Day 58: Deep blue skies
Skidog and I caught first tram up on Saturday morning. Normally I would've waited a couple of hours more to show up, but I only had a few hours on Saturday to ski due to afternoon obligations. It was a chilly morning for late April, with temps in the low teens.
Given the photos that mbaydala posted from Thursday and Friday, and his promise that it stayed cold on Friday, our plan was to hike up to the North Baldy Traverse to head into Wildcat at Alta, where I was sure that untracked remained. Two problems, however: 1) mbaydala was wrong, it apparently did get softened on Friday, and 2) the Baldy hike was closed right at Chamonix I.
This forced us to scrape our way down horrid refrozen coral to the top of the Peruvian Express. That was enough to convince us to stay on the groomers for the morning.
We swung back to our respective vehicles, Skidog to swap out his new Scarpa Tornados for his trusty Garmont Adrenalins, and me to swap out my Goliaths for the Reverends. Now fitted to the right equipment, we headed up Peruvian and to the tunnel to Mineral Basin, where we were convinced that softer snow awaited.
Of course, that was the case. This, too, is the time of year when groomer paths appear in the most unexpected places. On Saturday that was upper Not Quite Corn to lower High Stakes (right through the gully!), and White Diamond. I can just hear things in the groomer garage:
"I'll bet you can't groom White Diamond without a winch!"
"Oh, yeah? Just watch me!"
That makes for fun spring mornings at The Bird!
Skidog and I caught first tram up on Saturday morning. Normally I would've waited a couple of hours more to show up, but I only had a few hours on Saturday to ski due to afternoon obligations. It was a chilly morning for late April, with temps in the low teens.
Given the photos that mbaydala posted from Thursday and Friday, and his promise that it stayed cold on Friday, our plan was to hike up to the North Baldy Traverse to head into Wildcat at Alta, where I was sure that untracked remained. Two problems, however: 1) mbaydala was wrong, it apparently did get softened on Friday, and 2) the Baldy hike was closed right at Chamonix I.
This forced us to scrape our way down horrid refrozen coral to the top of the Peruvian Express. That was enough to convince us to stay on the groomers for the morning.
We swung back to our respective vehicles, Skidog to swap out his new Scarpa Tornados for his trusty Garmont Adrenalins, and me to swap out my Goliaths for the Reverends. Now fitted to the right equipment, we headed up Peruvian and to the tunnel to Mineral Basin, where we were convinced that softer snow awaited.
Of course, that was the case. This, too, is the time of year when groomer paths appear in the most unexpected places. On Saturday that was upper Not Quite Corn to lower High Stakes (right through the gully!), and White Diamond. I can just hear things in the groomer garage:
"I'll bet you can't groom White Diamond without a winch!"
"Oh, yeah? Just watch me!"
That makes for fun spring mornings at The Bird!
