Crystal - 04/09 Big Fun Sun

Short Report - What a difference one day makes....Big early morning sucker hole of blue sky turned into very grey high over cast before the lifts started loading...so an hour of nasty groomers, iffy off piste, grayish high overcast vis...and then by 10 am all goodness kicked in...big blue skies, softening groomers, off piste fun...dang just another fun hamster day in heaven....

Wordy Report - Arrived typically early after a very elkish drive (never seen so many elk in so many places all the way from Mud Mt to the base of the Blvd - impressive in the ranch area). Nice small pay lot to start...not many folks around early, as noted kinda grey high over cast early and very spring crapy grooming on the only run off the top - LS...but the early high cloud band blew through and the sky got bright and sunny and (almost) hot....Skiing got fun from PB to BP's to REX chair line (noticed many skiing it - didn't do it till after early after noon...and it was fast and soft and mushy and happy for the Coombas (once my brain kicked in)...Noticed a really good teli skier on MIFB mid afternoon - on Coombas! He made them look like a great ski! #1 had a great long day skiing fun soft snow - but it was getting pretty sticky in spots early afternoon...gotta do the full on spring wax job now for sure. Go to runs were PB to BP's (BP's was very pleasant), Green Valley to MIFB after the big sun warm up, REX chair line was fast and soft and fun... Views big, crowd not big, lift lines not at all....

Other - No food at CB (so had half a breakfast buritto to go), Cascade had lunch since the crowd was just big enough...the sun deck at the base was very pleasant when we were leaving...Pay lot as noted was small and not full...no shuttle service today, but cars were parked in B and C (long walk for old folks like me)...drive up was fast other than all the elk slow downs, drive down was fast after getting past the 45mph cluster? Great day in the sun...wish every day till the end could be a big warm sunny hot day...Pow is great, but.....

We paid the price for those who got yesterday's heavy pow day.

It was a day to arrive latish as everything was frozen glop or a frozen "groomer" (no grooming on Iceberg, or Luckyshot even though the grooming report said.....). Even the late arrivers got to park way up front. And we got to slow for multiple elk on and around the road.

Frozen groomers or frozen glop off-piste early, quickly transitioned to skiable junk on the Frontside for a couple runs. Then, deep, heavy.... stuff that didn't need a repeat (especially, Rex Chairline). Valley Bowl was good for a few runs mid-day. Saw a few Powder Bowlers hunting and pecking and some sorry souls later in the Frontside potatoes. There was very little grooming up top - Forest Queen's grooming got 2 boring thumbs sideways. Then, the sun came on full power (it was hot - why was everyone skiing in coats and hats??) and we found out where the groomers had been. Snorting Elk Bowl, Sluiceway, Berry Patch (rebuilding the Kelly's Gap road after a massive wet slide), and then the Lower E Bumps that were the hit of the day. After many repeats, it got sticky in the flats and transitions. So we bailed. I'll leave it to be frozen or rained on for the next week as this will be my last day of the season. Giving up on this weird spring for a month of hiking (14,700'), biking, snorkeling, and kayaking in Peru and Ecuador. Have fun everyone.

Ken
+

. Giving up on this weird spring for a month of hiking (14,700'), biking, snorkeling, and kayaking in Peru and Ecuador. Have fun everyone.

Ken
+

Thanks for the feedback. The next month should be GREAT in Peru and Ecuador.

Zap