John's Report - April 06, 2006

Location, Location, Location

Just before noon the temperature was 7 degrees (& 10 by closing) and it was overcast; a rain shower having just ended. As it had not frozen overnight, it appeared that the entire mountain would be uniformly the same - wet & slippery spring snow. This was certainly the case on the new side. Both Liftline & Big Bang, off Timber Chair, were soft and good fun without evident late spring hazards. Although the very top of White Pass was slightly crusty, it hardly warranted a mention. Shakey�s acres and Surprise were very nice, with no more than gentle moguls with which to contend. Conditions were much the same in Currie Bowl. The 123s were great as were the Bootleg Glades. Even the gully at the bottom of Currie offered good turns. The last run of Currie was a drop down Decline. The bumps, as ususal were big & slushy but there was no ice and it was easy to shave off the tops and sides; a kindness for the knees. The very bottom was just a tad sticky, a harbinger of things to come.

Whether it was a matter of warming temperatures or geography, I don�t know, but the old side wasn�t worth the visit. The plan was to go up Great Bear and take Facelift over to Snake Ridge. However, at the top, I learned that High Cedar Traverse was closed due to avalanche hazards (later I saw many mucky slides covering that traverse). So it was back down to the Bear Chair but the ride was not good, with sticky snow grabbing the skis the whole way down. Only the steepest terrain offered relief. Another effort was made to cross to Snake on the Lower Cedar Traverse. It was abandoned half way across as the glue, passing as snow, demanded a tough slog and a lot more effort than I was willing to expend. Turning into Blueberry Trees, more glue was encountered, which continued all the way to the Haulback. Kangaroo was alright, only because its steepness overcame the resistance of the snow. Likewise, runs off Boom were passable, but not good, on the steeps. Those runs became a grabby, grippy horror on the flats.

Unless we get freezing temperatures at night, things are unlikely to improve. The best bets may be morning skiing and the new side. The forecast is not promising. Nevertheless, ...

Happy Tracks.


Heartland - the most people seen all day. I'm told only 500 people had come to the mountain by noon.

The morning cloud had lifted off White Pass by noon

The Bottom of an empty Currie Bowl

White Pass Chair seen from Big Bang

The cloud like cornie above White Pass

Concussion Ridge with the Three Sisters & Mt. Hosmer in the background

Bear Chair seen from Decline

The saddles seen across a nearly empty Lizard Bowl

Kangaroo