Today's skiing was also amazing. 12" in last 24 hours, reported this morning. Got to Polar Queen early and did a few laps before they opened gate to Prospect Bowl at 10, after avy control was completed. When they opened, it was not a simple line drop. They metered us in, about 6 at a time. If they hadn't, the ride to Gold and Prospect chairs would have challenged the most congested Eastern runs on a Saturday of a President's Day Weekend. My daughter's friend lost her way and, we find later, ended up at Prospect Chair, then on Galloping Goose and back at the Village. Crazy. My daughter waited at bottom of Gold, hoping her friend would show up. I left her and headed to Rev Bowl. She hasn't learned that there are no friends on a powder day. In a patrolled resort that we have been to three years in a row, there are no teenage daughters either. I took off.
First tracks and nearly first-tracks at Rev Bowl were amazing. Yeah, ok, I brought my 85-width skis, considering the conditions at Telluride, and I occasionally hit a hardpacked base. But, no big deal. Snow was flying everywhere with every turn; got blasted in the face a few times. The return to Prospect to meet up with my wife and son, down Little Rose, was also amazing, and another learning experience. It becomes a gulley. Yup, I did it again and got sucked into untouched powder on skier's right. Crrrch! Crrrch! Ski comes of and I am carving a turn on my boot, in rocks. A really good skier happened to be near by, guiding a woman down the trail. She explained that there was a reason (like at Rev Bowl the other day) that the snow there was untracked.
Not only does that side of the gulley's solar aspect result in thinner, or no, cover, the track of the storm deposited more snow on the gulley's skier's left. That last part I don't understand. A gulley is kind of protected from the wind. So, it seems to me both sides would get just as much snow in a single storm. Anyway, it didn't. I kept a close eye on where she was skiing, until the gulley opened up to an apron. I did venture into the trees on skiers left of the gulley, keeping sight of the gulley. Amazing and untracked.
My skis had been tuned after the incident at Rev Bowl the other day and I'd like to comment on the tuning. Great job by Boot Doctors. They perfectly filled the base gouges that exposed the edges, on both skis, which I wanted to fill to avoid snagging and pulling out an edge. Edges were sharpened, but in such a way that one can still see marks left by rocks. I.e., they didn't grind down to a polished surface. They did what was needed for the type of skiing being done, preserving the life of the ski. Nicely done.
Another amazing thing? At 1 PM, there was no line at TomBoy. In fact, they gave us a table that could accommodate up to 10, though it was just me and my wife with a promise that three kids will show up. Yes, it has really slowed down at Telluride. Both yesterday and today, lines were pretty short. Ski school classes were fewer and smaller.
Forecast of temperature has been more accurate than forecast of snow. It's been cold the last few days and will be again tomorrow. Having chosen tomorrow for ice climbing has worked out; it is on. Looking forward to it.
