Driving up to Quebec City last night, the ground was bare until Drummondville. After that, 1) it started snowing in earnest, and 2) the snowpack went from nonexistent to a good foot and a half. By the time we reached Quebec City, however, we had driven out of the snowfall -- consistent with the radar screen that showed the bulk of the precipitation staying to the south of the city. <BR> <BR>Sure enough, this morning started out innocuous enough, but by the time I was halfway to Massif du Sud, the roads went to hell. Blowing and drifting snow covered sheer ice underneath. <BR> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/3610.jpg" ALT="The roads south of Quebec City"> <BR> <BR>I got behind one guy who insisted upon braking hard each time he encountered a snowcovered section. Both frustrated by his actions and concerned that he could cause problems for me, I crested a 10% straightaway downgrade and pulled out to pass. <BR> <BR>I pulled into the oncoming lane and began to accelerate when the jackass drifted to the left to straddle both lanes of travel and...you guessed it...hit the brakes, forcing me to jam on the brakes to try to avoid hitting him. Now I'm sliding sideways toward the left ditch. I manage to pull it away from the culvert, but now I'm drifting sideways towards the right ditch. I somehow manage to both keep it on the road and avoid hitting him. Jackass. <BR> <BR>I made it safe and sound to Massif du Sud, along with more people than I've ever seen there. Sure, it wasn't crowded -- never more than a 45-second liftline for their only chairlift -- but it was still refreshing to see the ski area doing a brisk business. I got most details of the sale of the resort while I was there, and this will follow with our next update to the <FONT FACE="comic sans ms"><A HREF="http://www.FirstTracksOnline.com/news.shtm" TARGET="_blank">Ski News</A></FONT> section here. <BR> <BR>I expected dust on crust. I wasn't far off, but in all honesty it was better than that. About 3" of new snow had fallen overnight, and while the surface underneath on the groomers was rock hard, there was a solid platform in the woods and glades that was edgeable but didn't allow you to punch through to the rotten stuff below. There's a ton of snow -- the problem isn't the quantity, it's the quality of the base. <BR> <BR>Some photos: <BR> <BR>Riding the chair above trail #13, La grande allée: <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/3611.jpg" ALT="Riding the chair above trail #13, La grande allée"> <BR> <BR>The top of trail #8, La Cathédrale: <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/3612.jpg" ALT="The top of trail #8, La Cathédrale"> <BR> <BR>Riding the chair above trail #13, La grande allée: <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/3613.jpg" ALT="Riding the chair above trail #13, La grande allée"> <BR> <BR>They cut some steep glades here (#7, Le Septième ciel)...: <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/3614.jpg" ALT="7, Le Septième ciel"> <BR> <BR>...and some not so steep ones (#8A, La timide}: <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/3615.jpg" ALT="#8A, La timide">
