March 6, 2003, Crystal Area

With over 21" of new powder, we knew we were going to ski near Crystal but no one wanted to break trail in the backcountry.  So we ripped out the plastic, bought a few lift tickets and began the powder feeding frenzy.  The taste of fresh powder blowing up your nostrils is exciting. :)In addition to the 21", it was snowing hard all day and the car had another 6" upon our return at 2pm.  Today was a "10" !  When you're 6'3", face shots are not common but today every run was a face shot run.  My only regret is that I left the snorkel at home.  Any steep open slopes are windloaded and were sliding.  Steep treed lines were sloughing.  The entire "in-bounds" area was open.  Our tracks were covered within 2 hours.  With the intensity of the current storm, I think I'll ride the lifts for awhile until things settle a bit. The next few days require friends who are strong trail breakers and a "powder poodle" to test the slopes. :)  Zap