Who Would Have Guessed?
Saturday was not a perfect day for being on the slopes and even worse for all the competitors, race officials, mums and dads and coaches of the National Junior Titles.
I was suffering a little cabin fever after only skiing one of the previous five days so I was determined to see if it really was snowing above the rain. I went out late and after a couple of runs in the clouds took a coffee break before the cloud mist soaked right through. A couple more runs and lunch seemed like a good idea. Although no longer raining and with a little wet snow falling the snow conditions could only be described as deep wet and sloppy. Unlike many others around me, I went back to ski after lunch. Sponars was possibly the best of it and no where near as sticky as some other runs.
Come Sunday morning I expected more of the same and even though the sun was shining I thought the snow would be still wet and sloppy. I packed the kite and thought I would try my luck out of the resort. On my first ride up the Kosi Express my plans soon changed when I saw big dry rooster tails of powder behind skiers on the Bluff.
What a glorious day! Wherever the wind was blowing there was light dry powder. A few runs down the Bluff were followed by more fresh tracks this time around Karels and Basin. After a shortish lunch several of us spent the entire afternoon till after 4pm skiing around Sponars in lovely snow. The wind was strong and filled in our tracks after every run.
Merritts Traverse on Saturday - damp, windy, sticky & brown
Soggy race course (Saturday)
Cassie below Karels on Sunday morning
Ray & Lynne in the lovely wind blown powder
Bumps filling in at Sponars
Sponars T-bar late in the afternoon
Arguably, I would say that today's snow conditions were the best since July and without doubt the driest.
There is snow forecast for Monday and Tuesday. Bring it on!