Squaw Valley, CA 4/4/2017

tseeb

Well-known member
Sorry no time to edit so posting as written last night

A friend whose birthday is today (assuming this gets posted 4/5) in South Tahoe for the week and wanted to go to Squaw on 4/4. I went with him and his two children, who are in their early 20s. He asked when we should leave and I said 8 and he said to be at his timeshare then for breakfast. His daughter was cooking, but still in her nightgown so it was after 9 before we got on the road and after 10 before with got to Squaw. They had to do some binding adjustment to accommodate friend who drove up from Santa Cruz Mountains (where he's received over 100" of rain so far this winter) so I went to setup my MCP and after a short wait was on the Funitel about 10:30. I called friend from Siberia chair and they had not yet loaded Funitel so I took 3 laps before they caught up.

It was overcast in South Tahoe, but clearer over Squaw. During the day clouds moved over and winds picked although it was calm and sunny by end of the day. The main wide groomed strip on Siberia was very good and the narrower one closely to chair was a little more challenging. The race course run was not roped off so I took one lap there solo, then skied it at least two more times with friends. We eventually move to Headwall, starting with a lap into Sun Bowl which was still a little firm even though it was about noon. Chutes in Cornice II area were also firm. After skiing Chicken Bowl from Headwall towards Siberia (I tried early entrance that was still too firm), we went into Gold Coast for a break.

After lunch we skied down to Headwall and rode it three times. Friend and I took two laps into The Slot.
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Snow and coverage on steep face were very good although you had to remove skis and walk/down-climb about 200 feet to get past burned out/wind stripped part well before entrance. On 2nd lap I cut right and got another steep face between main run and Classic Chute. We went up Headwall again and friend and I skied Headwall Face. We did not go next to the rock, but came down near lift tower where snow was very good, but it's so steep in there it was hard to ski with confidence. We rode and skied Siberia where skiers right of chair had softened, but not too much before riding it again and skiing Siberia Ridge to painfully slow Emigrant chair. My friend's children and other friend the Attic while he and I skied far right of Main Backside that he did not like enough to want to try Granite Chief. At least the Chief was running - Silverado was not and Red Dog was also not running which mean that people staying at Squaw Creek had to shuttle back. Far East was running so I think Red Dog must have a problem.

They needed a pit stop so I took a lap on Shirley Lake where snow was still good after 2 pm before joining them. When bartender heard it was my friend's birthday, he bought him a beer so I had one with them. We skied left side of Mountain Run that we had to ourselves. Some of the snow was OK, but there were a couple of too soft places. At KT, my friends children realized pack was still in locker at Gold Coast so at least one of them had to ride Funitel up to get it. We barely had time for two laps on KT. I tried to lead friend of friend, who was skiing for the first time in 7 years to the Saddle, the easiest way down. I did not wait for them as by non-stopping it, I got to bottom 4 minutes before closing and gave them a couple of minutes to catch before loading it solo. I skied ridge between Olympic Lady chair and Ladies Downhill which was still very good, then went down groomed and little too soft Exhibition to the bottom well after 4. My watch counted 20 runs and 24.5K.
 

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It was obviously not nearly as warm as Liz' birthday last Wednesday. By 1PM everything was soft and anything flat was quite heavy.

tseeb":1gn2o5wz said:
Silverado was not and Red Dog was also not running
Silverado seems to be on "economic hold." As for the mechanical/electrical issues, you were luckier than us to have Red Dog be down instead of KT-22.
 
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