December 7, 2013, Anthony Lakes

Depsite a frigid forecast, 4 of us headed up to Anthony lakes to see what was to be had. The resort offers single ride lift tickets for a reasonable $6 so we got a little jumpstart on the day. Once at the top of the single lift, we headed south on the ridge that makes up one wall of the Anthony Lakes basin. After poking our heads over the ridge and promptly getting blasted by high winds we opted for a smaller west trending ridge.

We dug a quick pit and found a wind loaded layer on top of a weak crust. It fractured and propagated in response to a mild stomp during a jump test so we resolved to stick to low angle meadows. Fortunately, we found some of the best meadow skiing any of us had encountered. The tree were covered in rime ice, the sun burst out and we were treated to one of the most beautiful days of skiing I've had. There were a couple inches of gorgeous loose dry snow with the occasional wind scrubbed pocket. No action shots but some spectacular scenery!