. I do not want to say I mastered the conditions, but I did make consistent turns down Fall Line, Ladies Slalom, Lower Rock Garden, Rolls and Knolls (and Banana Chute), as well as a lower portion of Gunner’s Knob. I think my freshly tuned skis made it possible for me to turn in these wet conditions. The challenge gave me the inertia to continue longer than I planned and left me with a positive outlook for the day. It is possible that I was one of a few people leaving with a limited feeling of enjoyment.
Enjoy your day,
Andy