Day 16: \
/
(Click on any image for a high-res version)
Wow. Just wow. 18 inches of new overnight and it absolutely kept puking all day long, I'm guessing another 6-8 inches throughout the day. White Squaw yielded the run of the year so far, but I'm getting ahead of myself.
Collins was down for repairs yesterday and today, as a gear in the angle station needs to be replaced. Jon and I thus met at Albion Grill, a markedly different scene than we're used to at GMD, but it provided quicker access to the goods. Supreme and the EBT were both still closed for control work, so we opted to hit Vail Ridge for some deep -- but short -- untracked before heading up Sugarloaf. I wanted to hit Extrovert via the gate we came through earlier in the week.
We dropped into the loose snow off the Gravy Boat cat track, but as I reappeared I stopped on Devil's Elbow to wait for Jon. And wait. And wait. I eventually gave up and headed off on my own, and passed through the gate off to the left of upper Rollercoaster, and traversed out...and out...and out. Eventually I found myself standing not atop Extrovert, but Chartreuse Slot just below the rock band...and not a track below my skis. Damned fine, even though another track eventually came over from Extrovert to join mine:
Jon and I had already discussed going into Alf's to warm up (it was about 3ºF) so I headed in. My phone rang -- Jon was having problems with the 7tm releasable tele bindings on his new Nordica powder sluts (I don't know the real name, but trust me -- that's what those skis are). They were releasing, all right...every three turns. He eventually found his way to Alf's -- we tweaked them a bit before heading back out, as now Cecret was loading to Supreme.
Stepping into his bindings, though, one released just standing there. He understandably gave up and limped off back home, so I was on my own.
First run off Supreme was in No. 9 trees, which were already surprisingly hammered. Probably not so surprising, as terrain off Supreme was limited to looker's right of the lift line as far as Big Dipper. Second run I opted to ski the trees between Challenger and No. 9 when I looked uphill and saw...an open gate to the lower half of Supreme Bowl! \/ I skied down along the rope line to the next open gate, and headed into White Squaw Chutes at their uppermost entrance. There was only one track in there: the patrol's.
That, my friends, was the run of the year thus far, bounding down through the trees at warp 9 with thigh-deep snow billowing up around my chest. So good, in fact, that I went back to do it again...and the only additional track was my own.
I finished up the day lapping the High T from the top of Sugarloaf. Really, Collins ought to go down more often! :wink: Tons of untracked was available, in Greeley Slot, on Annie's and Jakes, ...
I gave up at 2:15 when my legs screamed "uncle!" and I drove back down canyon:
Snow stopped just below Snowbird on the racetrack, and by the time I reached the Salt Lake Valley the sun was out.
/ (Click on any image for a high-res version)
Wow. Just wow. 18 inches of new overnight and it absolutely kept puking all day long, I'm guessing another 6-8 inches throughout the day. White Squaw yielded the run of the year so far, but I'm getting ahead of myself.
Collins was down for repairs yesterday and today, as a gear in the angle station needs to be replaced. Jon and I thus met at Albion Grill, a markedly different scene than we're used to at GMD, but it provided quicker access to the goods. Supreme and the EBT were both still closed for control work, so we opted to hit Vail Ridge for some deep -- but short -- untracked before heading up Sugarloaf. I wanted to hit Extrovert via the gate we came through earlier in the week.
We dropped into the loose snow off the Gravy Boat cat track, but as I reappeared I stopped on Devil's Elbow to wait for Jon. And wait. And wait. I eventually gave up and headed off on my own, and passed through the gate off to the left of upper Rollercoaster, and traversed out...and out...and out. Eventually I found myself standing not atop Extrovert, but Chartreuse Slot just below the rock band...and not a track below my skis. Damned fine, even though another track eventually came over from Extrovert to join mine:
Jon and I had already discussed going into Alf's to warm up (it was about 3ºF) so I headed in. My phone rang -- Jon was having problems with the 7tm releasable tele bindings on his new Nordica powder sluts (I don't know the real name, but trust me -- that's what those skis are). They were releasing, all right...every three turns. He eventually found his way to Alf's -- we tweaked them a bit before heading back out, as now Cecret was loading to Supreme.
Stepping into his bindings, though, one released just standing there. He understandably gave up and limped off back home, so I was on my own.
First run off Supreme was in No. 9 trees, which were already surprisingly hammered. Probably not so surprising, as terrain off Supreme was limited to looker's right of the lift line as far as Big Dipper. Second run I opted to ski the trees between Challenger and No. 9 when I looked uphill and saw...an open gate to the lower half of Supreme Bowl! \
/ I skied down along the rope line to the next open gate, and headed into White Squaw Chutes at their uppermost entrance. There was only one track in there: the patrol's.That, my friends, was the run of the year thus far, bounding down through the trees at warp 9 with thigh-deep snow billowing up around my chest. So good, in fact, that I went back to do it again...and the only additional track was my own.
I finished up the day lapping the High T from the top of Sugarloaf. Really, Collins ought to go down more often! :wink: Tons of untracked was available, in Greeley Slot, on Annie's and Jakes, ...
I gave up at 2:15 when my legs screamed "uncle!" and I drove back down canyon:
Snow stopped just below Snowbird on the racetrack, and by the time I reached the Salt Lake Valley the sun was out.
