Crystal - 3/01

Another 3 out of 3 day except for the mass of humanity uploading CHEX and the Gondie first thing. Expected another deep light powder day and got deep heavier wind crusted powder instead. Not a problem....just had to go where the wind hadn't been. Timed C6 opening perfect for some excellent runs down Campbell Basin and Powder Bowl. Bear Pits was a hoot with some new lines not skied yet this year. And, many top to bottoms via the usual suspects with Banana Chute topping the list. North opened sometime around noon, but never got back there.

There's a lot of talk lately about how well the Coombas ski. Today, I think the Pinnacle 105s could have taken them, just couldn't find the man for the competition.
Damn it Janet!

Tomorrow looks to be a most excellent packed powder day.

....And more words about a very nice day....

Short Report - Powder frenzy today, early crowd, hyped crowd, big crowd for a Thursday and a full on rip it up crowd when the lifts started loading. Snowing early and windy on top, wind impacted from the SE across the upper mountain - so there were a lot of protected places that were loaded into the happy zone. Weather cleared mid morning (The Donut Hole), nice great vis and as the crowd dispersed from REX both to HC and Northway the conditions (my view) just kept getting better in the Hamster zone. One of those days were you just don't want to quit...and the bombs going off out South early afternoon says a lot of hard cores got some really fun big turns late.

Wordy Report - Arrived extra early and still only got the second row of CHex...super hyped crowd in the lodge and by the time CHex started loading the lineup was significant for a Thursday. As noted the upper mountain off of REX and QVex was wind impacted from the SE....but anything protected or lower down was pretty primo. Late morning the full on sun came out and after a short CB lodge visit with #1...the real Hamster Treadmill kicked into happy overdrive....PB to OuterFerks or Bearpits...repeat...repeat...repeat...who knows how many times....PB was perfect left over and packed pow with a very nice sun back light and great up hill winds that filled in and smoothed out the slope - skier right of the center spine...My fav conditions....Late day for me I actually skied the Valley and MIFB - nice fun pounding bumps...Finished my day with a nice easy Valley to Kellys to Lower E (Lower E was way better than expected)....#1 also had a great day of skiing.

Other - Soup at CB lodge was The Triple C again, Pizza was still good...Pay lot was way to week day big and gotta say not well parked or full...C lot looked almost full and a lot of widely spaced rows in B lot...so there were a few folks on the hill for the BIG DUMP! Another fun day on the slopes.
PS....the Old Rock Coombas were on fire today....even with the old tired quads driving them....

Windblown and wind-packed "Powder" kinda ruined the early buzz, as the first few through got awesome lines but left thick, tracked, heaviness in their wake. Snooping around found great snow in the usual shaded areas. And shade was good as the full-on sun quickly glopped the sunny stuff. Exterminator, Eagles Drop, Campbell Chute 3, Powder Bowl, and Bear Pits topped the list. Banana Chute had the usual thread-the-needle rocks on entry and then best snow of the day. B-Chute didn't see anything but smiles coming out, didn't see any Fire Coombas going in.

Powder Bowl / Bear Pits laps finished off the day. Gonna be some good packed pow tomorrow.

Ken
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PS....the Old Rock Coombas were on fire today

Why the Rock Coombas? Something happen to the new ones? Plenty of snow - no rock skis required.