HIGH CONTRAST

1-20-11 by dave

The Sun was out in force today, though the morning temps. were still cold, preserving the new installment that has that soft silky feel.  The turns on the Groomers felt like  a pillow top mattress, where you sunk in just the right amount for total comfort.  The crust was almost a non issue on the Groomers, which offered perfect turning, especially the far right side of Big Emma, where I almost missed the turn back to the Tram for the goodness.  Off trail there were some sumptuous sections, which stood in sharp contrast to the high glaze from the recent precipitation event.  Yeah, lets call it that ! Special attention had to be paid to the shades of white that were an indication of the surface quality.  This became of utmost importance when negotiating the upper elevation, high angle shots, where missing the vein of sweetness resulted in a tenacious edge grab on the  High Glaze.  Fortunately, the goodness was widespread, so any long side slip would finally be rewarded with deep cold essence.  There is good, and not so good, but there was plenty of great if you looked around a bit.  Tomorrow, the Groomers will be incredible, with carvelicious smoothness a given.  The Upper Cirque and Upper Silver Fox is closed for the coming event, but there are plenty of other aspects

HIGH SHINE

to charge.  The Wilbre Bowl section is not in particularly good shape just now, with some ultra slick and crunchy challenges.   I did not hear many raves coming from that area.  More snow is forecast for tomorrow night and Saturday morning.  Here is a shot of the high shine on some of the aspects.  Yes it is that hard, but this hard surface has been mitigated in a big way by the new snow, so don’t get the idea that it is all like this. It is not, it was just a shot too good to pass up!!!   Peace Out!

5 Responses to “HIGH CONTRAST”

  1. Jennifer says:

    Today was so much fun! It was honestly the best snowboarding day I’ve ever had in my life! I found so much deep powder, the occasional ice patches were just a minor inconvenience. Sunny, perfect temperature, and just super deep snow. I loved it! Keep up the blog, I love reading!

  2. Dan says:

    Goo hit it on the head. There was the thank-the-ski-goddesses 14″ fall and that occasional ice rink-at-an-angle stuff. But that sun, with temps relatively moderate compared with what we’ve had earlier this winter, was truly great. This was the kind of day where one was wise to scout out a run with the right gradient to avoid having to edge, and repeat. I also liked the wind-groomed Lone Star in Mineral, where one could see the rime right off to the side and play with it a little if one was so inclined. Little Cloud might be thawed and opened tomorrow, so I feel compelled to warn that the entrance to Last Chance was heinous. The sign warns of Avalanche but today one had to beware of RIME!

  3. Drew says:

    I second that statement, today was epic!! I can’t recall being disappointed at all as I was taking full advantage of the HUGE hits!! Extremely big difference from Tuesday.

  4. Tom says:

    Yes another example of polar opposites between tues and thurs this week. Negative ice rink vs. Positive powder paradise. Duality on the bird in a span of 2 days. Hate of hard unforgiving ice coupled with the love of soft sweet powder. Ok, I’ll stop ;>

  5. Joe Snow says:

    RTP was the place to be.

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