Bluewood Powder

Today was a spectacular powder day at Bluewood. It was a Saturday, but you could hardly tell once you were on the hill. No lift line, no crowds, and hardly any tracks from Friday's riders. There was about a foot of very fresh and tasty powder all over, and the trees were in phenomenally good shape. I had an awesome time grabbing powder runs early, then ran into a fellow Mt. High member, and (re)discovered that there was a bus load on site! Somehow it had slipped my mind that they would be at Bluewood, so I had the unexpected pleasure of showing my fellow club members some of the better pow stashes on the hill. What a great day!

Crystal Mountain Crust

It was a spring-like day today, but with winter temperatures overnight, much of the mountain was hard and crusty. I warmed up on the groomers in the morning, and then headed up to check out the steeps. Warning signs were abundant, advising skiers of the potential for long slides on the hardpacked surface. I opened a dialogue with my chair-mate on High Campbell, and learned where to find the best conditions. I was pleasantly surprised by the chalky, carvable condition of the bumps, and found a number of north-facing spots that were still holding loose snow and softer bumps.

There were ponds forming on the lower mountain, but upper slopes were holding up fairly well. There were certainly rocks to watch out for, but overall the coverage was good enough to keep most runs open. I was breaking in some new boots, which forced me to take a few extra breaks, and the food at the lodge was good enough to keep me smiling between laps.

49 Degrees North

Although the forecast called for snow at 49 degrees, nature provided a more nuanced mix of precipitation, which tested my fortitude. Gusty winds made the rain and occasional ice pellets an annoyance on the lift rides, while clouds enveloped the upper slopes, making visibility a problem as well. Despite the less than ideal weather, I enjoyed cruising the creamy wet snow that blanketed the groom, and found myself carving up the trails with abandon.

Aside from cruising the groomers, I also poked around some of the steeper ungroomed trails, where I found stashes of powder and got soaking wet enjoying trails with almost no other traffic. Coverage was better than on some of my past visits, but wet heavy snow required trail closures that limited my options a little. Still, I found myself enjoying both the highly carvable groom and the pillowy powder stashes for a few hours, until I remembered the need to get back to Portland.

With a 400+ mile drive ahead of me, I called it a day a little earlier than I usually would to get a head start on the return trip. The fact that it was my seventh day in a row riding may have been a factor as well. Still, it was a great day, and I felt I made the most of it by beating the rush to get back into town.

Mt Spokane

I made my traditional pilgrimage to Mt Spokane today, and enjoyed early season conditions. All lifts were open, but cover was thin in spots - "early season conditions exist" is more than a boilerplate warning here. Thankfully I was well prepared to jump over the occasional bare spots, and the groom crew here has done wonders with the snow they have to work with. The snow report indicated a 17 inch base at the bottom, which made the full-mountain opening an impressive feat.

The best riding by far was on the runs at Chair 4, where the clouds were thinner, and the rain less persistent. There were some snowflakes mixed in with the liquid sunshine, but it was one of those days where a second set of dry gloves was appreciated. I did my share of laps cruising the groom, which held up well all day long, but I also spent some time exploring the off-piste, especially off of Chair 1, where there was not much traffic, and therefore ample room for some fresh tracks.

As always, Mt Spokane retains the family feel of a local ski hill, while the lodge offers cozy accomodations for warming one's toes and yummy food for the famished skier. Even though I ended up soaked in the rain, the riding was good enough to keep me on the hill until nearly 3pm, despite this being my sixth day in a row riding. I love Mt Spokane!

After a full day on the hill, the next order of business was attending the Nutcracker suite. As always, the Spokane Symphony provided the pit crew, who provided me with a comp ticket to enjoy a little relaxation at the ballet before heading to another mountain tomorrow.