Mid-January Ski Days

Yesterday, four of us (Tom, Karen, Bill, and I) ventured into the backcountry. Schweitzer was quite foggy, but as we dropped into the Devil's Creek drainage, it was clear all the way to the stratosphere. We took 3 fine runs, finishing the last run before noon. There was wind affected snow at the top (wind gullies and hard pack), but a skiable surface. Down lower was decent, albeit not deep, powder. We stayed on low angle slopes, except for some short isolated steeps in the trees toward the bottom. The hoar frost blades were sparkling like clear shattered glass, especially as we approached the saddle and the sun could leak over onto the North facing terrain. Everyone remembered beacons, skins, etc. - not bad for the first foray of this season. The two with recent knee surgeries fared reasonably well. This morning I spent a bit over an hour skate skiing in great conditions. Schweitzer had groomed what I wanted and the temperature was moderate. Toward the end, I strayed onto one steep trail, but I'm not too proud to herringbone. A moderate fog covered Schweitzer, but that generally doesn't hinder skate skiing. I only saw 3 other folks on the trails, but I started relatively early - at about 8:15 AM. This evening, it is snowing hard in town, presumably on the hill as well. Were it not for the weather forecast, one would assume primo powder tomorrow. But the forecast is for high winds and colder temperatures - perhaps sandpaper-windslab will be the result. We'll see what dawn actually brings and then make a decision. Richard 2008.01.19