billski
Active member
What a good choice. After expecting a day of FGR in VT or NH, a last minute shift in our attention shifted the car to Wildcat (THANKS BREEZE!), which had reported 4-6" and packed powder.
After buying the $25 liftopia tix, we were on the slope by 9:30am.
Suprisingly full parking lot, but nary a liftline to be found.
Yup, packed powder. Very nice, very carveable stuff. If you dug deep enough you'd fined the FGR, but only later in the day. It had been 10 years since I was back. I fell in love all over again - those old timey trail designs are my favorite. Just a wonderful place.
Packed powder everywhere. Early runs were best. Never a lift line, but it did begin to get scraped off here and there, but much better than they day we thought we were going to happen. We skied just about every black and blue trail in the place. Fast. Some were better than others, but given the recent disaster, I had no complaints at all.
Felt like west spring skiing. We were broiling hot, wardrobe change into something lighter. Temps in the upper 20s on the mountain.
NO winds until about 1pm and then only the occasional small gust. Peekaboo sunshine all day. Snow got heavy as the day went on.
Off-piste was too squirrelly. Dust on crust with heavy under. You could get sucked into this stuff and not extricate yourself easily.
I hailed on AZ radio channel 3-13 often through the day, but alas, no joy again.
Thin cover and ungroomed warnings were laughable. Nothing wrong with those trails at all. Lots of little kids. Folks started bailing about 1. By 2 we had the place to ourselves, or at least the trails.
By the way, that Zipline looked like an interesting thing for the landlubbers in your crew. Watched several people go overhead, past the lodge.
http://www.firsttracksonline.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1252
Pics say the rest:
Someone carved a SNOW sculpture. Very nicely done:
Looking over at Mt. Washington and Tuckermans - always a gorgeous vista from Wildcat:
Wanderings:
this lift is so fast, that when there are no lift lines, there isn't enough time to catch my breath! Yes, you are looking at the largest lift line of the day - mostly folks just hanging around waiting for their skiing buds.... There was no need for the roping.
Handsome lodge (from slopeside)
In and out of clouds at the top
After buying the $25 liftopia tix, we were on the slope by 9:30am.
Suprisingly full parking lot, but nary a liftline to be found.
Yup, packed powder. Very nice, very carveable stuff. If you dug deep enough you'd fined the FGR, but only later in the day. It had been 10 years since I was back. I fell in love all over again - those old timey trail designs are my favorite. Just a wonderful place.
Packed powder everywhere. Early runs were best. Never a lift line, but it did begin to get scraped off here and there, but much better than they day we thought we were going to happen. We skied just about every black and blue trail in the place. Fast. Some were better than others, but given the recent disaster, I had no complaints at all.
Felt like west spring skiing. We were broiling hot, wardrobe change into something lighter. Temps in the upper 20s on the mountain.
NO winds until about 1pm and then only the occasional small gust. Peekaboo sunshine all day. Snow got heavy as the day went on.
Off-piste was too squirrelly. Dust on crust with heavy under. You could get sucked into this stuff and not extricate yourself easily.
I hailed on AZ radio channel 3-13 often through the day, but alas, no joy again.
Thin cover and ungroomed warnings were laughable. Nothing wrong with those trails at all. Lots of little kids. Folks started bailing about 1. By 2 we had the place to ourselves, or at least the trails.
By the way, that Zipline looked like an interesting thing for the landlubbers in your crew. Watched several people go overhead, past the lodge.
http://www.firsttracksonline.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1252
Pics say the rest:
Someone carved a SNOW sculpture. Very nicely done:
Looking over at Mt. Washington and Tuckermans - always a gorgeous vista from Wildcat:
Wanderings:
this lift is so fast, that when there are no lift lines, there isn't enough time to catch my breath! Yes, you are looking at the largest lift line of the day - mostly folks just hanging around waiting for their skiing buds.... There was no need for the roping.
Handsome lodge (from slopeside)
In and out of clouds at the top
Last edited:
