Day 27: Where are all the vacationers?
I took a break from work for a couple of hours yesterday morning to log in some laps. Frankly, I was shocked to see holiday crowds conspicuously absent:
8:45 a.m., and where is everyone?
This despite the fact that conditions were excellent. With no liftlines exceeding 30 seconds I was able to rack up a considerable number of runs in those two hours by utilizing only the Collins and Sugarloaf high-speed lifts. It was cold (low single digits), and snow on Backside had set up rather firmly overnight, a small price to pay for the peacefulness of being the only soul back there at all. The snow on Baldy Shoulder, however, was a surprisingly different story, and the inch or so of new snow cushioned a spongy sub-surface rather nicely, yet the same solitude was enjoyed there as well.
I was skiing single for all but my last run, which was shared with Skidog and AmyZ. I was using the singles line on Collins, so I got matched up in the liftline with three random folks and loaded the lift. It turned out to be a rather fortuitous pairing.
There's an old ski patrol friend of mine from back in NY with whom I lost contact about 20 years ago and I've been unsuccessfully to find over the past several years. Of course, we started talking amongst each other as we were riding the lift. The guy sitting next to me with his two daughters mentioned that he was from the Albany-Schenectady area. Then he mentioned that he patrols at Gore...and that set the whole thing off. I mentioned my friend's name and he said that they happen to carpool together. He had me call my friend from the chair. Long lost friend located!
I even ended up taking a run and a half with the three of them. I think that they were a bit freaked out by the exposure as I led them out the Baldy Traverse towards Armpit (the traverse was surprisingly rock-free, even above Tombstone), but otherwise they seemed to be having a good time. They were definitely much happier when they were back on a groomer.
And I was far less happy as I returned to work.
I took a break from work for a couple of hours yesterday morning to log in some laps. Frankly, I was shocked to see holiday crowds conspicuously absent:
8:45 a.m., and where is everyone?
This despite the fact that conditions were excellent. With no liftlines exceeding 30 seconds I was able to rack up a considerable number of runs in those two hours by utilizing only the Collins and Sugarloaf high-speed lifts. It was cold (low single digits), and snow on Backside had set up rather firmly overnight, a small price to pay for the peacefulness of being the only soul back there at all. The snow on Baldy Shoulder, however, was a surprisingly different story, and the inch or so of new snow cushioned a spongy sub-surface rather nicely, yet the same solitude was enjoyed there as well.
I was skiing single for all but my last run, which was shared with Skidog and AmyZ. I was using the singles line on Collins, so I got matched up in the liftline with three random folks and loaded the lift. It turned out to be a rather fortuitous pairing.
There's an old ski patrol friend of mine from back in NY with whom I lost contact about 20 years ago and I've been unsuccessfully to find over the past several years. Of course, we started talking amongst each other as we were riding the lift. The guy sitting next to me with his two daughters mentioned that he was from the Albany-Schenectady area. Then he mentioned that he patrols at Gore...and that set the whole thing off. I mentioned my friend's name and he said that they happen to carpool together. He had me call my friend from the chair. Long lost friend located!
I even ended up taking a run and a half with the three of them. I think that they were a bit freaked out by the exposure as I led them out the Baldy Traverse towards Armpit (the traverse was surprisingly rock-free, even above Tombstone), but otherwise they seemed to be having a good time. They were definitely much happier when they were back on a groomer.
And I was far less happy as I returned to work.