Date(s) Skied: February 22, 2007
Resort or Ski Area: Pico Mountain
Conditions: P/Moguls
Weather: Quite mild with clouds and some snow showers. Highs in the Upper 20's.
2006-2007 Trip Report # : 35
Trip Report: I made it to Pico today and may go for a few hours tomorrow. The game plan: hit the Outpost and all the natural snow terrain. I skied it a lot in 2000-2001, when we had a ton of snow, so I got a good sense of the place then. I recall it being old school and lots of fun. Some great terrain and no crowds. So after riding up the golden, I made a bee line to the Outpost. Good choice.
First run was down Upper Sidewinder. The upper part was getting thin....be careful on the headwall or take the detour on skier's left. The bumps were a good warm up and the cover was great. I peered into Doozie and thought about hitting it...
Pipeline, just as I remember from 2001, for some reason doesn't set up so well...some rough lines and tougher to ski. Today was the same. I hit it on skier's right on the first run and then in the afternoon took a more central or left route.
Well, I decided to dive into Doozie at this point and it was a lot of fun. Good cover. When you enter into Doozie (on skier's left), be careful in the entrance...some rocks and stumps poking through. Other than that, choice lines on the bottom and some cool boulders and other things in there!
Bronco, which folks said sucked, skied the best IMHO. Nice soft snow and smaller bumps. I skied it once during my first visit and then again before the close.
Wrangler was also in good shape...some good lines and worth two runs. Like Sidewinder, it is a nice, narrow trail that is a delight to ski.
From here I headed to the top to hit the runs up there. Upper Pike was first. Unlike in 2000-2001, it was all bumped up with what appeared to be one narrow groomed strip in the middle. Good cover, despite the thin cover sign. Some white ice, but not bad. I took this to Birch Glades and then into Birch Woods. The latter was new for me and it was nice. Some narrow spots, but nice open birches. Good cover. One guy noted my short sticks and commented that I was cheating. :wink:
After this I headed down Summit Glades all the way down. I chose SG East to find some grooming and great snow. Wow. This trail is a classic. The cover was great. One pitch on the top has some saplings growing on it, but other than that, it was doable. I am :x about all the down trees....
I was overheating so I swapped gloves and delayered before heading back up.
Upper Giant Killer was next on the list and it was very sketchy. Deep bumps on skier's left or undergrowth and stumps on the right. Pick your poison. That trail is frickin steep and intense...one of those that you ski and then look up to ask
"I skied that??!!" Lower GK was great....rolled out, but nice.
I did one spin down KA the entire length.....some deep drifts on one side, but great cover and in good shape for this late in the day. Lower KA was great....smoothed out and fast!
The next trip was over to Little Pico and the A Slope. The very top was amazing--soft bumps and great cover. The upper headwall had some thin spots. Beware. Another trail that you ski down and then look back and say, "I skied that??!!" I did find a couple of the mini cliffs, but was able to get around them. They also had the downed tree marked. Lower A Slope was nice...and the ski patrol was to see someone on it.
It was now 3:15 and I headed over the Gnome's Knoll to get to Outpost for the closing. It was worth the hike....I popped off four runs on Sidewinder, Wrangler, Bronco, and Pipeline. The lifties were nice enough to let me on at 3:58...and were friendly all day. They got to know me pretty well (one guy would say, "ready for the Corvetto??" before handing me the chair).
The crowds today were in the lodge mainly. No place to sit at lunch. Lifts were not bad...skiing single has its benefits! Longest lines at Golden Express as always. NONE on Summit or Outpost.
Oh yeah....and I was sporting my new Pico hat today.....it was a Valentine's Day gift from Ms. TB.
Resort or Ski Area: Pico Mountain
Conditions: P/Moguls
Weather: Quite mild with clouds and some snow showers. Highs in the Upper 20's.
2006-2007 Trip Report # : 35
Trip Report: I made it to Pico today and may go for a few hours tomorrow. The game plan: hit the Outpost and all the natural snow terrain. I skied it a lot in 2000-2001, when we had a ton of snow, so I got a good sense of the place then. I recall it being old school and lots of fun. Some great terrain and no crowds. So after riding up the golden, I made a bee line to the Outpost. Good choice.
First run was down Upper Sidewinder. The upper part was getting thin....be careful on the headwall or take the detour on skier's left. The bumps were a good warm up and the cover was great. I peered into Doozie and thought about hitting it...
Pipeline, just as I remember from 2001, for some reason doesn't set up so well...some rough lines and tougher to ski. Today was the same. I hit it on skier's right on the first run and then in the afternoon took a more central or left route.
Well, I decided to dive into Doozie at this point and it was a lot of fun. Good cover. When you enter into Doozie (on skier's left), be careful in the entrance...some rocks and stumps poking through. Other than that, choice lines on the bottom and some cool boulders and other things in there!
Bronco, which folks said sucked, skied the best IMHO. Nice soft snow and smaller bumps. I skied it once during my first visit and then again before the close.
Wrangler was also in good shape...some good lines and worth two runs. Like Sidewinder, it is a nice, narrow trail that is a delight to ski.
From here I headed to the top to hit the runs up there. Upper Pike was first. Unlike in 2000-2001, it was all bumped up with what appeared to be one narrow groomed strip in the middle. Good cover, despite the thin cover sign. Some white ice, but not bad. I took this to Birch Glades and then into Birch Woods. The latter was new for me and it was nice. Some narrow spots, but nice open birches. Good cover. One guy noted my short sticks and commented that I was cheating. :wink:
After this I headed down Summit Glades all the way down. I chose SG East to find some grooming and great snow. Wow. This trail is a classic. The cover was great. One pitch on the top has some saplings growing on it, but other than that, it was doable. I am :x about all the down trees....
I was overheating so I swapped gloves and delayered before heading back up.
Upper Giant Killer was next on the list and it was very sketchy. Deep bumps on skier's left or undergrowth and stumps on the right. Pick your poison. That trail is frickin steep and intense...one of those that you ski and then look up to ask
"I skied that??!!" Lower GK was great....rolled out, but nice. I did one spin down KA the entire length.....some deep drifts on one side, but great cover and in good shape for this late in the day. Lower KA was great....smoothed out and fast!
The next trip was over to Little Pico and the A Slope. The very top was amazing--soft bumps and great cover. The upper headwall had some thin spots. Beware. Another trail that you ski down and then look back and say, "I skied that??!!"
I did find a couple of the mini cliffs, but was able to get around them. They also had the downed tree marked. Lower A Slope was nice...and the ski patrol was to see someone on it. It was now 3:15 and I headed over the Gnome's Knoll to get to Outpost for the closing. It was worth the hike....I popped off four runs on Sidewinder, Wrangler, Bronco, and Pipeline. The lifties were nice enough to let me on at 3:58...and were friendly all day. They got to know me pretty well (one guy would say, "ready for the Corvetto??" before handing me the chair).
The crowds today were in the lodge mainly. No place to sit at lunch. Lifts were not bad...skiing single has its benefits! Longest lines at Golden Express as always. NONE on Summit or Outpost.
Oh yeah....and I was sporting my new Pico hat today.....it was a Valentine's Day gift from Ms. TB.
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