J.Spin
New member
More pictures are available through the link at the bottom of the report.
Saturday night I checked the Lost Trail snow phone, and they announced that they would be opening on Sunday November 13th with limited operations. Chairs 1 & 2 would be running, but the cafeteria, rental shop, and ski school would not be in operation. Still, this opening was over a month earlier than I?ve ever seen in the previous four seasons we?ve been out here in the Bitterroot. Looking at my records, the next earliest opening we?ve experienced was December 14th, 2003. The Lost Trail website reported 4 inches of new snow from Saturday, and with a big Pacific system on the way in, there was likely to be more snow throughout the day.
It was snowing lightly when we first arrived at Lost Trail (elevation 7,000?), but there was already a strong south wind blowing. I was hoping it wouldn?t be too much wind for Ty to enjoy his time outside. E went out first to hit the fresh powder with her friend Echo, her husband David, and their friend (another David). I hung out in the lodge with Ty and Dylan, and we played on the kiddy slide, watched the fire in the fireplace, and kept in touch with Mom by radio. A little before 11:00 A.M., E came in and I headed out with Ty for some turns. We wanted to get Ty?s sliding time in sooner rather than later, since the storm was expected to intensify throughout the day.
E said that the ski conditions were great, although she encountered a little crust below the new snow in a few places. She said Southern Comfort had about a foot of partially-tracked up powder, and that Far Out was groomed with powder along the edges. South Face also had good snow according to E, and according to someone she spoke with, South Face skied ?better than any time last season?. I?m thinking that is probably a big overstatement, but I guess the skiing was at least pretty good.
I headed right to the Bunny Hill with Ty, and we had a good run down with the H-Bar. Unfortunately, the Bunny Hill rope tow wasn?t running, so I got ready to carry him back up to the top of the slope. To my total surprise, he actually wanted to walk back up on his skis. I let him gradually work out the logistics of walking uphill on skis without skins, and showed him how you had to herring-bone or sidestep to prevent sliding backwards. I?m not really sure how much of that he took in, but he seemed to enjoy walking back and forth across the hill and figuring out what worked for him. He would fall a lot, but he was happy even when he fell, which was a good sign. He was actually having a good time going WITH gravity a lot (no surprise there) and after about 10-15 minutes, we only traveled about 50 feet up the Bunny Hill. So, I finally convinced him to let me carry him up to the top so we could do some skiing right in front of the lodge where Mom could watch.
Back up near the lodge, Ty really started to click with his solo sliding, mostly in just getting his balance while moving. He did run after run in which I?d carry him up the small slope, and then he?d ski (straight line) down to the flats by himself. There were a variety of pitches that all varied subtly, and he worked his way up to skiing longer and (relatively) steeper ones. It was pretty obvious that he was ready for bigger skis, but we?re still waiting on his new ski boots because they were a special order (size 14.5 Mondo). Anyway, after watching him advance the work on his balance with his little skis, he should be in good shape for riding longer skis with more stable boots.
After quite a long session, Ty finally decided it was time to go in. But no sooner had he made it inside than he decided he needed more skiing. This time, E went out with him and they worked on the same sort of stuff. I got to sit down and have some lunch, and hot soup really hit the spot after carrying Ty around for an hour on the slopes. Eventually, Ty did come in for some food (and a break) which meant Dad could get out for some runs of his own.
It?s been a long time since my first turns of the season were lift-served, but it felt great to jump right. I actually wasn?t all that jazzed to ski at first, but as I dropped off the flats of North Bowl and cut a powder turn onto the first steep pitch of Hideout, I remembered, ?Right, this is what?s so cool about this!? The Femur Ridge bowl looked somewhat untracked, so I wanted to head that way. I encountered a rope with a ?closed? sign, but there was a gate on the right side that had seen a lot of traffic. It was sort of a confusing situation, so I decided to play it safe (in terms of making sure I got to the powder that is
. As I traversed below the steep Outlaw and Slides areas, I could see that they didn?t have quite enough coverage yet, but the bowl was in good shape. I caught nice untracked powder down the left edge and was very happy with my decision. I figured I should check out something off Chair 2, so I hit Bruce?s Meadow. It was pretty tracked up, and I did hit crust a couple of times, but there was a good foot of new snow on top of the old stuff by this point. I cut over to Lightning, which was mostly chowder and kicked my butt pretty nicely. Riding back up on Chair 2, the intensity of the snow suddenly doubled, going from about a half inch per hour to more like an inch per hour. I could actually watch as a white wall came in from my left (south) with the enhanced snowfall. It was pretty cool. I finished off with one more run in the bowl, since it had so much untracked snow left, and I caught an even better line than the first time.
At this point it was around 1:30 P.M. and I figured we?d better get going so the boys could get in some naps. However, Ty had other plans. He said he wanted to ski some more. We continued where he?d left off on the slopes outside the lodge, and E came down with Dylan and watched from the sheltered north porch. E decided she could save some time by starting to load up the car, and that way Ty could keep skiing. Ty kept asking to go on the chairlift, and after he began to bring this up after every little run we did in front of the lodge, I realized he was serious. Last year, I rode with him on the lift several times while E carried the H bar on another chair, but I wasn?t sure if I could safely load with both Ty and the H-Bar at once. I decided to take him up without the H-Bar and without my poles, which gave me plenty of leeway to load him. I didn?t think he had nearly the energy left in him for a full run from the top, but if he was game, I was game. Ty was absolutely thrilled with the lift ride, and I?m not sure how much he remembered from his rides last season, but he had fun being above the trees, watching snowboarders below, and feeling the bounces when we went over the cable wheels. I figured I would let Ty do as much skiing on his own as possible, which he did for about the flattest first 25 yards of Meadow Run. He enjoyed a good combination of walking and sliding. But, I don?t think he had much energy left after such a big day, and with the strong south wind blowing in our faces, soon he needed help from me. We rode down to the point where Meadow Run becomes Meadow Trail with Ty between my legs, and by then he was absolutely cooked. Even between the legs was too much work for him and he needed to be carried. This brought about one of my favorite parts of day, in which I carried him along the flat, tight areas of Meadow Trail. The wind was gone since we were in the trees, and there was nobody else around. We were surrounded by snow filled trees and silence. In a whisper, I pointed out how peaceful it was to Ty, and we discussed our surroundings in hushed voices. He looked like he was about to fall asleep, but we were still moving and it kept him looking around. I jumped into the powder off the side of the trail for a bit and he commented on how that was a ?bumpy? ride. As we approached the lodge, Ty saw Chair 1 and actually wanted to go for another ride. His spirit was thinking skiing (or perhaps at least a ride on the chairlift), but physically he was done. We skied to the car as the snowfall intensified, and he couldn?t get into his car seat fast enough. He was out before we left the parking lot.
With the stormy conditions we had throughout the day (~20 degrees F, 20-30 MPH wind, moderate to heavy snowfall), I thought I?d make a comment on some of the clothing that Ty used. We?ve been looking for quality waterproof-breathable stuff (pants, coat, mittens) for him for a while, and it has been tough. I guess most people aren?t really interested in getting quality stuff for toddlers, so not many companies provide it. We found a nice coat from the Rugged Bear the fit the bill about a year ago, but the pants have eluded us. Finally, we discovered a great company called Molehill Mountain Equipment, located just a few hours away in Sandpoint, ID. They make some fantastic technical gear for kids and toddlers. We were able to get Ty their All Weather Gear pants, which are waterproof-breathable with fully-taped seams, a 4,000 mm (I?m assuming Hg) waterproof rating, and a 5,000 gr/24 hr (per square meter?) vapor permeability rating. Anyway, the pants are great and they?re even set up with reinforced cuffs and closures for going around ski boots. For mittens, we?d been looking for some gauntlet-style ones with long cuffs. I think one of the worst clothing holes is the one you get at your wrist without the right gear, and companies have made fantastic gauntlets for adults and older kids for a long time. Why is it so hard to find these for toddlers? Anyway, Molehill has some nice ones that go well up the arm, and they seemed to keep Ty happy all day. Even with the nasty weather and a lot of rolling around in the snow, he was warm throughout. I don?t think he could have spent several hours out in those conditions without the right clothing. So for those parents out there that want to get some nice ski/outdoor gear for toddlers, certainly check out Molehill Mountain Equipment, we?ve been really happy with their stuff so far.
When we left at ~3:00 P.M. it was 23 degrees F and absolutely dumping (I?d say certainly over an inch per hour). I had placed a couple of things (gloves, skis, etc.) on the ground outside the car for a few minutes while I loaded other stuff, and the snow was coming down so hard that they nearly disappeared by the time I went back to pick them up. The Saddle Mountain SNOTEL reported over 12 inches of additional snow from Sunday morning through Monday morning, which is a great sign.
Back in Hamilton (elevation 3,560?), the temperature was 43 degrees F with patches of blue sky and no precipitation. However, a strong south wind was blowing, which got stronger through the evening and eventually we got some moderate rain. Monday morning, we had a whiteout with some of the most intense snow I?ve ever seen in the Bitterroot Valley, and we actually had an inch or so of accumulation on top about half an inch that had fallen overnight. The forecast calls for precipitation to wind down through the week with high pressure and inversions taking its place by the weekend. If it?s not going to snow, hopefully Ty can at least enjoy some warm sunny skiing next weekend.
A few pictures from the day are at:
http://www.JandEproductions.com/2005/13NOV05.html
J.Spin
Saturday night I checked the Lost Trail snow phone, and they announced that they would be opening on Sunday November 13th with limited operations. Chairs 1 & 2 would be running, but the cafeteria, rental shop, and ski school would not be in operation. Still, this opening was over a month earlier than I?ve ever seen in the previous four seasons we?ve been out here in the Bitterroot. Looking at my records, the next earliest opening we?ve experienced was December 14th, 2003. The Lost Trail website reported 4 inches of new snow from Saturday, and with a big Pacific system on the way in, there was likely to be more snow throughout the day.
It was snowing lightly when we first arrived at Lost Trail (elevation 7,000?), but there was already a strong south wind blowing. I was hoping it wouldn?t be too much wind for Ty to enjoy his time outside. E went out first to hit the fresh powder with her friend Echo, her husband David, and their friend (another David). I hung out in the lodge with Ty and Dylan, and we played on the kiddy slide, watched the fire in the fireplace, and kept in touch with Mom by radio. A little before 11:00 A.M., E came in and I headed out with Ty for some turns. We wanted to get Ty?s sliding time in sooner rather than later, since the storm was expected to intensify throughout the day.
E said that the ski conditions were great, although she encountered a little crust below the new snow in a few places. She said Southern Comfort had about a foot of partially-tracked up powder, and that Far Out was groomed with powder along the edges. South Face also had good snow according to E, and according to someone she spoke with, South Face skied ?better than any time last season?. I?m thinking that is probably a big overstatement, but I guess the skiing was at least pretty good.
I headed right to the Bunny Hill with Ty, and we had a good run down with the H-Bar. Unfortunately, the Bunny Hill rope tow wasn?t running, so I got ready to carry him back up to the top of the slope. To my total surprise, he actually wanted to walk back up on his skis. I let him gradually work out the logistics of walking uphill on skis without skins, and showed him how you had to herring-bone or sidestep to prevent sliding backwards. I?m not really sure how much of that he took in, but he seemed to enjoy walking back and forth across the hill and figuring out what worked for him. He would fall a lot, but he was happy even when he fell, which was a good sign. He was actually having a good time going WITH gravity a lot (no surprise there) and after about 10-15 minutes, we only traveled about 50 feet up the Bunny Hill. So, I finally convinced him to let me carry him up to the top so we could do some skiing right in front of the lodge where Mom could watch.
Back up near the lodge, Ty really started to click with his solo sliding, mostly in just getting his balance while moving. He did run after run in which I?d carry him up the small slope, and then he?d ski (straight line) down to the flats by himself. There were a variety of pitches that all varied subtly, and he worked his way up to skiing longer and (relatively) steeper ones. It was pretty obvious that he was ready for bigger skis, but we?re still waiting on his new ski boots because they were a special order (size 14.5 Mondo). Anyway, after watching him advance the work on his balance with his little skis, he should be in good shape for riding longer skis with more stable boots.
After quite a long session, Ty finally decided it was time to go in. But no sooner had he made it inside than he decided he needed more skiing. This time, E went out with him and they worked on the same sort of stuff. I got to sit down and have some lunch, and hot soup really hit the spot after carrying Ty around for an hour on the slopes. Eventually, Ty did come in for some food (and a break) which meant Dad could get out for some runs of his own.
It?s been a long time since my first turns of the season were lift-served, but it felt great to jump right. I actually wasn?t all that jazzed to ski at first, but as I dropped off the flats of North Bowl and cut a powder turn onto the first steep pitch of Hideout, I remembered, ?Right, this is what?s so cool about this!? The Femur Ridge bowl looked somewhat untracked, so I wanted to head that way. I encountered a rope with a ?closed? sign, but there was a gate on the right side that had seen a lot of traffic. It was sort of a confusing situation, so I decided to play it safe (in terms of making sure I got to the powder that is
. As I traversed below the steep Outlaw and Slides areas, I could see that they didn?t have quite enough coverage yet, but the bowl was in good shape. I caught nice untracked powder down the left edge and was very happy with my decision. I figured I should check out something off Chair 2, so I hit Bruce?s Meadow. It was pretty tracked up, and I did hit crust a couple of times, but there was a good foot of new snow on top of the old stuff by this point. I cut over to Lightning, which was mostly chowder and kicked my butt pretty nicely. Riding back up on Chair 2, the intensity of the snow suddenly doubled, going from about a half inch per hour to more like an inch per hour. I could actually watch as a white wall came in from my left (south) with the enhanced snowfall. It was pretty cool. I finished off with one more run in the bowl, since it had so much untracked snow left, and I caught an even better line than the first time.At this point it was around 1:30 P.M. and I figured we?d better get going so the boys could get in some naps. However, Ty had other plans. He said he wanted to ski some more. We continued where he?d left off on the slopes outside the lodge, and E came down with Dylan and watched from the sheltered north porch. E decided she could save some time by starting to load up the car, and that way Ty could keep skiing. Ty kept asking to go on the chairlift, and after he began to bring this up after every little run we did in front of the lodge, I realized he was serious. Last year, I rode with him on the lift several times while E carried the H bar on another chair, but I wasn?t sure if I could safely load with both Ty and the H-Bar at once. I decided to take him up without the H-Bar and without my poles, which gave me plenty of leeway to load him. I didn?t think he had nearly the energy left in him for a full run from the top, but if he was game, I was game. Ty was absolutely thrilled with the lift ride, and I?m not sure how much he remembered from his rides last season, but he had fun being above the trees, watching snowboarders below, and feeling the bounces when we went over the cable wheels. I figured I would let Ty do as much skiing on his own as possible, which he did for about the flattest first 25 yards of Meadow Run. He enjoyed a good combination of walking and sliding. But, I don?t think he had much energy left after such a big day, and with the strong south wind blowing in our faces, soon he needed help from me. We rode down to the point where Meadow Run becomes Meadow Trail with Ty between my legs, and by then he was absolutely cooked. Even between the legs was too much work for him and he needed to be carried. This brought about one of my favorite parts of day, in which I carried him along the flat, tight areas of Meadow Trail. The wind was gone since we were in the trees, and there was nobody else around. We were surrounded by snow filled trees and silence. In a whisper, I pointed out how peaceful it was to Ty, and we discussed our surroundings in hushed voices. He looked like he was about to fall asleep, but we were still moving and it kept him looking around. I jumped into the powder off the side of the trail for a bit and he commented on how that was a ?bumpy? ride. As we approached the lodge, Ty saw Chair 1 and actually wanted to go for another ride. His spirit was thinking skiing (or perhaps at least a ride on the chairlift), but physically he was done. We skied to the car as the snowfall intensified, and he couldn?t get into his car seat fast enough. He was out before we left the parking lot.
With the stormy conditions we had throughout the day (~20 degrees F, 20-30 MPH wind, moderate to heavy snowfall), I thought I?d make a comment on some of the clothing that Ty used. We?ve been looking for quality waterproof-breathable stuff (pants, coat, mittens) for him for a while, and it has been tough. I guess most people aren?t really interested in getting quality stuff for toddlers, so not many companies provide it. We found a nice coat from the Rugged Bear the fit the bill about a year ago, but the pants have eluded us. Finally, we discovered a great company called Molehill Mountain Equipment, located just a few hours away in Sandpoint, ID. They make some fantastic technical gear for kids and toddlers. We were able to get Ty their All Weather Gear pants, which are waterproof-breathable with fully-taped seams, a 4,000 mm (I?m assuming Hg) waterproof rating, and a 5,000 gr/24 hr (per square meter?) vapor permeability rating. Anyway, the pants are great and they?re even set up with reinforced cuffs and closures for going around ski boots. For mittens, we?d been looking for some gauntlet-style ones with long cuffs. I think one of the worst clothing holes is the one you get at your wrist without the right gear, and companies have made fantastic gauntlets for adults and older kids for a long time. Why is it so hard to find these for toddlers? Anyway, Molehill has some nice ones that go well up the arm, and they seemed to keep Ty happy all day. Even with the nasty weather and a lot of rolling around in the snow, he was warm throughout. I don?t think he could have spent several hours out in those conditions without the right clothing. So for those parents out there that want to get some nice ski/outdoor gear for toddlers, certainly check out Molehill Mountain Equipment, we?ve been really happy with their stuff so far.
When we left at ~3:00 P.M. it was 23 degrees F and absolutely dumping (I?d say certainly over an inch per hour). I had placed a couple of things (gloves, skis, etc.) on the ground outside the car for a few minutes while I loaded other stuff, and the snow was coming down so hard that they nearly disappeared by the time I went back to pick them up. The Saddle Mountain SNOTEL reported over 12 inches of additional snow from Sunday morning through Monday morning, which is a great sign.
Back in Hamilton (elevation 3,560?), the temperature was 43 degrees F with patches of blue sky and no precipitation. However, a strong south wind was blowing, which got stronger through the evening and eventually we got some moderate rain. Monday morning, we had a whiteout with some of the most intense snow I?ve ever seen in the Bitterroot Valley, and we actually had an inch or so of accumulation on top about half an inch that had fallen overnight. The forecast calls for precipitation to wind down through the week with high pressure and inversions taking its place by the weekend. If it?s not going to snow, hopefully Ty can at least enjoy some warm sunny skiing next weekend.
A few pictures from the day are at:
http://www.JandEproductions.com/2005/13NOV05.html
J.Spin
