Crystal - 1/31

This is Chris reporting once again from the base of Crystal Mountain. Just when you think it can't get any better, it does. Another 6 inches of 16 degree snow last night on top of yesterday's dumpage. Just simply fantastic. Some of the best runs of the year were Exterminator early, then Northway upon opening. How deep was upper Northway? I have no way of telling. Everything else was great today.

One more day before warm weather and rain move in tomorrow afternoon.

CD your staying at the base! You gotta ski a little longer!....How was that BLT?

Anyway, a lot more words report -

Short Report - Another very big day....big left over snow, nice new to fill in the blanks and add to the big left overs from yesterday, nice vis mostly with some fuzzy times in places - made the trees even better. Fair crowd but no lift lines due to the fact that Crystal was open from far South to way North.
Snow might have been better and colder early vs yesterday. Noticed the warm temps and filtered sun affecting the snow quality early afternoon.

Wordy report - Arrived what I thought was early - not! Early arrivals and a massive bus/pay lot made for an exhausting walk...Bigger crowd waiting for the early load...Buckets got to the top before the CHex/Rex route again (might have been do to a misshape at the base of CHex - thanks Jim...everyone knows Jim - nicest guy around). Pretty much a high speed frenzy again today in the core area. HC opened around 10am as usual, but never really had a lift line since North opened shortly after. Great conditions, got to ski some lines in Campbell Basin for the first time this year. PB was happy and refilled deep, BP's had lots of nice and I finally skied Outer Ferks for my first time this season - primo.
Bounced way far south half way to Hamburger and way North to Exterminator. Great in the core and from what I heard way bigger and better everywhere else. Quit early with a easy run down GV Bowl and MIFB (first groomed run of the day) down to Lower BF (lower bull or ferk depending on what you call it) which was also primo groomed...got to the base ready to quit...and empty Buckets - nothing like a quiet solo bucket ride...Real finish was the wimpy entrance to Upper E and all the way to the base!

Other - Soup at CB lodge was that White Bean Sausage soup...I had a very nice slice of pizza. Pay lot was massive this morning with even more space for the buses that did not all show up and the all the pay folks that also did not show up...but C was 4/5 full and B was at least 2/3 full, so a lot of folks showed up on a busy Wednesday...sad part for the B and C lots? No cattle car service today? Huh, ouch!

I have been getting up later then ever, parked in lower c lot and did the migration to the lifts with the masses on foot. Good warm up for me.. I could tell right from the start in booting up in the lower part of the Mayflower that today was a Varsity Game and not a JV game, all of the Big Boys were booting up fast, and YES, it felt good to ski deeper fluff, I was there at Gate 4 when the rope drooped and it was fun, you can still feel the bottom at times, but make no mistake this was a Big time Varsity game., not a State Championship day, but real close... I can always find fresh in Spook and did, skiing off of Northway lift was fun low angle fluff, feeling still not in great leg shape,, I made my way over to SIX, PB far skiers right next to the rib, was old school deep, I could not believe that this little stash had not been skied, yet, Must have been a few JV players on the hill. Crystal looked good today, I am sure the Varsity Scholarship folks had fun way South, anyway it was fun to earn my Varsity Letter today, I'll sew it on my Letterman's Jacket tonight.

this day simply killed it.....it's not often the leftovers are this delicious ....north was crazy deep, and faster than yesterday.skied front side for first run greatness everywhere...........So it's great....&....Its so great ,that the cash was more skied out at the end than south.That tells you that inbounds was so good even the pros didn't bother going south,A rare day indeed...tomorrow is worth it, and with anything over night even better..............Crystal Mnt another 11.....what a great 2 weeks

CD your staying at the base!  You gotta ski a little longer!.

*you're* DDK, saw you on Lower Bull as we rode up for our third T2B Secret Stash pow run. You left too early stayed too far south.

What a day. If yesterday was a surprise, today was double. Northway was off the charts and the big T2Bs - E-Housing, Terminator, Secret Trees - lasted till the end of the day if you knew where to look. Knee deep untracked and not a groomer in sight. More thumbs up than I can count. Yes, another day turned to 11, and the State of Crystal is in much better shape than the rest of the US.

Ken
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*you're* DDK,  saw you on Lower Bull as we rode up for our third T2B Secret Stash pow run. You left too early stayed too far south.
Ken
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Yee Haa - ding ding ding....ps its ddk....how hard is that? missed you today