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Trip report: Big powder over the holidays



 
 
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  #1  
Old January 6th 04, 03:24 PM
Seth Masia
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Default Trip report: Big powder over the holidays

We followed the holiday storms across the country.

We hit Sierra-at-Tahoe on Dec. 23, just as the skies began to cloud up. The
previous weekend, you'll remember, it rained to 7000 feet, but at Sierra the
groomed runs were creamy-smooth and the parking lot nearly full. The storm
arrived that night, with rain at Lake Tahoe and high winds aloft. On
Christmas Eve, we arrived at Heavenly Valley to find freezing rain at the
parking lot and a full-blown Sierra blizzard above the tram. Sky Chair was
on wind-hold, so there was no skiing over to Nevada. Instead we got great
Sierra powder in the trees on either side of the new Canyon Express quad,
all day long. We had to come back on Christmas Day, hoping to drop into the
steep Mott and Killebrew Canyons, but they were on avalanche hold. With
passage of the cold front, snow level had dropped well below the lake and
the wind had moderated. Sky Chair was open, and we found untouched powder in
the North Bowl woods.

We surfed the storm eastward on Friday, Dec. 26. It was a good day to
drive across Nevada, with a 50 mph tailwind all the way to Salt Lake City.
(Equipment note: I drive a 12-year-old Subaru and will take all the help I
can get). While we drove, the wind closed lifts at Squaw Valley and Alpine
Meadows, and avalanches stopped up the road into Little Cottonwood Canyon,
sealing off Alta and Snowbird on what should have been their biggest
check-in day of the winter.

With a foot of snow on the ground in the city, we expected to see a major
day at Alta on Dec. 27. Cecret and Supreme lifts were closed for avalanche
work, and we skied knee-deep snow, windpacked into something more resembling
California powder than Utah fluff. The next day we tried Snowbird, where
most of the steep, open bowls were still closed for snow safety work,
including Mineral Basin. Skiers who went in there late in the day reported
the patrol's bombs had set off climax slides, and left little to ski except
deposition. We didnt ca We cruised the low-elevation runs off Gadzoom,
where, protected from the wind, we finally found plenty of fluff.

On Dec. 29, we drove up to Solitude. In bitter cold and windy weather, all
the gates to Honeycomb Canyon were closed. We dived into Parachute, getting
first tracks into a set of woodsy gulleys plunging off the east side of
Powderhorn. In this protected pocket we sank to our chests in the lightest,
driest snow of the week. It slid around our ears as we skied, and when we
cycled back to the top the patrol had closed the gate. We spent the rest of
the day skiing more stable windpacked powder off the Summit lift.

Snowbasin looked like a good bet for Dec. 30. All week long, Salt Lake
fluttered before a 30-knot wind from the south, so we popped the spinnaker
for the drive north. The weather was a bit more sane, and with Strawberry
closed for avalanche control, a healthy, happy crowd queued for the Needles
gondola. After a warm-up run we found good sheltered snow in the steepish
gulleys under the John Paul chair, and my 13-year-old kid got in her first
good runs in bottomless snow. We even made a blind-mans-buff run off the
summit tram.

The weather service forecast warmer, partly sunny weather for New Years Eve,
so we corralled both teenagers and drove them to Sundance. On the way in, we
passed a Utah Power truck working on the transmission lines and immediately
after making our first powder run off the summit, the lifts shut down for
want of juice. We had a long, cozy lunch at the Foundry Grill, then rode
Ray's Lift, grinding upward on diesel power all afternoon. The only
challenging terrain here is the steep shot under the lift, so we cut new
moguls into the soft stuff there, and had it all to ourselves despite the
crowd of teenage snowboarders on the lift.

The girls stayed up until midnight, so we let them sleep in on New Year's
Day. Little Cottonwood was closed again, so we sneaked off to Solitude to
try our luck with Honeycomb. In snow and wind, the control gates were still
closed early in the morning, so we hit Parachute again. The warmer weather
had stabilized things and the snow had set up so even on 70mm skis we got
only three or four face shots on each run (I used the old Axis X Pro 181cm
all week; Carole used her Volkl Cross Rangers, also 180 and 70mm). By lunch
the Honeycomb gates were open and we explored there until closing time.
Three avalanches had closed the road when we headed back to Salt Lake; we
sat in the car for 40 minutes while the snowplows worked.

Another storm moved in early on Jan. 2. Little Cottonwood Canyon lost half a
day, and we drove to Colorado, mostly on snowpacked roads and in white-out
wind. We'd planned to stop at Steamboat to ski more powder on Jan. 3, but
after eight days of face shots my knees were throbbing, and more to the
point, Cleo couldn't face another storm day. He hadn't seen any sun in over
two weeks. We learned later that Steamboat got 19 inches while we drove,
listening to Harry Potter tapes. Beaver Creek got 39 inches for the weekend.
I-70, snowpacked and slippery when we drove through Friday night, closed
sporadically for avalanches over the weekend.

Bitter cold in Boulder over the past two days: thermometer in the car said 4
degrees Fahrenheit when I drove the kid to school this morning. Headed for
Taos on Thursday.

Seth


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  #2  
Old January 6th 04, 05:00 PM
scottabe
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Default Trip report: Big powder over the holidays

A pathological liar and a terrorist criminal chats in a friendly fashion
with Seth Masia. This sick asshole defends his buddies who falsely accuse
me of molesting children and allows them to post to his terrorist newsgroup.
Obviously, he and Seth Masia believe such tactics are fair game: Lloyd
blames ME for the actions of his friends.
Ergo, Seth Masia has two daughters. By the rules he supports with his
friendship with terrorist, it is fair to falsely accuse him of molesting his
daughters.
Right?
Also fair to go after his employment and to defame him. Masia has been very
friendly in the past with Vincent Walker, who is currently organizing a real
life attack on my license, with no grounds for complaint.
But truth never bothered the terrorists of rsa.....and apparently lies don't
bother Seth Masia.
What an asshole!

in article , lal_truckee at
wrote on 1/6/04 9:12 AM:

Seth Masia wrote:

We followed the holiday storms across the country.


Heh. I just stayed at home and got pounded with day after day of
untracked, much of it deep and light, some deep and heavy. 168% of
normal in North Tahoe basin. All the ridges were in great shape, with
the hikes working overtime. And best of all, most of the newly minted
hotshots still don't know the boundaries are open around here, so just a
few more feet of hiking produced a whole nother untracked line, time
after time. It was getting so deep, I took to wearing full gear even
when planning to ski only inbounds.

The days just ran into each other, but I think it was last Thursday high
winds kept Alpine closed, and the rest of the north local areas
curtailed to flat, sheltered lifts. Which meant I spent that day
shoveling and repairing the snowblower. Sometimes Mom Nature gives you a
rest and repair day.

Today is my second straight day off the slopes - I'm feeling withdrawal
symptoms. But someone has to defend the free world from the forces of
evil, and besides, it stopped snowing for the moment (until tonight,
forecasted.)


Clue time, asshole. I'm the guy defending the free world, and you are evil.
Want to tell me again how I am to blame for your friends' insanity when they
falsely accuse me of molesting children?

  #3  
Old January 6th 04, 05:12 PM
lal_truckee
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Posts: n/a
Default Trip report: Big powder over the holidays

Seth Masia wrote:

We followed the holiday storms across the country.


Heh. I just stayed at home and got pounded with day after day of
untracked, much of it deep and light, some deep and heavy. 168% of
normal in North Tahoe basin. All the ridges were in great shape, with
the hikes working overtime. And best of all, most of the newly minted
hotshots still don't know the boundaries are open around here, so just a
few more feet of hiking produced a whole nother untracked line, time
after time. It was getting so deep, I took to wearing full gear even
when planning to ski only inbounds.

The days just ran into each other, but I think it was last Thursday high
winds kept Alpine closed, and the rest of the north local areas
curtailed to flat, sheltered lifts. Which meant I spent that day
shoveling and repairing the snowblower. Sometimes Mom Nature gives you a
rest and repair day.

Today is my second straight day off the slopes - I'm feeling withdrawal
symptoms. But someone has to defend the free world from the forces of
evil, and besides, it stopped snowing for the moment (until tonight,
forecasted.)

 




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