CRYSTAL - 02/05 BIG!

Ouch big day! Maybe the biggest this season, good sized crowd, but not unreasonable on REX (other places might have been worse), snowing pretty hard all day, relatively light winds most of the day, Knee deep snow at least (I have short legs), blower smoke up high and even deeper in the wind loaded areas….Gotta say today should be a really really big group effort on reporting on all the great untracked deep lines everywhere that I dont go!!!!! And I heard the rumors all day.

And the more wordy report for Eskinmo…Big forecast, big telemetry at 4:30 this morning got me on the road way extra early…which was nice and pleasant ahead of what I heard was a total mess this morning…All the hard core powder hounds in the lodge and in the CHex line extra early, managed to get slot #2 on CHex around 7am (huh?..somebody in my slot that early?...oh well nice guy and we worked out the plan). First chair on REX in a rush, beat the Bucket by a bunch…and heave was on line. Where, where? Picked SunnySide my fav part area…knee deep (short legs remember?), smoky, smooth, no crust underneath, lots of old school turns for me…while the straight liners started plowing past towards the bottom….and then back into line to start poking around to fav spots. Lines on REX got pretty good sized – singles line moved fast. Power on the mountain went out around 9:30 – got a few minute sit on REX before things fired up – bonus REX was running just about as fast even though many lifts were on diesel. I pretty much lazed around REX – SunnySide, Memorial and Melby Trees..all good, even with left overs. Finally went up FQex to check out southish – to big a line on HC for me – so I paused for my custom bowl of Chicken Noodle (thanks Miranda!)…lift line on HC had mellowed a little and I lucked into a single way up front. PB/BP’s all still good around 11am and by then REX line had really mellowed…Went into overdrive Hamster mode – worked my way from Memorial to SunnySide to all the Doors (and some of my fav Door slots that I haven’t done this year…and they all were pretty hamster happy). Thought it would be a low vert short day, but poked around with a finish down Upper and Lower E around 2pm (lower E was not that great, pretty skied out to the ice layer – lots of folks must have been doing it…vs Upper E which was nice soft go anywhere left overs).

Other – As noted CB lodge had Chicken Noodle AGAIN! Lordy. Also Triple C, was getting busy when I got out of there. Heard Valley lift lines were big, REX not small but manageable, FQex when I passed through there weren’t all that bad, HC I skipped at least a couple of times – and since the patrol was bombing out South pretty hard during the 1pm hour, I bet the lineup waiting mid afternoon was busy.

Other Other – Reggy band playing at the base when I quit – paused to listen and bumped into Scotsman who had a great day and seemed very happy. Spent to much time socializing with folks and cleaning the 6” of snow off my truck, so did not get out as early as I should have…thought the hardcore football fans would either be sitting in the lodge or had already long gone left…not!

Other Other Other – The drive…up in the morning happy early on snow covered roads, dirve down on even more snow covered roads was…gotta say the worst this season – 25 minutes down the BLVD (ouch), and hour plus to GV (another ouch), anywhere from 5 to 25 to finally below GV almost a reasonable speed…got to play with my truck – a little this a little that and testing those fancy bracks…longest drive home I’ve had in a very lot of years….Oh well…It was a great big deep awesome day! And tomorrow might be even bigger!

Nice to see you ddk!.
Yes ..as you say, I was very happy with my day.
First time I've waited in line for the gondi all year and it was worth it.
Got in a quick untracked Right Angle to Left Angle trees followed by another RA.
Then the lines and mass of humanity got too much for my anti-social tendencies and I headed for the BC with my crew.
Heli ski quality powder runs but the trail-breaking was deep and hard work.
Repeated twice more and my skins finally gave out and I had to use my  trusty Voile straps to keep them on.
Love that reggae band... The Highlife Band... they rocked the Snorting Elk last night.
CD would have had a temper tantrum with the tourists on the drive down...... sheeesh... talk about dweeby driving.

As good as described. Spent most of my day on chair six waiting in vain for S. back to open – it did, by which time I was already in the car. Reports from comrades in arms say it was "splendid".

The traverse off chair six held fairly clean lines into lunchtime. Hiked up throne twice – storm slabs were a legitimate concern.

– storm slabs were a legitimate concern.

Agree.. based upon what we found.. the amount of snow that has been blow into lee slopes is something to see. There were places were it was honestly above my knees in the skin track.
We found stable conditions today but if tonights forecast is right.........hope everybody keeps their shit together tomorrow.
Tree wells scared me today.. they are primed and ready for the unsuspecting...

We headed up late to skip the am frenzy. It being super bowl day [and from past experience] we expected less of a crowd.  On 410 about a mile from the blvd turn off, complete stop. 30 minute creep got us to the turn, and the poor sap giving out free tickets while turning everyone back.  We headed to the Naches Tavern for commissary beers.  We did meet two nice ladies there in front of the fireplace in the same boat.

CONS: 2.5 hour drive from Seattle (6 am), cars in 410 ditches, 5-10 min lift lines from time to time, resort lost power 3x

PROS: Right Angle to Hole-in-the-Wall to Lower Right Angle Trees, Gate 8 (first tracks), Paradise Chutes (Gate 6) into Paradise Trees (especially sweet), Memorial Forest, Bear Pits (Gate 2), Powder Bowl (west ridge), A-Basin Saddle into Damn Fine Forest (extra especially sweet), Tom Brady, Patrol Twitter