A
Anonymous
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After giving advice via AT&T long distance to a few old Boston friends heading to Tucks for the weekend, I headed up to Tahoe for a little more lift-served. <BR> <BR>There's a little more left, with Kirkwood closing Sunday, Alpine Meadows switched to morning operation, Squaw hauling skiers over a mostly-bare lower mountain, and smaller areas closed for the year. Went to Alpine to track down an old MITOC friend for some tele fun, and found it. <BR> <BR>I also found a dozen other intermediate tele skiers. Every other chair on the Roundhouse lift had a free-heeled passenger, many of whom were getting a last few "free" runs before spring BC started. Being new to the area, it's nice to get such a "warm welcome" from the tele community. Only at MRG have I ever met random skiers on a lift and proceeded to ski runs and share secrets. It's a nice feeling. <BR> <BR>The snow was pretty good, too. Unlike Squaw, they had solid coverage right down to the base, although many steep or south-facing aspects had occasional bare patches. The outlying terrain off Scott and Sherwood was closed for the season, but the core "Meadows", showed no dirt. I started with firm cruisers early in the cloudy morning, and graduated to some steeper and cruddier aspects by the afternoon. All the while, a wicked breeze ripped across the top of the ridge, sending rolls of mist down into the upper bowls. I learned quickly that tele gear has another weakness--tailwinds are murder. A few strong gusts sent me over my tips as I laid out shallow teles off the summit six-pack. At one point, as I stood in a moderate tele to hold myself against a sustained blast, a stronger gust tipped me forward, lifted my rear ski clear off the snow and sent me face first (again!) onto my front ski tip. Hmm. I either need more aerodynamic clothing or greater body mass. <BR> <BR>Of course, this being California, the sun came out by lunchtime and warmed everything up. The slush was smooth and abundant, and a decent coat of Swix "Yellow" kept me from sticking and faceplanting. Not a bad day, overall.