4 Feb 07 Rocky and Bullwinkle in Bullion Basin

Scotsman and I met RonJ, Maddog and Yukon Darryl at Buzzies in Greenwater at 7:30 for power-breakfast. We left Crystal upper lot C at 9:00. Skinned up to the top of the old Bullion Basin lift for a pit stop then proceeded to bushwhack our way up the hills to the Crown Point Ridge. The snow on the wooded slopes was heavy, wet and sticky and carpeted with the tree moss and needles and twigs from the previous months storms. As we traversed, we would start pinwheels which would slowly turn into giant Rocky and Bullwinkle snow balls. We also saw some natural released from the open slopes (which we were careful to avoid).

At the higher elevation, approaching Crown Point Ridge, the snow was colder and firmer (and so was the air). From Crown Point Ridge, we took pictures of the multi-layered lenticular clouds formed over Mount Adams and Mount Rainier. Then we rigged an anchor and sent Darryl and Ron J to the edge to saw off cornices which plopped into the BB Bowl without setting of a slide - NICE ;D.

We skied the open slopes of grabby snow in BBBowl from Crown Point Ridge. We then ducked into the protection of the forest to bushwhack our way back to the abandoned BB ski slope.  In the forest we saw even more Rocky and Bullwinkle snow balls and Ron J feeling comfortable now with these sinister formations - cackled evilly - and tried to push a particularly large one into me  ???- but it disintegrated on contact ;D€¦

All in all - we worked hard to get up AND DOWN from Crown Point Ridge.  RonJ said "well at least we got a good workout". Maddog was not very satisfied - but what could you expect from someone who had just gotten back from a week at Whistler. We were all grateful to return from the slushy forest with healthy and intact knees! 

So there we were - Scotsman and I - at 2pm looking up at the Crystal resort as the sun started peaking out through patches of blue sky. We both were fingering our lift season tickets stowed in our pockets. And with evil grins we agreed to skip the après ski tailgate party and GO FOR MORE TURNS ;D!

We jumped in the truck sped to a strategically close parking spot (gotta LOVE Super Bowl Sunday!)  We had an OK run down Sunny Side where we were joined by a strapping Austrian snowboarder named Peter (he owns a split board - though has spent most of the season in bounds this year) and then we sprinted to the King as fast as we could. We picked a nice line down the east facing slope from the King into silver basin - corn snow - NOT BAD 8) and then sprinted back to the truck so we could make it home to the tail end of those superbowl parties (and good hot food).