Well, if this indeed was the last real weekend of Winter (although reports of its demise may be premature), it was a beauty. Wall to wall sunshine & cloudless skies prevailed.
Let’s start off by stating the somewhat obvious:
-a nice shot of new snow fell on top of the ice.
-the snow that fell was very elevation sensitive – at least in the Central Greens
-on trails where the snow was packed down by groomers, a nice pp surface was there to be had
-in areas that are either sheltered by the wind, or tend to gather wind-blown snow, the skiing was really nice. :lol:
-trails that are exposed to winds got absolutely blasted. :-({|=
Fortunately, I know Pico well enough from the Winter of 2004 (yes, the really cold & windy one with subpar snow) that I know where the snow stays, so I had a grand old time Saturday morning skiing the wind-protected sides of trails, and in the woods. I stuck mostly to the Summit chair and to the Outpost, as I figured the Little Pico Triple and other lower elevation areas would really need more snow to really be worthwhile in the limited time (1/2 day) available.
I hit all my usual spots, finding nice snow on top of a sometimes breakable, sometime not breakable crust below. But there was enough at the higher elevations to provide for a really good time, and I actually skied 2 areas I haven’t this year: the trees in between Wrangler & Stampede, and the very lower section of Upper Giant Killer (accessed via the traverse off Upper Pike, above the Birch Glade trail) that provided the day’s best turns and deepest snow (boot deep), since Upper Giant Killer was closed and you could not access it via the lift.
Saturday afternoon featured snow-tubing with my 3 year old on a fast base down in the Valley, Saturday evening featured a nice dinner out while the grandfolks babysat, and Sunday morning featured a quick cross-country jaunt on a really fast track before a pig-out Easter brunch. Can we do this every weekend until I’m dead? Just asking.
And to top off some great luck, I got a flat tire but had made it home well before it manifested itself in the early eve. I tell you, it’s so much nice dealing with a flat tire in one’s own driveway – with the wife & kid safely indoors – than dealing with it on I-89 or I-93 with them in the car. [-o<
With that kind of luck, I should have made a point to pick up a “Powerball” ticket or something. :idea:
Let’s start off by stating the somewhat obvious:
-a nice shot of new snow fell on top of the ice.
-the snow that fell was very elevation sensitive – at least in the Central Greens
-on trails where the snow was packed down by groomers, a nice pp surface was there to be had
-in areas that are either sheltered by the wind, or tend to gather wind-blown snow, the skiing was really nice. :lol:
-trails that are exposed to winds got absolutely blasted. :-({|=
Fortunately, I know Pico well enough from the Winter of 2004 (yes, the really cold & windy one with subpar snow) that I know where the snow stays, so I had a grand old time Saturday morning skiing the wind-protected sides of trails, and in the woods. I stuck mostly to the Summit chair and to the Outpost, as I figured the Little Pico Triple and other lower elevation areas would really need more snow to really be worthwhile in the limited time (1/2 day) available.
I hit all my usual spots, finding nice snow on top of a sometimes breakable, sometime not breakable crust below. But there was enough at the higher elevations to provide for a really good time, and I actually skied 2 areas I haven’t this year: the trees in between Wrangler & Stampede, and the very lower section of Upper Giant Killer (accessed via the traverse off Upper Pike, above the Birch Glade trail) that provided the day’s best turns and deepest snow (boot deep), since Upper Giant Killer was closed and you could not access it via the lift.
Saturday afternoon featured snow-tubing with my 3 year old on a fast base down in the Valley, Saturday evening featured a nice dinner out while the grandfolks babysat, and Sunday morning featured a quick cross-country jaunt on a really fast track before a pig-out Easter brunch. Can we do this every weekend until I’m dead? Just asking.
And to top off some great luck, I got a flat tire but had made it home well before it manifested itself in the early eve. I tell you, it’s so much nice dealing with a flat tire in one’s own driveway – with the wife & kid safely indoors – than dealing with it on I-89 or I-93 with them in the car. [-o<
With that kind of luck, I should have made a point to pick up a “Powerball” ticket or something. :idea:
