Spring skiing at its best

I feel blessed to have been able to ski the Tyrwhitt loop one more time on surprisingly good conditions. After seeing this morning’s Live Grooming Report, I couldn’t resist.

Elk Pass

Taking a line from Janice’s poem, the “zeros were heroes.” I didn’t have to herringbone anywhere. The grip was excellent on all conditions. The temperature was +8°C at Boulton Creek.

Whiskey Jack where it crosses over Spotted Wolf Creek

I was resigned to this being a slow ski, so I wasn’t in any hurry to get started. I was climbing Whiskey Jack by 12 noon on snow which was still firm but softened just enough to not be icy. Tracks were still in nice shape and the snow was clean. No springtails anywhere today.

The only other vehicle in the parking lot was a Pisten-Bully. I saw tracks from some early skiers who had been on Elk Pass and Hydroline but I didn’t see anyone in the flesh.

The end is near on Moraine

The new tracksetting started at Tyrwhitt and was a bit soft but I still had decent glide. It was getting much softer on Elk Pass but I could still tuck on the faster sections. Coming down the steep hills was tricky because they are a patchwork of sunny and shady spots. I had to go slow in order to maintain my balance.

The search for MaSid’s couch ended after 20 metres when I fell through the snow

At the Blueberry – Elk Pass junction I thought I’d get another chance to search for MaSid’s couch, and followed the skier tracks into the meadow, but it ended after 20 metres when I fell through the snow. It was up to my waist and I had a heck of a time getting out. The evidence is there in plain sight for everyone to see.

This Bighorn sheep is probably happy to see the end of winter

Fox Creek and Moraine were also trackset yesterday, and despite how bad they look in the photos, the skiing was quite delightful. Being mostly in the shade, the tracks were hard and fast. I may have been the last skier to complete Moraine without taking my skis off. The exposed section by the benches will have a bare spot on it tomorrow.

I have enjoyed reading all the thoughtful comments on my previous post about climate change. It’s a very “heated” topic 🙂 This is one which I received on Twitter…

Warren, if I had stuck to what I know, I’d still be milking cows on our farm in Saskatchewan and you wouldn’t have any ski reports to enjoy. My greatest accomplishments in life all started by knowing nothing about them including skiing and blogging.

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