tseeb
Well-known member
It was my 2nd day in a row at new to me MT ski area. (Sunday, March 1 was Showdown.) Some differences are that Showdown seemed to stay cool while White Sulphur Springs, where we stopped for a soak, and Bozeman both got into the high 50s. Also, the cold that I developed from sharing gondolas or snowcat or helis in BC or from 2 days of high winds at Kicking Horse and Panorama has been making it hard to sleep every other night and last night was the worst with little sleep and a lot of coughing.
I bought $49 Senior ticket and start skiing about 930. Most runs I tired, even parts of the groomed ones, had an overnight freeze after warm weather on Sunday and overcast on Monday AM did not help the softening. I started riding and skiing the lowest chairs, Virginia City then Sunnyside which I used to move to Powder Park where I skied Powder Puff to 'Alpine' chair. I found OK fast groomed snow on both chairs skiing Porcupine into Bobcat, then Porcupine to exit above Sunnyside where some snow was missing so I took a higher line.
I then rode Bridger chair where near the top I saw a youngish boy fall off the edge of the road, which was the only not steep and very firm run. He did not go far, but his ski went about 30' down the hill and he didn't know what to do. I did not want to see him lose control trying to one-ski to his other ski and seeing patrol at top go away before I got his attention I went down and got it for it. He didn't think I could make it all the way back up to the road side-stepping so I traversed and met him on it and he thanked me . Then patrol, who was throwing rocks off the road, showed up and assumed I was related to the kid.
I took an early turnoff into North Bowl Run where I was careful with the steep, firm bumps. I moved to Pierre's Knob chair and found good snow in the South Bowl but there were a lot of stuff on the snow. They were mostly tree parts, but some were rocks so I tried to avoid them all. I also skied blue groomer Thunder Road, then tried but failed to find entrance to Schlasman's after skiing difficult firm bumps in Southbound where I saw some exits from Schlasman's. I went to base lodge for a break and a snack. Does $5 for small order of fries now sound like a deal?
I went up Virginia City and Pierre's Knob and took a little easier route to the Schlasman's ropeline and closely followed it to where there was an entrance. But it went straight down a steep drop then up the higher other side so I followed road to the left which I quickly realized was an exit so I went against the sign and followed the uphill hike into Schlasman's, At the top of lift I went left and skied traverse track that entered bowl with great smooth winter packed powder.
I was concerned that staying on top of ridge could have led to mandatory air or rock crossing to enter bowl from higher up. Top of chair circled in next photo.
Looking down from same place. First time I went left towards open area in middle. The next two times I went right and found more good steep snow and the boundary line.
Skiers in bumps under Schlasman's. They still looked and seemed firm at 120.
View from the top of chair towards bowl that I skied every time. I took shiny traverse just to left of center that I was sure went through without trauma.
Following the boundary line to lowest return led to a steep drop then crossing a gully and a short uphill with a couple rocks to avoid,
Then there was about 5' of no snow to cross. It was surprisingly close to the chair here (behind me obviously).
I was going to exit Schlasman's but I ran into Maurice a Sante Fe emergency room Dr. from the Netherlands who I shared a chair with earlier so I showed him what I'd found. I probably should have stopped and kept a closer eye on him on the traverse because I saw him fall and thought he ended up below it and would have had to ski a steeper, bumpier route but he joined me in bowl and followed me to boundary line and exit. He blamed problem on rental skis.'
In photo with Maurice it looks like there is a clean entry from top. I'd started to follow a snowboarder to that area on my 2nd time down Schlasman's but when he hesitated and seemed to be returning and I could see a lot of rocky steep drops I stuck with lower traverse. I exited Schlasman's and poled a lot on sunny and slow Pierre's Return to Pierre's chair where I saw some people skiing short, steep chutes off it. Photo taken later from Bridger chair.
I went up Bridger to take some photos of thin snow. The best way to ski it may be to use midway unload and ski smooth runs that must have had races on weekend.
I quit before 3 with a better day after lodge break than I expected to have after the morning.
I bought $49 Senior ticket and start skiing about 930. Most runs I tired, even parts of the groomed ones, had an overnight freeze after warm weather on Sunday and overcast on Monday AM did not help the softening. I started riding and skiing the lowest chairs, Virginia City then Sunnyside which I used to move to Powder Park where I skied Powder Puff to 'Alpine' chair. I found OK fast groomed snow on both chairs skiing Porcupine into Bobcat, then Porcupine to exit above Sunnyside where some snow was missing so I took a higher line.
I then rode Bridger chair where near the top I saw a youngish boy fall off the edge of the road, which was the only not steep and very firm run. He did not go far, but his ski went about 30' down the hill and he didn't know what to do. I did not want to see him lose control trying to one-ski to his other ski and seeing patrol at top go away before I got his attention I went down and got it for it. He didn't think I could make it all the way back up to the road side-stepping so I traversed and met him on it and he thanked me . Then patrol, who was throwing rocks off the road, showed up and assumed I was related to the kid.
I took an early turnoff into North Bowl Run where I was careful with the steep, firm bumps. I moved to Pierre's Knob chair and found good snow in the South Bowl but there were a lot of stuff on the snow. They were mostly tree parts, but some were rocks so I tried to avoid them all. I also skied blue groomer Thunder Road, then tried but failed to find entrance to Schlasman's after skiing difficult firm bumps in Southbound where I saw some exits from Schlasman's. I went to base lodge for a break and a snack. Does $5 for small order of fries now sound like a deal?
I went up Virginia City and Pierre's Knob and took a little easier route to the Schlasman's ropeline and closely followed it to where there was an entrance. But it went straight down a steep drop then up the higher other side so I followed road to the left which I quickly realized was an exit so I went against the sign and followed the uphill hike into Schlasman's, At the top of lift I went left and skied traverse track that entered bowl with great smooth winter packed powder.
I was concerned that staying on top of ridge could have led to mandatory air or rock crossing to enter bowl from higher up. Top of chair circled in next photo.
Looking down from same place. First time I went left towards open area in middle. The next two times I went right and found more good steep snow and the boundary line.
Skiers in bumps under Schlasman's. They still looked and seemed firm at 120.
View from the top of chair towards bowl that I skied every time. I took shiny traverse just to left of center that I was sure went through without trauma.
Following the boundary line to lowest return led to a steep drop then crossing a gully and a short uphill with a couple rocks to avoid,
Then there was about 5' of no snow to cross. It was surprisingly close to the chair here (behind me obviously).
I was going to exit Schlasman's but I ran into Maurice a Sante Fe emergency room Dr. from the Netherlands who I shared a chair with earlier so I showed him what I'd found. I probably should have stopped and kept a closer eye on him on the traverse because I saw him fall and thought he ended up below it and would have had to ski a steeper, bumpier route but he joined me in bowl and followed me to boundary line and exit. He blamed problem on rental skis.'
I went up Bridger to take some photos of thin snow. The best way to ski it may be to use midway unload and ski smooth runs that must have had races on weekend.
I quit before 3 with a better day after lodge break than I expected to have after the morning.