J.Spin
New member
After the intense snowfall on Saturday at Gash Point, I was excited to find out how much new snow would be reported at Lost Trail on Sunday. Their early report indicated only two new inches, but the forecast suggested more could be on the way during the day. We?d even picked up a bit more snow in the valley, so I had snow-covered roads to content with on my drive up to the pass. When I arrived at Lost Trail, I found Bruce and family unloading in the parking lot. He was going to be skiing with his two sons and their wives, and we planned to meet up by radio as soon as they had taken care of some ski rental details.
Lost Trail was hosting a snowmobile hill climb competition of the MSSHA (Mountain States Snowmobile Hill Climb Association). I recalled the name because they had ?MSSHA? on a big enclosed snowmobile trailer parked near the base area, and I was trying to figure out what the letters stood for. MSSHA even comes with their own ambulance, which seems like a good idea, but makes one wonder just how crazy these races are. I?ve never actually experienced lift-serviced skiing at Lost Trail when they?ve had snowmobile races going on, since they usually seem to have these races some time in April the week after the ski area has closed. E and I had hiked for some late season turns on one of these weekends before, and the snowmobiles were incredibly loud and annoying until we had hiked a good distance away. On Sunday, they had actually closed off South Face (the main slope above the base lodge) for the race, so I was worried about what the noise would be like while we were skiing. Actually, the noise wasn?t bad at all since the snowmobiles were far enough away from most open terrain, and everyone was treated to a thrilling show as they rode up Chair 1. These guys were going straight up South Face, which tops at a pitch of probably 30 degrees. In addition, they had to stay on a course marked with gates which included various terrain features and a couple of huge jumps. It was actually amazing to see how fast these guys could go up such a steep hill. So, overall, I don?t think the race detracted at all from the skiing, aside from the closure of one trail.
I?d brought both my CMH fat skis and my Pilot Hots, but I decided two inches of new snow just wasn?t quite enough for the fatties. I took a quick first run by myself in the bowl below Femur Ridge. The bowl was virtually untracked, but the new snow was over a firm base so it didn?t feel much like a powder skiing experience. Just as I was dropping into the bowl, I got a radio call from Bruce and I managed to meet him at the summit.
I joined Bruce and his family for a few runs in the Chair 2 area, and we mostly stuck to groomed runs like Southern Comfort and Far Out. They were lightly tracked at this point, and skied much like the bowl from my first run. I was glad I?d chosen to ride the Pilot Hots, because even with the fresh powder, the skiing was a carving experience. The Hots were totally in their element, and I was able to slice and dice the terrain at will. We did take one run on the ungroomed terrain of Upper Thunder. The bumps were hard, and the choppy surface below the powder made for a more jarring ski experience. One run was enough for me (and I think everyone else) on Thunder. Lower Thunder was actually closed because it had not been groomed in a long time, and the snow had become rotten due to sun exposure. We could see the tracks of a few people that had tried to ski it, and they looked like the kind if nightmare turns that Bruce and I had dealt with on Saturday at Gash Point. I guess the ski patrol just decided to close off the slope until either the grooming machines or Mother Nature could remedy the situation. Right next door however, the Lightning trail was in great shape. I hit the skier?s right side along the trees and found some of the softest snow up to that point.
The only regular trail in this area that seemed to be closed due to coverage was Corkscrew under the Chair 2 lift line. I had seen some areas of small trees and moss begin to open up the previous weekend, and the warm week with sun had really accelerated the melting out process. Without the couple of inches of fresh snow, it probably would have been a gruesome sight. Snow began to hammer down from the sky for a bit in the late morning, and we had easily picked up another inch by the time we hit the lodge for lunch.
After lunch, we all headed off to Chair 4 for some long runs. We got there via Side Street, which had very few tracks and served up some nice fresh turns. We were still touching down on the base, but the new snow was already making things better. Parts of the trails near the bottom of the Chair 4 (the ski area?s lowest lift station at 6,400?) had actually melted out, so the patrol had roped off these sections. Fortunately the new snow had covered up the patches of ground, but it was still a little too thin for safe skiing.
We skied a run on Sacajewea, which was one of the best of the day. After a brief hiatus, the snowfall had returned with a vengeance, and while we had to battle fierce winds and snow on the ride up to the top of Saddle Mountain, we were now skiing on about 5 inches of new snow, and I began to think about switching over to my fat skis. But, the Hots were still doing great so I didn?t bother. We hit a final run down The Face, which had horrible icy bumps under the new snow, and then dropped onto Super G. Super G was in great shape with few tracks, and we had the whole trail to ourselves. I think most people didn?t want to have to deal with the freezing Chair 4 lift ride, or the jarring ride down The Face to get to Super G. I left around 3:00 P.M., really happy that I had gone out for the day. It was actually one of my favorite days of the season, even though we were only on about 5 inches of new snow. Perhaps it was the hard training on crust from the previous day at Gash Point, but my turns were on and I was feeling really good. It also helped to have the energy of skiing with a group of six after so many days by myself. I was also very impressed with the Salomon Pilot Hots again. They seem to do everything I ask of them with no complaints.
The five inches of new snow was our first substantial snowfall in three weeks, but the coming week is looking really good for more snow. There are actually winter storm watches out for western Montana from Wednesday night into Thursday, which is a big deal because I don?t even remember the last time I saw any type of winter weather warning around here. To put the upcoming system into perspective, I?ll take a quote from the latest NWS Missoula forecast discussion ?THIS SYSTEM LOOKS STRONGER THAN ANYTHING OVER OUR AREA THE LAST COUPLE MONTHS?. So, that?s a pretty good sign that we?ll get something out of it. Lost Trail has now dropped Thursdays from their schedule as they begin to wind down operations for the season, so they are only open Friday through Sunday. Bruce was already talking about heading up to the hill on Friday for some turns, so hopefully this system will pan out and meet powder rule criteria. I?m not even sure where to set the powder rule the way this season has been, and I don?t think I?ve taken a single morning off work to hit the slopes. If they get a foot of new snow I?m certainly going to try to get up there for some turns. I?ve pasted a little more of the Missoula NWS forecast discussion below:
TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT...MAIN
FORECAST CHALLENGE IS THE COLD FRONT MOVING OVER THE AREA BEGINNING WEDNESDAY EVENING. THIS SYSTEM LOOKS STRONGER THAN ANYTHING OVER OUR AREA THE LAST COUPLE MONTHS. AS THE LOW PRESSURE TROUGH MOVES IN WEDNESDAY EVENING...IT WILL BE COUPLED WITH A STRONG JET STREAM OVER THE AREA FURTHER ENHANCING THE SYSTEM. STRONG WINDS BEFORE AND DURING THE COLD FRONT PASSAGE ALONG WITH SNOW IS EXPECTED FOR MOST OF WESTERN MONTANA AND CENTRAL IDAHO. MOUNTAIN AREAS COULD SEE OVER A FOOT OF NEW SNOW OVERNIGHT ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT...AND SOME VALLEY LOCATIONS COULD SEE 3-8 INCHES WITH THIS SYSTEM.
J.Spin
Lost Trail was hosting a snowmobile hill climb competition of the MSSHA (Mountain States Snowmobile Hill Climb Association). I recalled the name because they had ?MSSHA? on a big enclosed snowmobile trailer parked near the base area, and I was trying to figure out what the letters stood for. MSSHA even comes with their own ambulance, which seems like a good idea, but makes one wonder just how crazy these races are. I?ve never actually experienced lift-serviced skiing at Lost Trail when they?ve had snowmobile races going on, since they usually seem to have these races some time in April the week after the ski area has closed. E and I had hiked for some late season turns on one of these weekends before, and the snowmobiles were incredibly loud and annoying until we had hiked a good distance away. On Sunday, they had actually closed off South Face (the main slope above the base lodge) for the race, so I was worried about what the noise would be like while we were skiing. Actually, the noise wasn?t bad at all since the snowmobiles were far enough away from most open terrain, and everyone was treated to a thrilling show as they rode up Chair 1. These guys were going straight up South Face, which tops at a pitch of probably 30 degrees. In addition, they had to stay on a course marked with gates which included various terrain features and a couple of huge jumps. It was actually amazing to see how fast these guys could go up such a steep hill. So, overall, I don?t think the race detracted at all from the skiing, aside from the closure of one trail.
I?d brought both my CMH fat skis and my Pilot Hots, but I decided two inches of new snow just wasn?t quite enough for the fatties. I took a quick first run by myself in the bowl below Femur Ridge. The bowl was virtually untracked, but the new snow was over a firm base so it didn?t feel much like a powder skiing experience. Just as I was dropping into the bowl, I got a radio call from Bruce and I managed to meet him at the summit.
I joined Bruce and his family for a few runs in the Chair 2 area, and we mostly stuck to groomed runs like Southern Comfort and Far Out. They were lightly tracked at this point, and skied much like the bowl from my first run. I was glad I?d chosen to ride the Pilot Hots, because even with the fresh powder, the skiing was a carving experience. The Hots were totally in their element, and I was able to slice and dice the terrain at will. We did take one run on the ungroomed terrain of Upper Thunder. The bumps were hard, and the choppy surface below the powder made for a more jarring ski experience. One run was enough for me (and I think everyone else) on Thunder. Lower Thunder was actually closed because it had not been groomed in a long time, and the snow had become rotten due to sun exposure. We could see the tracks of a few people that had tried to ski it, and they looked like the kind if nightmare turns that Bruce and I had dealt with on Saturday at Gash Point. I guess the ski patrol just decided to close off the slope until either the grooming machines or Mother Nature could remedy the situation. Right next door however, the Lightning trail was in great shape. I hit the skier?s right side along the trees and found some of the softest snow up to that point.
The only regular trail in this area that seemed to be closed due to coverage was Corkscrew under the Chair 2 lift line. I had seen some areas of small trees and moss begin to open up the previous weekend, and the warm week with sun had really accelerated the melting out process. Without the couple of inches of fresh snow, it probably would have been a gruesome sight. Snow began to hammer down from the sky for a bit in the late morning, and we had easily picked up another inch by the time we hit the lodge for lunch.
After lunch, we all headed off to Chair 4 for some long runs. We got there via Side Street, which had very few tracks and served up some nice fresh turns. We were still touching down on the base, but the new snow was already making things better. Parts of the trails near the bottom of the Chair 4 (the ski area?s lowest lift station at 6,400?) had actually melted out, so the patrol had roped off these sections. Fortunately the new snow had covered up the patches of ground, but it was still a little too thin for safe skiing.
We skied a run on Sacajewea, which was one of the best of the day. After a brief hiatus, the snowfall had returned with a vengeance, and while we had to battle fierce winds and snow on the ride up to the top of Saddle Mountain, we were now skiing on about 5 inches of new snow, and I began to think about switching over to my fat skis. But, the Hots were still doing great so I didn?t bother. We hit a final run down The Face, which had horrible icy bumps under the new snow, and then dropped onto Super G. Super G was in great shape with few tracks, and we had the whole trail to ourselves. I think most people didn?t want to have to deal with the freezing Chair 4 lift ride, or the jarring ride down The Face to get to Super G. I left around 3:00 P.M., really happy that I had gone out for the day. It was actually one of my favorite days of the season, even though we were only on about 5 inches of new snow. Perhaps it was the hard training on crust from the previous day at Gash Point, but my turns were on and I was feeling really good. It also helped to have the energy of skiing with a group of six after so many days by myself. I was also very impressed with the Salomon Pilot Hots again. They seem to do everything I ask of them with no complaints.
The five inches of new snow was our first substantial snowfall in three weeks, but the coming week is looking really good for more snow. There are actually winter storm watches out for western Montana from Wednesday night into Thursday, which is a big deal because I don?t even remember the last time I saw any type of winter weather warning around here. To put the upcoming system into perspective, I?ll take a quote from the latest NWS Missoula forecast discussion ?THIS SYSTEM LOOKS STRONGER THAN ANYTHING OVER OUR AREA THE LAST COUPLE MONTHS?. So, that?s a pretty good sign that we?ll get something out of it. Lost Trail has now dropped Thursdays from their schedule as they begin to wind down operations for the season, so they are only open Friday through Sunday. Bruce was already talking about heading up to the hill on Friday for some turns, so hopefully this system will pan out and meet powder rule criteria. I?m not even sure where to set the powder rule the way this season has been, and I don?t think I?ve taken a single morning off work to hit the slopes. If they get a foot of new snow I?m certainly going to try to get up there for some turns. I?ve pasted a little more of the Missoula NWS forecast discussion below:
TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT...MAIN
FORECAST CHALLENGE IS THE COLD FRONT MOVING OVER THE AREA BEGINNING WEDNESDAY EVENING. THIS SYSTEM LOOKS STRONGER THAN ANYTHING OVER OUR AREA THE LAST COUPLE MONTHS. AS THE LOW PRESSURE TROUGH MOVES IN WEDNESDAY EVENING...IT WILL BE COUPLED WITH A STRONG JET STREAM OVER THE AREA FURTHER ENHANCING THE SYSTEM. STRONG WINDS BEFORE AND DURING THE COLD FRONT PASSAGE ALONG WITH SNOW IS EXPECTED FOR MOST OF WESTERN MONTANA AND CENTRAL IDAHO. MOUNTAIN AREAS COULD SEE OVER A FOOT OF NEW SNOW OVERNIGHT ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT...AND SOME VALLEY LOCATIONS COULD SEE 3-8 INCHES WITH THIS SYSTEM.
J.Spin