It was pouring rain when I woke up this morning, making me think several times if I wanted to give it a try. I rallied, and it was still pouring on the hill when I arrived. Fortunately, by the time first chair went up, the clouds had moved off and there was sunshine greeting the Faithful for the festivities. The rain had left a soft velvet feel to the pack, but the off trail was breakable and had not frozen. The Groomers were the place to find the most consistent lines. I went looking for smooth corn, but I bagged the line and saved the surface as it was just too breakable.
Here is a shot of Team Schnegg, who were out early and were looking at some of the options. I have known Schnegg since day one of my time at The Bird, and we all still have the fire. With no freeze, the pack was going down hill fast, so I worked the lines as fast as I could. Big Emma was extraordinary, with a soft sorbet quality that was untracked and stellar. Here is a shot of the big open area of The Summit with The Twins framed in the atrium window. This was taken today and the Twins are as fat as they get!!
Things got too soft for me around 11 AM, so I went to the Forklift to enjoy the ambience and quiet of this time of the year. Tomorrow, look for warm temps to continue. I don’t expect much of a freeze, if any, so stay with the groomers for supportable consistency. The off trail will continue to be very difficult and breakable. Traffic should be light and no waiting for the lifts.
In parting, I offer this alternate view of that large chunk that calved off the ledge. Will it stay there, or will it slide further down the hill as the snow melts? We’ll have to keep and eye on it. Speed Safely!!