The predicted deep freeze arrived today. Temps at the base were about 0F all day. Winds at the base were light but up top the wind chill was -45C, so the red chair was closed. Having that chair closed at Castle is like having Marte closed at Las Lenas; you lose lift access to ~75% of the main mountain. There was an inch or two of new snow, but surfaces were about the same as the day before.
I started at ~10:30, bundled up complete with face mask and boot gloves. When I went up the blue chair and saw red closed I went over to Haig. Haig is all mellow cruisers, and after 3 of those I was wind chilled and needed a break. I dropped into the patrol shack and chatted with Darrel Lewko, with whom Adam and I had skied in 1999 and 2008. Darrel reminded me about Castle's fairly new cat operation, adjacent to Haig. The cat is quite efficient as it shuttles skiers from the top of Haig up an extra 800 vertical or so, and for each lap skiers combine the lift and the cat ride.
I took 2 runs on the T-bar, which is parallel to the blue chair but goes 270 feet higher. This allows one to traverse onto the Burn below Huckleberry Ridge. With the combination of weather, limited lift access and my legs needing a break I called it a day at 2PM after 9,100 vertical.
I was not motivated to take my hand out of my mitten for any pictures.
I started at ~10:30, bundled up complete with face mask and boot gloves. When I went up the blue chair and saw red closed I went over to Haig. Haig is all mellow cruisers, and after 3 of those I was wind chilled and needed a break. I dropped into the patrol shack and chatted with Darrel Lewko, with whom Adam and I had skied in 1999 and 2008. Darrel reminded me about Castle's fairly new cat operation, adjacent to Haig. The cat is quite efficient as it shuttles skiers from the top of Haig up an extra 800 vertical or so, and for each lap skiers combine the lift and the cat ride.
I took 2 runs on the T-bar, which is parallel to the blue chair but goes 270 feet higher. This allows one to traverse onto the Burn below Huckleberry Ridge. With the combination of weather, limited lift access and my legs needing a break I called it a day at 2PM after 9,100 vertical.
I was not motivated to take my hand out of my mitten for any pictures.