April 8 & 10, 2005, Crystal

Friday<br>Like everyone else I was under the assumption that Crystal was closing shop after this weekend.  Another week of lift served near mid April ain't bad.  Actually its been a while since I can recall this much snow in Green Valley.  Better late than never.<br><br>Well keeping that theme in mind I Met up with boarder Hattrup in Enumsnatch by 10.  Pulled into traffic joining the few cars making the same dash.  This is for sure worth noting.  About 4 miles up CM Blvd a rather large cat ran across the road.  Who wants to try and pet the pretty kitty.  Pulled into the lower lot under sunny, blue skies for now.  By 11:15 we had topped Rex and gained our first views of the valley.  Tracked out with a trace up to 6" on death crust.  Snow on top was powdery in the protected and softening in the sun.  Headed to the stashes and was suprised to see no other tracks around, Crystal being the mountain of a 1000 locals and all.  Quite contrary in comparison to conditions in the valley.  Anyways since it was an east aspect the sun and warming weather had taken its toll on the fresh snow.  Just have to settle for butter I guess. ;D  It made for a nice landing.  We were easily leaving 2ft deep depressions after drops.<br><br>Before going to another stash high clouds started rolling in but temps stayed warm.  Once again untracked steeps on butter.  Only activity besides carving butta was playing with our pinwheels, some got pretty big, on the way down.  After a small cornice drop we found 6'' up to boot deep of well preserved pow.  Had to keep a lazy eye out for creeks and debris but it was spaced out enough to not feel restricted.  The cat track on the way out resembled a slalom course with a mandatory air over a creek gap.  Coverage at the base was sparse and required alot of fancy fandangling but enjoyable with a beater board.  Like Bradley Nowell once said "its so nice I have to sing the same song twice".<br><br>Our day stayed and ended on these slopes.  Only saw one other ski track and the rest we left behind.  For all the cars in the lot I sure was suprised at how empty the place felt. <br><br><br>Sunday<br>Its going to be a sunny day today!  I had a chance to say high to a grip of familiar faces on the hill.  Hey Joe nice to see you and crew lounging on top of Rex.  Btw killer purple shirt your sporting there.  Did it have any duct tape on it? ;D  I hooked up with Rene and Chris who matched so well, all the way down to their pistols.(you fashion nuggets) ;D<br><br>Took a few laps on the groomers while we waited for the sun to bake.  By 10:30 we started making our way towards the King.  The traverse was rocky in places.  I stayed low from the lift and hauled ass.  If you stay high be prepared to pick your way thru jagged rocks.  The track on the backside looked icy otherwise that's a good plan b.  The traffic around the Throne to King was mellow with the occasional skier and a few boarders.  When I arrived at the summit there were 3 dogs running around.  With the company of mans best friend I watched the clouds roll in and sweep the sun away.  After a quick break Chris, Rene, and self descended down a chute with 2 existing tracks.  A bit firmer but still carved like soft serve.<br><br>Afterwards we frequented some other stashes and found more untracked super soft snow.  Even the majority of debris was easy to carve.  The creek gap on the way out is about 4ft wide but easily jib-able.  The base is looking bare in areas.  Still a good time though!

<br>  Hey Joe nice to see you and crew lounging on top of Rex.  Btw killer purple shirt your sporting there.  Did it have any duct tape on it? ;D  

<br><br>Good to see you Eric! The purple pullover is the rare piece that does not have duct applied to the surface. I laughed when I decided to wear the relic and am please that it produced at least one head turn and comment! The real Price Is Right trivia that went unnoticed was Sunday was the first day this season that I skied on Alpine bindings (racing) and not the touring setup. Very nice for lift serve on corn snow!<br>See you soon-<br>Joe