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Anonymous
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The trip down was hellacious, the trip back even worse at one spot. No matter how slow I drove the van I almost had three recurrances of the famous Orford off ramp experience but successfully steered out each time. The normal 1 and 3/4 hr drive took 2 and 1/2 and with minimal digging out we got there about 9:30. It took 40 minutes to hike to the lodge, get booted up and up the triple to mid. Just looking at Showcase as we rode up made me drool. The place was hopping but we couldn't hear any edges digging at all; skiers or boarders. We thought it seemed fairly warm but the big thermometer at the top of the triple said six degrees and the wind was sca-reemin. We opted to try Sleeping Bear off the North Quad and found it simply awesome. I can't truly describe it appropriately. The next one was the one down under the quad and off to the left. They had groomed the center about two swaths and left a third totally alone on each side. The groomed part had a foot of fresh in it. I tried to get enough speed to attack the left side. Ka-phwoof---right up to my umm, er, center meeting point of my legs. Needless to say I came to a screaching halt. Shirley cruises by on the groomed and my head is about waist high to her and I am standing straight up. We did one more under the chair and I had almost untouched sides all the way down. It is so neat to ride back up and scrutinize the symmetry of the tracks 163 cm Elans can do in the right kind of conditions. We then did upper Sleigh Ride, the start of the terrain park, to try to get to Twister that had guns blasting and had not been open yet this season. No luck, ropes still up, so we had an unbelievably delicious cruise down showcase to the Gondi. Off the Gondi we found Pine Knot (to Straightbrook quad) the best I have ever seen it(although it has only been there two years). Soft fluff moguls, beautiful edging and no ice anywhere. On Wednesday it had deteriorated to a sheer skating rink side to side and all the way down. We found the summit much more windy than I can remember and although I could see Rumor open top to bottom with guns blasting all over it I opted to "encourage" the Mrs. to try Chattimac. This trail had been open only a day or two before that rain a couple of Sunday's ago and closed ever since with no more maintenance. Today they just opened it with what Mother Nature donated and it was awesome. The word is so inadequate. It was like the woods at Orford, Valhalla at Jay, upper FIS at Smuggs and any of the regular trails at MRG. The next run we wanted to do Cloud to Mid and break for lunch. The wind into our faces made the flat cross top trek to the first drop on Cloud very exhausting. I felt like Adm. Byrd trudging across Antarctica to the South Pole. I darted over to upper Steilhang in lieu of upper Cloud and found totally ungroomed monster man made whales and at least two feet of powdered drifted all over the place. The wind sculpted whoop-de-do's made a lot better terrain park than man could have. <BR> <BR>After lunch we did three more runs under the North Quad, most luscious powder and least wind. Then I heard some one say Twister was open. This was the beginning of my demise. We started down in the guns totally engulfed in the awesome cruising when I caught people heading into the woods at Twister Glades. I coaxed the Mrs. to give it a try. Hey it worked last Wed. on Lies on a 45 degree pitch on sheer man made concrete, what trouble could a little powder in the woods be. Well she described it quite well. When she sets her mind on something look out, and she wanted out. I didn't really like the looks of where someone had bushwacked out but she was determined. Down she goes, I couldn't really tell what she hit, too much snow over everything. She's lying basically on her chest and the pocket she has the walkie-talkie in. Be-duh-loo-beep, be-duh-loo-beep; she's going off like a dang transceiver or something. Everyone on that frequency is trying to answer her. She throws one arm up like a wounded seal flipper on the beach but only succeeds in sinking deeper. Be-duh-loo-beep; she's going off again and won't answer me. This is starting to look bad and I am growing concerned. "Honey stop thrashing, you may loose the radio." She stops moving for a second and looks at me. I determine it's best to not give any more advice. She explains her escape pretty well in her post but does three more pirouette type move falls toppling over back first feet up straight in the air on the bailout route. I am in deep, deep doo doo. <BR> <BR>On the ride home she reminds me of my comments on April 26, 1979 at Killington. Come on honey, you can do this I know you can. Both times she wound up upside down on her back headfirst pointing down in a streambed. Fortunately, this time was much drier.