Every powder day is the best you ever had. Don't ask me to prove that. I am asserting it. I had two such days at Whitegrass on feb. 3&4. It is astonishing what a week can do. We went from 70 degs and bare ground to deep, light, dry, fast powder, the accumulation of several clippers and associated lake effect. As Chip, the wizard of Whitegrass, likes to say, "carpe ski em".

Super Bowl Sunday is for skiing. I've done it for years. When the game was played in daylight (and thus immune from power outages) there were never any lift lines. But I digress. Sun morning I bought a single ride at CV and headed up for the National Nordic Reserve. Larry and Joe beat me by one chair, but there was plenty of powder for all. both sides of Weiss Knob were perfect. All too often the south side is sun cooked, but not this time. Lightly falling snow turned heavier as the day went on. I did several runs while Larry and Joe left to find some trees. Skiing alone in backcountry I am conservative and decided to pass on another run so as to have something left in the tank just in case. It turns out that reserve was needed.

I have used the short connector trail from the gas line to CVs Timber trail dozens of times. This time the snow laden trees all looked the same and some moron had removed the surveyors tape flagging that normally marks the entrance. I missed it, it turned out, by less than 100 feet. I soon figured that out but decided to push on with a short bushwhack. Mistake. Soon I broke thru ice in a shallow bog, not deep enough to get wet but wet enough to ice up my bases turning skis into snowshoes. Downed trees and thick boreal forest forced turn after turn and direction confusion. The correct trail is short and flat. My route began to go downhill and steepen. Five years ago i did this and got lost in a deep steep ravine that goes away from the ski area. Remembering that after 45 minutes of frustration, I stopped, scraped each ski with the steel edge of the other, put on skins and traced my own tracks back to the gas line. With a few minutes of searching I found the correct entrance and shortly after that faint tracks almost obscured by the new snow. Backcountry skiing can be hard - but worth it.

I was wasted. After a bowl of clam chowder and a beer at the Whitegrass cafe I went back to my room for a nap and woke up just in time to grab dinner and turn on the game. I fell asleep again and completely missed the power outage, but not much of the action. The wind and blowing snow outside were fierce.

Today, 2/4, weekend crowds gone, I just did an easy day of laps on the lower slopes right outside the Whitegrass base. The powder was great; best ever. One of my rules is never leave good snow to find good snow.

They are expecting 8-12" tonight, but I have a family obligation. Go get it and make some turns for me.

"carpe ski em"
Denis, you should steal this from Chip and make it your signature.
(Just click on My Stuff and then edit profile.)