Powder interlude

With the warm weather we've been having - 15-20F above average - we had no right to expect a powder day. In fact I didn't hurry out of bed this morning despite last night's forecast of 6-8 inches because I expected the snow to be wet and heavy. Was I surprised when I arrived at the top of the gondola at 9.30 am to find six inches of dry and fairly light snow.

I headed straight to Pioneer Ridge where I still found plenty of nice fresh lines, especially in amongst the trees. I rode the chair on one circuit with this guy who is a former professional golfer and now golf commentator with CBS. You meet some interesting people if you make the effort.

After exhausting the possibilities on Pioneer Ridge I headed over to my favourite tree runs - Closet/Shadows/Lights Out and then Twilight.

By late morning the temperature was really starting to climb and the snow was getting heavier so I decided to head home via Vertigo which was sweet. Not really skied out and still in the shade so the snow was nice and light.

All in all an incredible bonus of a day. Day 49 of my 2005-06 season and powder day 17. A total of nearly 17,000 vertical feet in a little over two hours and I feel like I've really earned a beer and a trip to the hot tub later today!