Jan 9, 2005: "Bluebird Day" at Pat's Peak

[thetrailboss]

Date(s) Skied: January 9, 2005

Resort or Ski Area: Pat's Peak

Conditions: Powder, PP, FRGR. 8 inches of new snow the previous night :P

Trip Report: On my way home from Loon, I caught the latest NOAA Weather Report and learned that the weather was going to warm up during the week (with possible r%^n) and that Sunday was going to be beautiful. With this info and my Pat's season pass, I decided to catch some ZZZ's on the bus ride home and get up at a more reasonable hour for some turns at Pat's Peak, our little home hill. It was a good decision.

Ms. Trailboss got up as well and we drove up to the hill, arriving at about 10:30am to find a full parking lot and lots of smiles and snow. There was a big race on FIS, which helped explain the cars in the lot, but otherwise, the crowds in the morning were manageable.

I took a quick run down Cyclone to find powder bumps and loose snow, which made me smile, but there were patches of ice still in the middle. The next run was on Duster and featured the same surface. The Blast-Zephyr glade was open and was very nice thanks to the new snow and Pat's snowmaking. Though the glade is small, flat, and wide open, it was nice to get in and play around on the bumps. Blast was in great shape down to the bottom and these two areas were probably the best of the day. We did take some runs on Twister, which was pretty icy, and enjoyed the soft powder on Downdraft. The Valley was not too busy and the trails there were groomed. The park looked great. (Avoid the Valley Double...it is SLOW) .

I took my camera out and played with my new Telephoto lens to get some great shots of the snow, trails, skiers, and the blue sky! It was nice! After lunch on the deck, the clouds rolled in and it got dark and colder. The crowds at the lifts (Hurricane Triple and Summit Double) became excessive as well, which was unusual. We took a few more runs on the Breeze-Zephyr-Glades-Blast route and then took a spin down Cyclone, where Ms. Trailboss hit a bump the wrong way ending her day for the most part . I took a couple more quick runs on Tornado (icy) and then headed to the Lodge to meet Ms. Trailboss and head home.

The snow was great. We had a good time. Probably the best day yet...let's hope for more!

AZer's will also be happy to know that Pat's has taken our suggestions from the "Ski Area Challenge" seriously. During Christmas week, they opened the Vortex trail after blowing snow on it (as I had suggested) and it was SWEET! They also have been offering more runs that are bumped up, though some grooming would be great from time to time. Blast no longer has those ice patches on it. Great job!

[eatskisleep]

Great Report! Pictures online yet?

[thetrailboss]

Originally Posted by eatskisleep

Great Report! Pictures online yet?

I'm working on getting them on via a scanner. Thanks for your comments though!