Went out today with hopes of finding a few stashes and wind drifts. Found spots that were fun to ski but nothing off piste that would be considered “good” conditions. A strong East wind last night scoured any exposed aspects leaving much of the mountain gleaming in the sunlight.
It would make sense that with an East wind there might be some deposits on the Northwest facing slopes but that was only half true today. The wind didn’t strip the protected aspects but is certainly didn’t let go of any of the the snow it had picked up from the windward side.
Some of the best skiing today if you weren’t on the groomers was in places like Dead Tree or Red Dog Ridge. The wind didn’t take the snow that had fallen there yesterday. It’s fun but the snow is variable. The layer below the snow on the Western faces is more crusty than icy. If you find a smooth pitch you can ski it aggressively but you’ll be listening to your turns all the way down.
East and Northeast aspects are a different story. The wind was not gentle here. All over The Slot, Headwall Face, East Face of KT, we’re down to the glazed bones of the snowpack again. Only new snow or a heatwave will bring those runs back to life right now. Thankfully, it looks like it will be warming up through Saturday and we might have a system coming in early next week.
It should be warmer tomorrow and conditions are still a whole lot better than the bad days in January or early Feb. But we’ll all be waiting anxiously to see what kind of a storm comes are way next week.