It was ugly. There was a light drizzle at 10AM, about 55-60° F, and the mountain was in the clouds. As I drove in, I could barely make out the base of the Superstar quad, and couldn't even see any snow through the fog. A few hundred participants, and that many more spectators, had showed up for the Triathlon, which commenced about 10AM. <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/1148.jpg" ALT="Triathlon start area"> <BR> <BR>Superstar Lift rides were free, thanks to the generosity of Am. Skiing Co. Needless to say, they weren't checking tickets, but you could pick one up in the bike shop for a souvenir. The drizzle let up by 10:30. In the next hour, visibility improved from 50' to about 100'. There was no breeze except at the top of the lift. Rain gear wasn't needed after all. Though a bit damp, it turned out to be T-shirt weather. By 11:30AM-12:00, after the race participants were all done, the lift was almost deserted. <BR> <BR>The remaining snow was in six pieces, separated by five spots that required walking, if you ever wanted to use your skis again next season. This didn't stop numerous people from skiing across the grass, mud and rocks, some more successfully than others. The greatest hazard on the mountain was the chance of being hit by one of these out-of-control dirt skiers coming out of the fog. The snow was all bumps, of course. The hard corn loosened up in the lines where there was the most skier traffic, but was otherwise very firm. I had to really think twice before taking a second run (or does it count as six more runs?), then I called it a day.
