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February 4, 2017 Soldier Mt.
06 Feb 2017 18:55 #228635
by Zap
February 4, 2017 Soldier Mt. was created by Zap
This was the grand plan. The weekend crowds were arriving for the races and there was new snow at Sun Valley A bit of rain with snow higher up was the forecast. Hmm... Soldier Mt was bought a few years ago by a new owner. I called and spoke to the manager – it was snowing there, a senior ticket is $10, and we could park next to the lodge. This was a way to avoid the crowds and ski powder. Yahoo!
The drive from Sun Valley is 90 minutes. We got on hwy 75 and turned west on hwy 20 to Fairfield, ID. Driving on 20 was wet with large snow banks on the sides. BUT, each side of the road had a drained groove on the passenger side and the low spots had puddles of water. We had to drive in the center of the 2 lanes to keep from having the water “grab” the passenger side of the vehicle. The snow began to fall in the PM and we decided to spend the night in Fairfield. It snowed all night, a heavy wet snow. The snowplow was out early clearing the 12 miles to Soldier Mt. The road was deserted and within 2miles of the ski area the rain changed to snow. We were there 15 minutes before the area opened and parked 30 feet from the ticket window. Six 4x4 trucks were also in the parking lot. I did the “snow test” with my fingers in various places, and the new 10”of snow were wet and heavy - great for a snowball fight. The area was covered in a blanket of snow with a few trees and only groomed one lane that the grooming machine had set. This type of skiing in new mush can cause your legs to separate resulting in a bad fall. The lower lift was visible for 50 feet and then disappeared into the clouds. We skied here years ago, and it's a fun place with great cruisers on a sunny day. There's also backcountry access above the area and they have a snowcat operation. OK, we have no control of weather, the storm came in wetter than expected, and there was a statement on Open Snow about the forecast changing. So, we continued west on hwy 20 where the standing water continued to be significant. After a short time we saw a 4x4 SUV that had flipped over; the state patrol was there and no one seemed to have been hurt. Wow! Moving on, carefully!
The drive from Sun Valley is 90 minutes. We got on hwy 75 and turned west on hwy 20 to Fairfield, ID. Driving on 20 was wet with large snow banks on the sides. BUT, each side of the road had a drained groove on the passenger side and the low spots had puddles of water. We had to drive in the center of the 2 lanes to keep from having the water “grab” the passenger side of the vehicle. The snow began to fall in the PM and we decided to spend the night in Fairfield. It snowed all night, a heavy wet snow. The snowplow was out early clearing the 12 miles to Soldier Mt. The road was deserted and within 2miles of the ski area the rain changed to snow. We were there 15 minutes before the area opened and parked 30 feet from the ticket window. Six 4x4 trucks were also in the parking lot. I did the “snow test” with my fingers in various places, and the new 10”of snow were wet and heavy - great for a snowball fight. The area was covered in a blanket of snow with a few trees and only groomed one lane that the grooming machine had set. This type of skiing in new mush can cause your legs to separate resulting in a bad fall. The lower lift was visible for 50 feet and then disappeared into the clouds. We skied here years ago, and it's a fun place with great cruisers on a sunny day. There's also backcountry access above the area and they have a snowcat operation. OK, we have no control of weather, the storm came in wetter than expected, and there was a statement on Open Snow about the forecast changing. So, we continued west on hwy 20 where the standing water continued to be significant. After a short time we saw a 4x4 SUV that had flipped over; the state patrol was there and no one seemed to have been hurt. Wow! Moving on, carefully!
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07 Feb 2017 13:09 #228647
by telemack
Replied by telemack on topic Re: February 4, 2017 Soldier Mt.
It would be a shame to waste your massive outlay of $20 for tickets on mashed potatoes---some standards must be upheld :
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