Jay's Report - March 03, 2003

Nice day on Saturday, Great snow on Sunday

Saturday was a beautiful day. The temperatures were mild - about minus 3C at the base and minus 8c at the top of White Pass. The snow pack on the center of main runs was hard and, as Bernie reported last, laden with Volkswagen sized moguls aiming to great you. What challenges my seemingly aging knees is how close together those Volkswagens are parked! I was content, though, with staying on the fringes and in the trees of runs like Currie Powder and in the trees off Cedar Center. There, the snow was generally soft and user friendly. If you were bold enough to go shooting out from the trees or the outside edges toward the center of almost any given run you would do so at your peril as you were greeted with the Volkswagens Bernie and I mentioned. Something like a speed trap on Highway 22. It appeared that many residents and part time residents were taking it rather easy on Saturday afternoon. I'm not sure there was a run that was sufficiently worthy to rank as a "Run of the Day"; Currie Powder in the trees perhaps. What little lineups there were completely dissipated after lunch. Some were watching the BC Alpine K2 provincial ski race. Some were practicing their jumps. Others reportedly hung there down hill skis up in favor of skis of the cross-country nature. Some were just having some family time waiting of the next powder drop.

You didn't have to wait long. It snowed nicely on Sunday for much of the day. Starting at about 9:30 a.m., the snow had accumulated to about 5 inches on my deck by 2 p.m. I found the White Pass Chair the place to be. We were one of the first to go down Surprise. There was boot top powder and untracked lines. Perhaps still a bit crunchy below the powder early in the day, but by the afternoon, even the moguls were starting to feel soft again. Stag Leap was wonderful; though the top was a bit of a minefield of moguls to gain entry to the main run. I caught the last two runs up White Pass and Timber Chair to ski Tom's Run and Decline. By the end of the day, the snow has accumulated nicely and was shin deep on those runs. In fact, the skiing was so wonderful that I couldn't stand to stop to take pictures. You'll just have to trust me. Alas! Already I've suffered the first blemish on my vow to maintain the same journalistic integrity that Craig did over the years!!

At 5:30 p.m. it's snowing lightly and minus 1c at the house.

Jay - jay@far.redtree.com