Date(s) Skied: Jan. 28, 2007
Resort or Ski Area: Pico Mountain
Conditions: PP/MG/Ice
Weather: Cold temps, fog on the top.
2006-2007 Trip #: 29
Trip Report: At long last. The trip report. It's been one of those weeks :roll:
We pulled in at about 9:30. Fresh snow and lots of cars. Big VARA race, so busses and lots of folks. We managed to squeeze into the lodge. B Slope was closed all day and racers packed the lodge. Made for some cramped conditions....and for some reason, these folks could not keep their stuff in their backpacks.
Got on the Golden HSQ and had a pleasant chat with the folks...one woman from DC and another from Brazil. First run down Expressway to Panhandler was good. Great pow on the sides and great MG.
Then went down to the Summit HSQ. The run was in decent shape...some slick spots and a lot of folks.
First summit run was down Sunset '71, which I had been raving about. The upper part was terrible...ice and big whales that weren't too skiable. We ducked onto the switchback and negotiated our way down the rest of it. It did get better.
Next run was down 49er....ice and some snow. The upper pitch and middle pitch were very slick.
Upper KA was really skied out. It had not been groomed in a while. Decent though.
Middle Pike was great as was Mid KA. Both in great shape. Lower 49er was great as well. Basically the lower 2/3 were in solid shape.
We did some laps on the top...easing our way through the fog and into the lower trails. After a break, I got on the rock skis and hit Birch Glades. Lots of fun, but my legs were worn from the day at Burke. It was :x to see down trees and lots of undergrowth everywhere...only a day or two of clearing would have taken care of it.
We also tried the other trails at the top in the knolls...thin, but doable. You had to be careful to dodge the rocks. It turned out that the former Easy Street switchbacks provided a nice alternative to the slick headwalls on 49er. It worked. We were able to get in three or four runs hitting Mid Pike, KA, and Lower 49er before heading back down for lunch.
After lunch, we headed down Gold Rush, Expressway, and then over to Gnome's Knoll. Triple Slope was fun...just enough snow to go edge-to-edge. Ace of Clubs was good as well. We did six runs after lunch and called it a day.
Decent day. Great to see lots of folks....but disappointing to see that there was no snowmaking going on.
Resort or Ski Area: Pico Mountain
Conditions: PP/MG/Ice
Weather: Cold temps, fog on the top.
2006-2007 Trip #: 29
Trip Report: At long last. The trip report. It's been one of those weeks :roll:
We pulled in at about 9:30. Fresh snow and lots of cars. Big VARA race, so busses and lots of folks. We managed to squeeze into the lodge. B Slope was closed all day and racers packed the lodge. Made for some cramped conditions....and for some reason, these folks could not keep their stuff in their backpacks.
Got on the Golden HSQ and had a pleasant chat with the folks...one woman from DC and another from Brazil. First run down Expressway to Panhandler was good. Great pow on the sides and great MG.
Then went down to the Summit HSQ. The run was in decent shape...some slick spots and a lot of folks.
First summit run was down Sunset '71, which I had been raving about. The upper part was terrible...ice and big whales that weren't too skiable. We ducked onto the switchback and negotiated our way down the rest of it. It did get better.
Next run was down 49er....ice and some snow. The upper pitch and middle pitch were very slick.
Upper KA was really skied out. It had not been groomed in a while. Decent though.
Middle Pike was great as was Mid KA. Both in great shape. Lower 49er was great as well. Basically the lower 2/3 were in solid shape.
We did some laps on the top...easing our way through the fog and into the lower trails. After a break, I got on the rock skis and hit Birch Glades. Lots of fun, but my legs were worn from the day at Burke. It was :x to see down trees and lots of undergrowth everywhere...only a day or two of clearing would have taken care of it.
We also tried the other trails at the top in the knolls...thin, but doable. You had to be careful to dodge the rocks. It turned out that the former Easy Street switchbacks provided a nice alternative to the slick headwalls on 49er. It worked. We were able to get in three or four runs hitting Mid Pike, KA, and Lower 49er before heading back down for lunch.
After lunch, we headed down Gold Rush, Expressway, and then over to Gnome's Knoll. Triple Slope was fun...just enough snow to go edge-to-edge. Ace of Clubs was good as well. We did six runs after lunch and called it a day.
Decent day. Great to see lots of folks....but disappointing to see that there was no snowmaking going on.
