May 8, 2019 Timberline

Our plan was to ski Bachelor on Wednesday but things changed Tuesday night. Bachelor was running 3 lifts for the spring season, but there was a computer problem with the Skyliner lift so it wouldn't be running Wednesday. A new part was being shipped, but we decided to head north to Timberline. We got up early Wednesday morning and drove 2 1/2 hours to be there for the lift opening at 9am. Yes, I know it wasn't a powder morning, but we have passes and it's north.

Timberline also has 3 lift operating: Storman Norman, Magic Mile, and Palmer. It must be a day-off  from school because we saw a lot of kids. Storman Norman was closed for the first  hour for "salting" the lines. When it opened it was OK in the park, but the sun was cooking it. The runs off  the Magic Mile vertical ridges were also there.  The grooming was not great, but as the sun softened the area it was more enjoyable.  They also had a "do not cross rope line" top to bottom of Palmer. We've always skied under the lift area and to skier's right, but not today.

Magic Mile lift had perfect spring snow. But the grooming machines seemed to have been operated by people who were still learning - there were ridges between each groomed line.

My thought is that there were no ski teams there today because otherwise the  groomers would have created perfect groomed lines for the ski teams. After 2 plus hours of sun, the clouds arrived and we headed for home.

The grooming was not great, but as the sun softened the area it was more enjoyable ... But the grooming machines seemed to have been operated by people who were still learning - there were ridges between each groomed line.

Perhaps they were training... for Alpental ;D

I got talked to by a volunteer patroler on Sunday. He thought I was skiing too close to the Palmer lift. I was down below midway and was skiing down a snowmobile track that was right were the bamboo was set. There was no rope and I was turning around the bamboo on the east side never crossing under the lift. Guessing it is just an anomaly but IDK. That was my warm up run and I booted over the top shack to the west side on the rest of my runs. Every year they eventually build a cat road under the chair up top and down below mid way. Who knows when they will get to it though.