Conditions Report
By the time the lifts opened on March 29, over two feet of snow had fallen on Alyeska Resort and it brought the hero out in just about everyone. I woke to artillery fire and a buried car so I knew it was time to put the goggle tan on hold and wash my face with fresh powder.
Due to the amount of snow that fell overnight most jobs and schools were cancelled, so there was no time to waste getting to the lift line. I arrived at Ted’s Express and was greeted by some of the most excited smiley faces I have seen all winter. The vibe was super jovial and it was still snowing big flakes. I poked over to the Java House for my cup of morning coffee and then returned to the lift line to find my skis buried in the fresh snow. Joking and laughter filled the maze as the stoke was rising. We all knew what we were in for, but didn’t know it was going to be so good.
In the lift line I met up with my friend Michi who had never been to Alyeska. I was super excited to show her what Alyeska reality was all about. Our first ride above the pow on Ted’s Express, perusing the loads of fresh powder all the way to the base, enticed us to ski directly back to the bottom the moment we got off the lift.
We weren’t the only ones too make that decision. The fresh snow blanketed the terrain with enticing exhilaration. The snow was knee to thigh deep, soft, bottomless and quite floaty. The visibility was excellent. Everyone was skiing the goods as fast as they possibly could and were sending it off of everything in sight with no regard for their din settings. Lost skis, tomahawks, and the pure “crushing it” was an inspiring sight while riding the lift. Oh the face shots, so many face shots. A fellow on the lift had to tell his young son to close his mouth when he skied so he wouldn’t have to choke on the snow.
Michi and I planned on taking a trip to the goods on waterfall for the second lap but the temptation of the Glacier Bowl Express was too much, so we headed to the lift. The visibility was in and out at the top of the mountain but it slowly revealed the deep powder stashes as it moved around. The snow depth was a bit varied with the wind from the storm. Everything was plastered with snow and micro spines were becoming visable on many of the cliff faces. It was easy to find snow so deep that you had to hold your breath through every turn. It seamed that everyone was pushing their ski limits to the max. Catching airtime to catch your breath seamed to be a good idea. I had a fun time picturing everyone in superhero capes. This day was a day dreams were made of. The snow consistency was amazing and a perfect example of Alyeska’s super snow. My friend Michi was speechless most of the day.
After a few laps crushing the powder, watching people huck everything in sight and showing off my stashes to Michi we went in for a short-lived water break. Before we could even get a glass we caught the word that the North Face was opening soon, so we left the Bore Tide Bar & Grill as fast as our boots would allow. We exited low from there headed for the Round House Gate to get a bit of varied terrain near the trees on West Line.
Heading left out of round House gate we skied fall line shortly after the first set of trees and quickly realized we were falling through hip deep powder in the white room using the trees for reference. Breathing in rhythm; between the turns we giggled and hollered, there was no bottom and no speed limit. We cut out on Spoon Line for another lap from top to bottom. We chose Chuck’s Gate skiers left of fall line for our second lap. The knee deep mogul’s out of the gate were playful and fun with a bit of a bottom to them. I headed directly toward the tram tower and slammed a turn to face shot directly under it and checked it off the bucket list. Without hesitation we skied left into the cliffs, and trees falling, dropping and sending it into waist deep powder.
Everyone that skied past was celebrating, falling over in the pow laughing or giggling with happiness. The comradery was high, there was no rush and the boat loads of powder was more than enough for everybody. This was a very special day.
We stopped to eat lunch at the Aurora Bar in the hotel and just after being seated I realized I had forgotten to zip the fly on my ski pants. I was relieved to realize my pants were not actually leaking but I suggest checking all your zippers. We had a wonderful much needed lunch and reveled about the morning. I parted ways with Michi went to catch up with my buddy Randy for some afternoon laps.
Randy and I skied a few runs in the bumps giggling and hooting and called it a day. It was a superb day that brought the reasons for living to light. It was easy to realize why we do this. We felt like super heroes. It was one for the record books.
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