Crystal - 3/28

Got up this morning and checked the telemetry. Yep, about what I expected. Oh well, the crowds will be light so at least a 1 out of 3 day. Arrived at the lodge and met up with an expected JD and an unexpected DB. Cool, ski buds for the day. Rode through the fog on CHEX and into the blue world. Unexpectedly clear. Had a lot of blue sky with low clouds rolling through all day. Even though the clouds occasionally obscured visibility, they were dry, so now goggle wiping. And, when there were clouds, we could always find another part of the mountain in the blue sky. So vis, while not perfect, was much better than expected. A .75. The snow was a tale of two mountains...the one below 5500 feet and the one above. First run down a beautifully clear GV revealed 6 inches new over a smoothed base. Screamed into MIFB finding the top nicely edgeable and fast. About 2/3 of the way down, put on the breaks and edge lightly and you could still carve a turn, but let your speed pick up and it was adios amigo. After a couple GV/MIFB runs, did laps in GV finding the best snow on Snorting Elk. Not Snorting Elk right side which was wind damaged, but right down Snorting Elk proper. When C6 opened, headed over. Every run down Powder Bowl put us back on FQ which was a whiteout all day. Weird how the fog just sat on that side of the mountain. Once on 6, up into the blue world again. While Powder Bowl had a cloud in it most of the day, it was very thin allowing a lot of sun light through and great visibility in spite of the cloud. Best snow was dead center top to bottom. Right side was second best with John's chute (skiers left) not so good. 4 round trips and we noticed the snow starting to get heavy, so back to REX. Snow in GV was also getting heavy, but MIFB softened nicely, so we ventured down lower Bull that was a groomed ice rink in the morning. Instead, we find soft spring snow. So from about 11:45 until we quit, it was on the hamster treadmill doing GV/MIFB/Bull in a blur of runs. Man you pile up the vert fast doing that. No gondie line and lot's of interesting folks from out of town on several of the rides up. So, snow was a .75 for a nicely unexpected 2.5 out of 3 day.

Pretty on spot or spot on or.... report....and then there were more words....

Short Report - Some sun, some fog, some good vis, some not so good, some good groomers and some not so good groomers early, some new snow and some off piste areas had its fun places - GV Bowl (first untracked line down the middle was kinda pleasant...even with a Fireman yelling at me), PB was primo with lucky vis when I did it. Overall a very nice day...#1 had a very good fun day!

More Words - Early groomers were variable...didn't particularly like MIFB early, but it was very nice once it got a lot of sun by mid morning, LS was primo smooth and nice early and still the last time I passed through it - but the vis usually was a little worse on it. GV Bowl to MIFB became the hamster run - best overall vis and snow...powie in GV and springy on MIFB. Never a lift line anywhere today...very light crowd...freeze nasty level on FQex and some other areas was about the top of Rolling Knolls, but the solar radiation made south facing slopes very spring happy.

Other - CB lodge had the Triple C (which I actually had with a nice side of rice to give it some body)....no pizza, #1 had a nice rice bowl....rumors are that starting next Monday through Thursday there will be no food service at CB lodge and only at the Bullwheel for lunch (or top probably) ???? Ouch might have to go back to the old energy bar days...or make a sandwich (did that for breakfast this morning....very good). Pay lot was sorta small and equally empty...no shuttles, just a few cars in C and B lots...requiring some extra walking. Drives up and down were pleasant with a number of early morning elk standing or bouncing on the road.