Day 8: Backside!
I skied with the same crew today as yesterday. We hadn't expected it, but from the very first run it became obvious that we'd get a very special treat today.
Backside hasn't been open yet all season, but from the control effort and sign work it was clear that we'd get it today. We bet on 11 a.m. and nosed around both Collins Gulch and Albion Basin while we waited for the rope to drop.
We arrived at Germania Pass at 11:02 and sure enough, Backside had just opened moments before. Completely smooth, the supportable base was covered in two or three inches of loose, sugary snow. It was divine! We traversed all the way out to Susie's Trees, but it was just too good to stop for photos. The only tracks ahead of ours out there were Patrol's.
We took a late lunch and just kept lapping Backside both before and after our meal. Once Telejon and TheOtherAmy left, Bobby Danger, AmyZ and I decided to head out across the countryside, following the Backside traverse all the way to the top of Greeley Slot, where we paused for a few minutes first to take in that view for the first time this season.
But we weren't yet done traveling. After dropping Greeley Slot, we hung a hard left and passed beneath Bombay Chute to ski lower North Greeley, which at 2:30 p.m. was virtually untracked.
That was enough to convince us to end the weekend on a high note right then and there.
I skied with the same crew today as yesterday. We hadn't expected it, but from the very first run it became obvious that we'd get a very special treat today.
Backside hasn't been open yet all season, but from the control effort and sign work it was clear that we'd get it today. We bet on 11 a.m. and nosed around both Collins Gulch and Albion Basin while we waited for the rope to drop.
We arrived at Germania Pass at 11:02 and sure enough, Backside had just opened moments before. Completely smooth, the supportable base was covered in two or three inches of loose, sugary snow. It was divine! We traversed all the way out to Susie's Trees, but it was just too good to stop for photos. The only tracks ahead of ours out there were Patrol's.
We took a late lunch and just kept lapping Backside both before and after our meal. Once Telejon and TheOtherAmy left, Bobby Danger, AmyZ and I decided to head out across the countryside, following the Backside traverse all the way to the top of Greeley Slot, where we paused for a few minutes first to take in that view for the first time this season.
But we weren't yet done traveling. After dropping Greeley Slot, we hung a hard left and passed beneath Bombay Chute to ski lower North Greeley, which at 2:30 p.m. was virtually untracked.
That was enough to convince us to end the weekend on a high note right then and there.
