The immediate objective for Sunday’s skiing adventure was to do a little “cross-training” with Redmond Cycling Club president Shane Balkovetz, who was joined by his wife and some extended family members. As our thighs warmed up during the first couple of runs, we agreed that the transition from cycling or jogging to skiing is physically painful. You can be in shape for one sport but be completely unprepared for another.
Strangely, the folks next to me in the parking lot were geared for a trip into the backcountry, complete with skins on their skis. They must have missed the countless avalanche bombs going off in the background, which was an obvious auditory cue about the day’s snow conditions.
Blizzardy, tundra conditions persisted all day. At about 11:30, Shane and his crew headed in for lunch, and I headed to the backside for some solo turns.
Untracked snow could be easily found all afternoon. The vast Aquarius-Orion-Pegasus acreage was virtually empty of skiers, and the wind was blowing so hard that most ski tracks filled in within one lap. In fact, I couldn’t believe the quality of the powder given that it was a Sunday during a holiday week. Almost every run included face shots and light fluff that billowed overhead.
There was a lot of activity on the Southern Cross chairlift, but I stayed on the Jupiter chair since there was only a minimal wait, and I found an abundance of fresh snow wherever I pointed my skis.
Given the conditions and that I was solo, I avoided terrain with deep tree wells, that could have left me stranded if I got injured. I rode a chair with a ski patroller who had just rescued a snowboarder from a “sidecountry” predicament. Neither of them provided clarification about the term “sidecountry,” so I figured the boarder must have ducked a ropeline and gotten into trouble.
This week’s weather forecast includes a major warming event which has the potential to consolidate the snowpack and make things much safer going into 2008.
