The conditions surprised us today in our hunt for velvet-ripping groomers around the mountain. The snow is riding so well, and the terrain filling in so incredibly awesome. Get out early to enjoy the quiet lines, open runs, and ripping groomers.
This report was written by Ryan Williams
The mountain has filled in so nicely the past few weeks with all the snow, making the groomers a blast today; from KT and Headwall to Sibo and Shirley, the rollers, banks, and gullies are ripping.
Overcast Skies
Walking to the mountain today, the clouds were rolling with some humidity in the air and cooler temps. The winds were down so we were hoping for some nice ripping turns. After riding Solstice sunset laps on KT yesterday, we wondered if the overnight freezing temps kept the snow velvety or turned icy.,
KT22
The snow on Olympic Lady is looking great. The adventures and traverses out still hold some pockets. This morning, however, we were in a high-speed groomer mode, so we opted for the Saddle. The snow on the Saddle groomer down to Headwall was awesome. Super edge-able and velvety turns on the groomers. It’s so nice getting out early with fewer people to have the run wide open for laying down carves and slashes. The snow is incredible and fast. The overcast skies made it a little tricky for visibility, but with the sun starting to come out, it was getting better with each turn.
Headwall
At the top of Headwall, we noticed how chill and sweet the main groomer off Siberia was looking and headed that way via Chicken Bowl, which had just been groomed. The run is still narrow this time of year, but the slope and flying groomer below The Palisades is always a good time. The snow was fast, and the groomers soft. Off-piste had a nice 1/2” refresh from the other day’s storm and wind blowing it around. The tracked-out terrain made for classic dust on crust, still fun and adventurous, just not as fast as ripping the groomers today.
Siberia
At the top, there was almost no wind today. The snow felt terrific, and the main groomer down was still looking fresh with corduroy and hadn’t iced out yet. We dropped into the fantastic steep turns this run provides – and this morning, the snow was perfect for laying down big fast carves, taking it down to the apron in the flats. With all the fantastic pow days we’ve had in the past few weeks, this was the first day this year ripping this groomed.
The snow was amazing on these runs today. This time of the year, the groomers around Siberia have more rollers and banks. And today, they were ripping with velvety snow, holding an edge deep and cruising over the rollers, laying it down. We took multiple laps.
Shirley
The snow on Shirley was excellent today. Fortunately,, when we arrived at 10:15am,, the groomers were still soft, holding well, and not icy/scraped off. The overcast and shade have been creating some white ice in spots by the afternoons on some of the groomers. The groomers on Shirley this morning were ripping, especially along the sides. The trees were riding fun too. And if you hunt it out, the north-facing spots in the trees are still holding a few pow stashes.
