Balls To You

There was only 5cm reported as having fallen overnight and that was up top. There was a dusting in the village. The good side of this was that it was cold, -8C and the snow was dry. It was also surprisingly wind packed in many places. It was the best quality snow of the season thus far and the deepest base up top.

I finally took my good boards out for their first run this season. Not having been waxed, they ran slowly, especially in the man-made on Milk Run. There was a lot of snow made (by man) last night but I digress.

After a couple of top to bottoms adjusting to the stiffer boards it was into the Basin. Lucky Phil and I took similar lines off Karels to yesterday - the difference being, we could see today. The sun even put in a few appearances.

Balls-To-The-wall looked particularly inviting. The entrance resembled a section out of a luge course. We discussed whether I should take photos from top or bottom. Phil said from the top (probably so he got first turns ;-)

There was a nice cover of light snow on a firm base. We went back for seconds but others had already followed us in after our freshies and the second run was not as enjoyable as the first with much of the fresh having been pushed off. We tried different lines on our 3rd run but it too was not as good as the first. After coffee we went out of resort and then came back in over Summer Drift and got more nice wind drifts above Merritts Falls as well as a run through the natural pipe, Sponars gully, Wiamea and Powder Bowl before the pain killers had worn off.

Steve digging out the Bullwheel Bistro windows after having already done Eagles Nest's windows

Lucky Phil gets first tracks on Balls To The Wall

There was about 15cms of soft on the firm

Little snow balls rolling down behind

Almost at the bottom

Looking back after we had both descended

Second run and Phil pulls out his mobile

While this time I snap Phil from below

You can see how tracked it had become

Looking back to Balls from Eagles Nest as the weather came back in

Thursday is touted as the next big, exciting chapter in the Fairy Tale Guide To Snow Forecasting ;-)

It is snowing lightly in the village, the temp up top is -6C and the wind has picked up a little as I finished up here. Tomorrow's another day.