tseeb
Well-known member
Kirkwood, CA 12/17/19
After two busy days at home, I got on road at 6:20 AM, the same time my wife left for work, where she is down to about 20 work days before she retires at the end of Jan. I turned into Kirkwood three and a half hours later. Parking along the road across from chair 7 was full so I drove another half mile to main base where I was waved into one of the few spots remaining in what is often paid parking, close to chair 6 and about 50 feet from where I would finish my skiing.View attachment 1I rode chair 6 three times, first skiing Zachary’s the main E-facing groomer where snow was kind of chopped up. I then tried Sentinel, which skied much better with some windsift on top of packed powder. I was going to head towards Backside, but got too low so I repeated Sentinel and skied excellent groomer to base of chair 7 which I used to get to The Wall, which also held good windsift on top of packed powder. I skied chutes to right of Eagle Bowl, under the Cirque, and found a little deeper untracked from? On chair 4, I then skied some great windsift I spotted at the top, then found more going either side of the Wave. Getting to the right of the Wave required some hiking, but it deep not warm me up and long slow chair was very cold. I returned to Main Base by dropping small cornice into excellent windsift at top of Thunder Saddle and skied Two Man chute. I then rode chair 2 and skied High Whisky, which even though W-facing had some decent untracked. I had some cold pizza and beer in the car, but went into 7800 to warm up with a $7 Deschutes and some snacks from my pocket.
My afternoon was three laps on the Wall and three on Cornice plus a return to car using chair 7. I twice skied the windsift under the top of the Wall. On my last time up, I looked into Notch Chute, but didn’t like how skis would get bounced off the snow on very steep entrance.
From there I was able to get to first Sisters Chute without removing skis and found deep windsift before the entrance and did not hesitate before skiing steep wall on right side of entrance.I stopped for pictures and was glad to see narrow exit went.
I skied chutes below there and started feeling a little tired. I moved to Cornice and skied left wall entrance into Jim’s where narrow chute overhung by rock is ski-able early in season before usually turning into a snowcliff when snow gets deeper.
I next skied Lookout Janek, doing my best to avoid bumps in failing light. Snow surface was good, but steep left side (or me) did not ski as well as it looked. I finished my day about 3:45 with 18 lifts/22,3K on my watch by taking long, mostly gravity traverse to Palisades where I found this.
I would have stopped for Happy Hour tacos at Kirkwood Inn, but they are not open every day this time of year. I stopped at Grocery Out in SLT to supplement my pizza for dinner. Cabin, which had not been used for over a month, was very cold. I did not remove my ski clothes including jacket until I went into warmer bedroom about 7 PM. :?:
After two busy days at home, I got on road at 6:20 AM, the same time my wife left for work, where she is down to about 20 work days before she retires at the end of Jan. I turned into Kirkwood three and a half hours later. Parking along the road across from chair 7 was full so I drove another half mile to main base where I was waved into one of the few spots remaining in what is often paid parking, close to chair 6 and about 50 feet from where I would finish my skiing.View attachment 1I rode chair 6 three times, first skiing Zachary’s the main E-facing groomer where snow was kind of chopped up. I then tried Sentinel, which skied much better with some windsift on top of packed powder. I was going to head towards Backside, but got too low so I repeated Sentinel and skied excellent groomer to base of chair 7 which I used to get to The Wall, which also held good windsift on top of packed powder. I skied chutes to right of Eagle Bowl, under the Cirque, and found a little deeper untracked from? On chair 4, I then skied some great windsift I spotted at the top, then found more going either side of the Wave. Getting to the right of the Wave required some hiking, but it deep not warm me up and long slow chair was very cold. I returned to Main Base by dropping small cornice into excellent windsift at top of Thunder Saddle and skied Two Man chute. I then rode chair 2 and skied High Whisky, which even though W-facing had some decent untracked. I had some cold pizza and beer in the car, but went into 7800 to warm up with a $7 Deschutes and some snacks from my pocket.
My afternoon was three laps on the Wall and three on Cornice plus a return to car using chair 7. I twice skied the windsift under the top of the Wall. On my last time up, I looked into Notch Chute, but didn’t like how skis would get bounced off the snow on very steep entrance.
