Ski the POW on your day off!

The timing of the storm could not have been better. Most of the guests are not prepared to deal with this much snow under their skis anyway. Today is changeover day, so most Profesores de Esquí are free. I got up early to see how it looked and was chomping at the bit by 8:30, but still the only three lifts open were the same lame ones as yesterday. The Piston Bullies were out, the sun was coming out, and the avi patrol was out setting off charges.

They bombed La Garganta and I saw the slide. I skied about ten runs with Tim Thompson (examiner from Killington) on Conejo, the short run that was open yesterday in the middle of the storm. The powder was at least knee deep and we kept picking off lines in the fresh powder further and further on each side of the designated run. You have to be careful of the rocks which are really sharp, big, and hidden. Basically, if you did not take note of where they are before the storm, you are playing Russian Roulette.

By 10:00 am the Las Lomas chair opened, servicing pretty easy terrain, most of it not steep enough to keep moving in about 28" of powder, but there were a few pitches to track out while we eyed the Plateau chair for signs of opening. It opened a little after 11:00am and the real skiing began. From the top of Plateau, choices of terrain abound and, depending on the exposure to the sun and wind, the conditions vary considerably. The lightest and deepest powder was in the shade under the rocks where La Garganta and Las Gargantitas (the throats) descend.

This picture is of one of the Gargantitas, which still need more snow to open. They kept the area below La Garganta closed because there was a fracture in the snowpack and it needs to settle for a few days.

But here's the view from the top of the powder (under these same rocks):

and here's Alex (Swiss demo team) catching a sweet line in the freshies!