As anticipated, this morning offered the opportunity to mine the gems that were left over after this last installment. The Upper Cirque was offering some thin lines of deposited goodness, however, as a note of caution, the entire approach to the drop in has been stripped to the rocks, leaving 20 to 30′ to get across. That can be somewhat problematic, but not a deal breaker. Mineral Basin was also offering some very nice smooth deposition that required a delicate, feathered turn to schmooze the best consistency from the turn. A more abrupt, edge heavy turn would send you deeper into the depth, which would slog the turn unnecessarily. The wind continued to blow out of the South, continuing to fill in the low guts with goodness. Regulator was very crispy until Noon, after which it softened, offering some smooth arcing. The lower half of the hill was crispy as well, after yesterday’s late warming zapped it, but after Noon it began to soften as well. Tomorrow, look for the High North to be still holding the cold, but the lower two thirds of the hill will be crispy for sure, so look for the tenderizing efforts to mitigate the glaze. There is a cloud deck moving in now, so the Sun may not be counted on to assist in the softening, so plan accordingly. I took a lap out to the Exotic Trees to see how things looked over there after this last addition, finding the highest North East facing sections still sugary, but lower down the warmth worked the pack, leaving it very punchy and challenging indeed. It is that time of year that quality goes quickly, and is very sensitive to Sun rays and ambient temps. Here is a shot of the Bookend buttresses being hammered by the wind on the traverse out to the Sunday Cliffs. IBBY!!! P. S. This pitch looks flat, but it is just the funky way I was holding the camera as I snapped the shot on the fly.
BOOKENDS