Mount Spokane

I decided to sleep in a little later this morning, knowing that the drive to Mount Spokane would be a short one, but that the drive in the evening would require me to be well rested. There was freezing fog overnight, which made the drive a little dicier than expected, but I made it safely to the mountain before the chairs started turning. I decided to avoid the crowd by starting out at Chair 1, which also meant a much more convenient parking spot at the secondary lodge there. It had been a fairly dreary morning in Spokane, but the clouds parted as I arrived at the base of the mountain, and there were clear skies and amazing views. I began with a few runs down the groomers on Chair 1, which are comfortably steep - really good for cruising. Then I worked my way around the mountain, with a trip down to Chair 2 and then a few runs on the backside at Chair 4. Having familiarized myself with the layout, I proceeded to check out all the runs I could manage.

Some of the areas on Teakettle were quite exposed, with rocks in abundance, but there were stashes of powder in between, so I couldn't resist. I made my way from there down B-29, and then back around for another pass on Chair 1. I kept making laps, looking for powder in the trees, and practicing my mogul busting skills. Eventually I even made it to the terrain park, although it was busy enough that I only caught a few jumps on my way down. Particularly challenging was Exterminator, where the moguls were approaching car size, and the runout required plenty of speed to clear a long uphill. For the most part, the groomed runs were fast and smooth, and the powder was hiding in the trees.

The weather was really nice in the morning, with snow starting in the afternoon and getting heavier as I departed. I finally left the hill when the clouds completely enveloped the mountain, and visibility became too low to see the next lift tower ahead. I certainly got my fill of turns, and the Riblet fixed double chairs reminded me of Skibowl, my favorite little ski area at home. It has been great fun to board all over the state of Washington. I am looking forward to area number ten next weekend when Hurricane Ridge opens for the season.