Crystal Mountain - 12/12

A very nice drive up today with minimal traffic. Conditions on the mountain were great. I might go as far as to say semi-super Monday (not as big as last week's Super Sunday), but pretty darn good today. The nightly 3 - 4 inch refresh is very nice. Today's best runs were GV, Powder Bowl, Bear Pits, Breakover, Sunnyside (every time the sun broke out, it was mandatory Sunnyside), Memorial, and upper and lower Exterminator. Last run out was the Gondie line from Upper Bull Run. Nice pillows of snow everywhere. A great day with nice Monday-light crowds.

And a more wordy version....Very nice day, arrived early to beat the rush (?) and casually enjoy waiting for the lifts to start loading.  Not many folks around, great early sunny vis (that only lasted about an hour or so), nice fun Coomba carving the super smooth runs on FQex that had a inch or so of new to slide through…the edges had might fine left over deepish –ankle deep?  But very nice for #1, nobody on the slopes early, no snowboarders (happy for her, I do know some nice good ones I like to take a run with).  Fairly big snow storm blew through mid to late morning providing some nice new ½ inchish new coverage.  Did Kelly’s Gap before lunch…nice ski, some nice off piste, made #1 happy to do it.  Lunch break for #1 allowed a cycle to PB/BP’s – happy good vis and happy somewhat less rocks off the top skier’s right side off the top.  Couple of screamer fast SunnySide/M-World runs before hooking back up with #1 after lunch (lunch for me was good).  Few more quick fun runs around REX early afternoon, with a wimpy entrance to Upper E (very very good Upper E) to lower pounder bumps on Lower E…which wrapped up a very fine casual happy fun day, with great quality snow (no marketing), mostly great vis, mostly great no lift lines, mostly great no rocks (where I remembered they were).

Other – Soup at CB lodge was Tomato water again today (dang!), lots of other items where not available (per #1)….Monday early season, random unexpected crowds showing up to eat?...most items not available…especially the Glut free stuff….

Other – Pay lot back to normal week day sized and week day not full, C full to the shuttle and B close to the shuttle stop…Drive up pleasant early, Drive down mostly happy on bare pavement.

Both the snow and my legs keep getting better. Best day of my year for both. A circle of good ski buds blasted around, mostly following the sunny holes in the fog. And it was good. Memorial and Sunnyside were fast and soft. Clanking stumps in Bear Pits - scary and fun at the same time. Grubstake, minus traverse, and C-3 Chairline held some steep and deep. Powder Bowl rocky on top and Main Chute, but perfect lower if you can see. Best of the day was Exterminator and Gondy Line, although, my quads wore out on that last one. Excellent day.

Crystal has chosen a Not-a-Big-Ski-Area closing of Northway on monday and tuesday (you got your discount didn’t you?). It woulda been awesome. And, instead of cheap lockers for those that can’t put their ski boots on in a car or standing in the parking lot, Crystal offers up Tomato Soup.

Best news of the day! I talked to friends of his wife this morning and couldn’t believe this turned out OK
www.king5.com/news/local/crews-search-fo...l-mountain/368586263

Sad, really sad, to hear that even though someone was right there, this one turned out bad
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/northw...ear-snoqualmie-pass/

Play safe everyone,

Ken