Matt Duffy
New member
<I>(Note from the Administrator: This report was originally posted on 1/18/00. Due to our move to new servers, the date and time attributed to this post is incorrect.)</I> <BR> <BR>We were the eighth car in the lot on a cold, grey morning. The thermometer at the single reading just below 0 and my little thermometer suggested -10F at the <BR>top of the double. Nasty, nasty wind. A balaclava, facemask, and <BR>goggles don't bother me when I'm hunched over an ice axe somewhere in <BR>NH, but skiing requires a little more flexibility and visibility. <BR>But, with little ice anywhere, I had no reason to cruise at excessive <BR>speeds. I couldn't have if I'd wanted to--my 0F-14F wax stuck like <BR>climbing skins on that frigid surface. <BR> <BR>Everything on the upper half of the mountain seemed heavenly, after a <BR>month of skiing minimal-base machine-groomed. A long cruise down <BR>Antelope began with smooth packed snow, mellowed into soft windblown <BR>drifts, then transitioned to a challenging "crust" (more like <BR>wind-packed) on the big left turn and sidehill. I leaned back and <BR>cruised--my much heavier partner sank and crashed. Hard snow and <BR>waterbars finished the adventure. Spent the rest of the morning <BR>feeling out the place and cautiously avoided challenges. Found plenty <BR>of soft, untracked snow on gentle, quiet trails without even looking <BR>hard. Skied Gazelle Glades at 1pm and rarely crossed a track. Where <BR>was everybody? Too cold?