Dos Dawn Patrols

Yours truly, skinning up, Dawn Patrol (photo by Hayride)

Eighteen inches of new snow in 24 hours = two 5:30am wake up calls in a row for me and Hayride. Yesterday (Wednesday) we tried to get up to Anchor Mine but was thwarted by the lack of plowing. With that much wet snow on the ground, and still falling, we didn't make it 5 feet...we had to turn back.

Some joker in a 4Runner with summer tires blocked our way on the way out (why don't people have snow tires at 9,000ft...?) but we quickly pushed his rear end out of the way to make it up to some sidecountry, before the resort opened and the masses descended. A great three runs in Jugg Trees with almost 2 feet of new snow on old moguls, was a joyride barely turning through those trees. Almost too slow snow though - turns were optional. The 4th and last run of the morning found us ducking another rope for some sweet turns on a steeper line, giggling the entire way down in our slow-motion giant slalom course. I was able to look down at my ski tips and see them rise and sink each turn...a surreal feeling!

And today, the road was plowed so we had some great morning-after turns up at Anchor Mine. Amazingly better snow actually, 24 hours later - faster than yesterday's wetter flakes. But the W-I-N-D picked up a tiny bit last night (don't say it aloud!) so we stayed protected in the tree-lined alleys of the hill and scored some of the best DP turns of the season.

Back at work, after two early days of dawn patrol, only cafe' could keep my eyes open, and just barely as I sat at my desk trying to work instead of look at my new desktop photo of last Saturday's powder day. I'm going to miss winter.