more snow, wind and cold

the roller coaster continues. up and down, over and under, sideways and fast, the winter of 10/11 has been wild and crazy.

monday morning brought a fresh new 6" to the Big. enough in many places to make for deep turns, not enough in many spots to stop you from hitting the bottom. but overall, great skiing, and in the afterthought of winter carnival, super bowl and all around good skiing for many days, the crowds did not flock to fast or furious. it was nice to ski untracked all morning without feeling the pressure, or having to wait for long for the next chair.

i had full intention of hitting a lap or two in the canyon, but the after-affects of an "adult" cookie during the super bowl party we have every year, left my brain a bit fuzzy. somethings i can handle, beer, others not so much. anyway, i was content to ski the hill with a great group of gals. there are just so many strong skiers here these days, of both sexes. and the gear is so great, everyone just rips. super fun.

for some cardio, i took the dogs to whitefish lake. deep snow on top of an 8" thick ice makes for some good skiing. always feel a bit unsure out there, but it is such a beautiful perspective of the north valley. and fun to look up at the hill after a great morning, thru the backyards and windows of the rich and sometimes famous. beautiful!

when the winds picked up late on monday morning, the lift ride became increasingly uncomfortable. the immediate effect on skiing was pretty cool, turning newly wind-loaded slopes like the face into some good surfing. but ultimately, it was too cold for me.

yesterday went for a tour with a pretty hardcore group of middle aged men and women who still want to be in their 20's. start early, go hard, no breaks. but this group does not end the day with endless beers at the stube or somewhere else, but head back into town to pick up kids, return to work and regain their age.

we found some really good snow on multiple aspects, as the cold temps did not allwo the bright sunshine to affect snow quality. there are however, many new hazards. a result of the high winds that lasted over 24 hours. new wind load is as big a concern as a new dump, sometimes more. in this case we kicked off a few slabs, but they did not propogate, and in the somewhat mellow and protected terrain we had chosen, they really did not present a problem. just know the top 6-12" are not bonded, especially in the typical trouble spots.

some snow happening now, but not much really expected. we can always hope the forecasters are just off, by an inch or five.