Mark Renson
New member
First, let's get the bad news out of the way - there were some water bars and certain spots near the bottom of the mountain that <BR>were thin and had that chocolate chip ice cream look. I'm sure that the average McSkiing Touron Twit would whine about such conditions and ignore all of the great fluff, soft packed and great <BR>views that were to be had. <BR> During the prior week, a few inches of snow would pile up each day and then the decision was made at 1:00:007PM EST on Friday to go live. <BR> On Saturday morning, we assembled in the Patrol Room John our new Flight Commander with Co-Pilot Christian were assigning tasks that needed to be completed on the mountain before the general public was to be loaded. I was disappointed that I was to unload at Midstation and not go to the top in order that I place bamboo to mark water bars and other hazards on Broadway. <BR> Carrying bamboo down Broadway, I got some sweet fluff on top of groomed packed. We marked Hildick's Hole and carried more 'boo down some fantastic knee deep untracked on upper Chipmunk. After marking another water bar, I was free to bag <BR>some virgin fluff on lower Panther before heading up, again. I was given the order to do trail check on Lark, so I bagged some sweet light cut up fluff on Cat Bowl, before getting some great untracked on the side of the novice Lark, thankful for some barely grooming where candy is left untouched on the sides of a groomed trail. <BR> Towards the end of the day, it seemed as if I was the only one to bag that patch of ungroomed as I did 3 or 4 trips on it. <BR> Great runs were had on the outer braid of Antelope and more was had on Chipmunk and lower Gazelle. Throughout the day, I was getting great light fluff either in virgin stashes or chopped <BR>patches. We opened Chute for about an hour before closing it as it was getting too hacked. As a consolation we opened Lower Antelope <BR>where Todd Fisher and I had a fantastic roller coaster ride run, gliding down soft packed and chopped powder. <BR> For sweep at the end of the great day, I was treated to some incredible alpenglow displays on the distant Worcester Range, Camel's Rump and The Presidentials where I saw pinks and oranges <BR>melt into purples and blues. <BR> That night at The Hyde Away beer refueling center, one of the &#^*!&+ Cult members revealed that they sampled some woods shots off of {~#? and on Gully Whumper. At the end of the ski day, I saw no evidence of golfing. <BR> Today, The Single was closed and The Double (closed on Saturday) was opened. This meant another day of untracked. I gotta' laugh - <BR>I've got 4 days of skiing and found sweet untracked on all of them; gee, I thought this was supposed to be a lousy season! <BR> More chores were to be peformed bfore opening the mountain to civilians. Much poaching was done the prior day, but much untracked was to be had, too. Upper Panther was great. The second <BR>run was classic - fantastic roller coaster ride skiing down light knee deep untracked on Quacky. Man, I was surfing. Below the headwall was groomed, but covered with much fluff and there was <BR>much candy on the sides. <BR> More great runs followed throughout the day. For sweep, we gathered at the bottom of Porcupine. Those of us who were not assigned to anything at the bottom were told to treat themselves to ducking the rope at the top of P-Bowl and get the knee deep. I'm sure glad I was not wanted at the end of day. <BR> Great weekend. My condolences if you were Christmas Shopping. <BR> Alta? Whistler? Get real, where are there New England style roller coaster ride trails?