A
Anonymous
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Hit the trail at about 9:45, the trail being Gondalier. One set of dog tracks, one set of snowboard tracks, both headed down -- apparently dog and rider walked up another way. Sun was in and out of the clouds, mostly in above 3500 feet. Still some snowflakes in the air near the top. <BR> <BR>Almost got lost on the climb up -- I turned into the woods too soon for the fabled Climbing Gully to the summit. Great skinning up among the pines, with a couple of feet of firm natural base. I gomered around for a bit, sure the trail was to my right. It was left. I found it. The skinning was really good in this new snow -- my fake plastic skins ruled the hill. Only took them off for about 30 feet of narrow steep gully; otherwise, skinned the whole way from the bottom. <BR> <BR>Hit the top 12:15 PM, the top being part way up the climbing gully above the Cliff House, about where a whole mess of trees and rocks seem to have taken root where there were none a week ago. Powerful magiks at work in the high alpine. Magic wrist computer showed 4110 feet. Two hours 30 minutes of climbing. Eleven minutes of fiddling with gear. at top. Time to go to work. <BR> <BR>Snow way up high, above the lifts, was pretty cool -- kinda of an icy, scratchy base covered with wet whipped cream. Fun short swing turns in narrow places, much adventure, problems to solve. <BR> <BR>Yes, there was 3-5" of light yet wet snow, everywhere. Including places where there was no snow a day or so ago. This made finding the places that exhibited base at times difficult, especially below the Cliff House but above 2500 feet. Below 2500 feet, by the time I got back there, much of the snow on bare earth was already gone, making finding the proper route much easier. <BR> <BR>Some awful noises from my P-tex on parts of upper switchback/gondalier where snow was atop crushed granite. Found sliver of snow on far right side, and rode it down top of Gondalier and all the way down lower half of Perry Merrill. This was some sweet skiing: endless S turns in fresh, untracked, unspoilt powder. Mine, all mine. <BR> <BR>Skied down 2560 feet, according to wrist computer. Thirty minutes, 3.4 seconds. <BR> <BR>Had to walk all of 4 minutes, 400 feet to my car. Eleven minutes of fussing, an hour drive, back at work for a meeting at 2:30. <BR> <BR>A perfect day, and maybe the last of the season, unless somebody can coax me down to Killington with promises of treats.