A Day to Hike

There was a cool breeze blowing across the ridge at the top of Summit Chair, but the rest of the mountain was just darn warm. As the morning turned to afternoon, it was time to drop off clothing. I did see a few people in shorts and others in short sleeves enjoying the hot March weather. Temperatures were in the high forties on top of the mountain and mid-fifties at the base. Conditions continue to change from white to brown. Brown patches are growing daily.

It looks as if Subway, Yellow, and Kangaroo Chairs are the next to close. The low-level wet area served by the beginner subway chair has running water beneath the snow. Grooming under these conditions is impossible. Keeping ramps up to snuff is also extremely improbable when snow has disappeared around the base terminals. Thus, Yellow and Kangaroo stop turning. Roundhouse, TLC, and Summit have enough snow for now, but a hot week ahead may challenge the grooming and lift operators’ ability to continue serving the public. Let us hope for some cool nights that will help keep the snow we have for a few more weeks.

If it is late spring, then we must have music on the deck and a golf match on the mountain. This Saturday, Boot Juice is scheduled to play on the deck between 2 and 5 pm. I heard that we might also have music on Sunday. We can dance to the music created by the Boot Juice Band.

This morning, the slopes were firm, except those that had been groomed. Sunspot skied well early in the morning, while Red Ridge was bone-jarring. I thought turning in Wolverine at 10 am was nothing to complain about, but D8 was to be avoided. Werner’s Schuss offered a deep, soft, groomed condition sprinkled with good-sized cookies. Charity seemed to be smoother, while Dance Floor was a bit of a mixture of both conditions. Ladies Slalom skied well between 10:30 and 11, but getting into it from Red Ridge remained unpleasantly firm.

Alpine Bowl through Terry’s Return did not disappoint with the exception of the traffic produced by skiers and riders flying down from the top of the summit.

Closer to the noon hour, we found lonely slopes such as Tiegel Chutes. It is thin in places, so you should plot your path prior to skiing this moderate slope. We toured the slopes three times, enjoying the soft spring snow.

In reality, the place to be was on a dirt path leading from the Wolverine Saddle to Upper Beaver and Estelle Bowls. Many skiers and boarders were walking up to catch the spring conditions.

South Wolverine offered spring snow, but the moguls have grown into adulthood. I traversed into Lower Beaver Bowl and enjoyed skiing reasonable-sized moguls that were soft and put a smile on my face.

Dropping down from the bottom of Beaver Bowl to Kangaroo Ridge is tricky but filled with corn. Take your time skiing this slope to avoid ending at a dirt patch with no way out.

If we are going to late spring conditions with an earlier-than-requested closing, then we better make the most of it. Ski carefully, wear sunscreen, and shred the corn.

Enjoy your day.

Andy