Crystal - 12/04 A really BIG day!

Short version of today - OUCH!....sorry you missed it if you were not there...The rest of the really wordy report - Big day! Might have been the biggest day in the last few seasons…someone said it was the biggest day of the season – duh! Might have been his first day, which I heard from a lot more than one person today. Big early crowd, but I was earlier – got first CHex and REX chairs (and way ahead of the bucket today – it had a BIG line up this morning. Upload CHex around 8:50…Upload REX around 9:05…snowing hard, cold, big crowds early….First line down SunnySide was big deep…Ouch! Heard bigger deeper on Upper E and lower down…Everything everywhere was big deep and fun….though steep pitches better than flat ones in the deep. As the crowds dispersed (especially when HC opened up – and I heard the line up was massive), the cycles on REX pace picked up. Snow quality great (and deep), left over big pockets of deep as the vis improved where just right. Fun in the Valley, fun from Melby Trees to the middle Doors….Snowing very hard all morning till early afternoon. Clouds started parting around 1pm and the temps dropped and the snow got better and better as my quads started getting more and more hurt! It was hard to quit at 2:30….but got to save a few big turns for tomorrow. NW opened up mid afternoon…sounds like South tomorrow…Didn’t stray far from REX so others will have to fill in the BIG details of the rest of the mountain. Coverage is great, but there are still places to find rocks.

Other – Soup on the mountain…CB Lodge a big mess at noon – big crowd, limited food and limited employees to pass out the food, soup was a cheese thing. Base did have Turkey Noodle (might have to try it some time, but I have a lot to eat at home). All the lodges I passed through randomly where packed as usual.

Other – Parking lots full (and the pay lot almost) all the way down to the F lot (half?)…Ouch! Was big crowds, but as usual as the lifts opened the crowd spread. Great day, Big day!

Other other other – Since I left the mountain at 3pm the drive down was crappy…cant imagine how bad it is at 4pm when the main mass leaves…410 pretty much bare and wet – traffic speed anywhere from 55 to random 35?
Tomorrow will be very much fun.

Deepest cold powder I've ever seen in the Cascades- really Utah quality- but the massive crowd ripped it up quickly. Lifts were intermittent and slow much of the morning guys. Campbell was pretty awesome tho the traverse is rocky. Point releases all over both natural and triggered but only on really steep aspects and don't go deep. Drops off the Throne were pretty spectacular when the sun came out around one. Should be great in SB tomorrow. Didn't make it to NW. What a great first week!

Arrived 8 am, jumped on early 8:30 am chairs and totally enjoyed 12 runs of deep powder skiing. Blower was to found all morning, especially in the Pits, M-World and the Doors. GValley cliffs were inspiring with lots of deepness. Snowed all morning. After lunch, we managed a few runs up chair 6 when patrol whispered about Northway opening. So up c6, down Powder Bowl (very good) and the Pits (very very good), up Rex and into Northway Bowl (we had freshies all the way down -- mega blower). Ran into more buds and we enjoyed 4 runs in this area including Bruces Bowl (twice) and Upper Upper Paradise Bowl (first for me, tough to find, rope line?). The sun and blue sky made an appearance for 30 min or so. Last run out to bottom was spectacular -- truly top to bottom skiing. Big day. I thought lift lines were small (but I tend to isolate myself from crowds via stash work), staff was great, chairs ran great (some Rex burps) and parking was in/out.  The busiest part of my day was traffic down the boulevard.  Today rivaled the mega-day at Blackcomb last Saturday. Of course I didn't pay $74, but that's the walk up price now.  Thought the pricey remodel at the base lodge was nice -- especially the clear cedar tongue and groove on the walls and new carpet. The resort seemed to hummmmm along day. There is a huge heated tent on the patio. Ski school is now a 100% monopoly.  Patrol did a great job getting things opened (especially after 21" of new). With the artic air coming down in a few days, a nice 4 foot base should be frozen shut.  Mega happy.

Me and my two pals were less than 10 minutes behind you on CHex and Rex DDK. First two runs down upper/lower E. White rooming it for several turns at a time at the top. Definitely best first day ever, maybe best day in last several years even.
Two runs on "left as far as you could go" Right Angle along the rope lines and closed signs found some incredible chest-deep shots. Must have blown in. All in all toasted my legs and called it before catastrophic failure.
Lucille IPA and turkey sandwiches at the Elk. Yum. Sun came and showed itself and made it so much easier to see.
Dangerously post-holey tree-wellness base so be careful out there!