Today was the first day of Tram operation of the season, and there was a very excited group waiting for the first car to ascend the cables. Anticipation is always the hardest part, but there was some good turns to be had off the top. Regulator was groomed with some loose snow to gain traction, and the steep pitch was not as sketchy as I thought. Peruvian Gulch was fairly well covered, though the off trail areas still had very gnarlitudinous sections to be sure. There are open holes where the warm rocks have melted the cover and areas where the wind blew
Hurry up and wait.
off the cover leaving scree deposits just inches below the surface. I tested out Anderson’s hill just for drill and found it to be doable, but very sketchy and thin. I did the Rat’s Nest entrance into Great Scott because it was open, and that was a huge mistake as all the cover had been scraped to the ground. Some folks were taking off their skis and walking in, but I just sucked it up and used the entire edge to keep some semblance of stability as the folks who took the skis off were grasping at straws trying to maintain. Once in the shot I found nice cover, though the overnight precipitation had left something of a grabby crust to deal with. A good adventure, but not worth going back until there is more snow in the entrance. Tomorrow, look for some additional accumulation from the unsettled impulses that have been moving through all day and are predicted to continue into tomorrow. The terrain features are in super high relief, so expect abrupt changes in terrain continuity and approach accordingly. Here is a shot of the line waiting to get their passes, though they came up with a innovative solution and moved it along much faster. See you for the first Tram in the AM. Stay frosty!!