Craig's Report - February 13, 1999


Packed, in more ways than one.

Picture 1
(Line up at Timber Chair)

It appears the party may have come to an end. There has been no new snow for three days now and this is the long weekend in Alberta that marks the beginning of a series of University reading weeks and the resulting horde month. As I write this at 4:30 P.M., traffic is backed up on the ski hill road from the highway to past our house.

It had seemed possible that the increase in uphill capacity this year would be so much greater than the increase in available accommodation that lift lines would simply not form. However everything was running today and there were still lines. However at least they were significantly shorter than I recall on this weekend in recent years.

 


(Standard Currie Shot)

The snow was of course well used, but still in good shape almost everywhere. There were firm patches that a jaded seven year old had no problem calling ice, but generally things were soft. The snow seemed a bit warm and damp and while perhaps not quite sticky, it certainly didn't have that lovely smoothness of a few days ago.


 

Picture 1
(Steep slope for small fry)

In our brief couple of runs before picking up our daughter from her lesson, I didn't encounter anything like powder. However lots of spots in Currie had soft chopped snow that had not yet been beaten into moguls. Moguls were certainly not hard to find though and most ungroomed runs had plenty.

 


 


(Trees in Timber)

Some of the little dots in the picture above were fairly young kids skiing, or at least creeping, down a righteously steep slope on Timber Ridge. I wonder what these guys will be seeking out for kicks when they get to a ripe old age of, oh say fourteen? (assuming they make it that far).

 

At 5:00 PM it is 1 C at the house under a cloudy sky.

(Click on any picture for a larger version)

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