Empty runs, untouched blower pow, and new terrain. Winter is on.
Today’s blog was written by Ryan Williams.
Sleeper Pow Day
December came rolling in today, kicking off the month with a series of storms. It was awesome waking up to a few inches, with the day’s forecast calling for 1-2 feet. Winter is on.
Question of the day with the wind…what will they open? Nothing better than getting the info right from the lift line. Walking over at 8:30 am felt like a ghost town, with no one around, just a few cars. Classic snow day.
Resort Chair or Funi
The Resort Chair was scheduled to pop at 9 am. However, I was walking up to Funi to hang out through the wind hold. Sure, Resort Chair was going to rock, but the shuttle over, getting stuck over there if they popped the upper mountain. Was it worth it? Could be.
I walked back to the Shuttle spot, waited two minutes, and then got picked up. It was me and three others. We got dropped off right at the lift at 8:58 am. Walked up. Only two others in the line. Felt like a magical private resort. Got third chair. Go time.
First Run – Empty
At the top, it was just me and five others. And no one else. Was this happening? We all laughed. Enjoyed the serene storm and untracked runs all around us.
The first run was amazing, top to bottom untouched blower, 6-8 inches. No one was around. The fresh pow on the groomers and packed trails ripped fast and fun, with side hits galore. Off-piste was looking dope and good to go. The humidity was helping with the new snow bonding to the old layer, with minimal dust on crust feel – it was really filling in. A few snaggleteeth here and there, but for the most part the terrain was filling in, like the skatepark riding style the Resort Chair terrain provides.
Conditions Off-Piste
After a few hacks and slashes feeling it out, it was full on third gear blasting off-piste, hitting the rollers and gullies. I couldn’t believe how untracked it stayed for multiple laps. Did the upper mountain open? Sure enough, Funi had opened. That was awesome. But having terrain limited to mountain run, we decided to stay at the magic place where we were. Plus it was ripping.
Resort Chair kept us going for at least another ten laps, storm rider conditions, absolutely nuking, and tracks filling in. By 11:50 am we’re riding over a foot of fresh. So fun ripping right down to the shuttle pick-up.
Walking back from the shuttle to home, it all felt like a dream.
Did they really open terrain today? They sure did. And it was amazing. Time to get some sleep for tomorrow’s show. It’s going to rock.
