powder resort ski snowboard backcountry — Crystal Mountain Saturday as a storm clears. Reid Pitman image

A super fun week of rallying perfect cold groomers and hitting stashes of protected deep powder through the trees. My legs just aren’t getting a break! With Chair 6 running and Northway back open there was no shortage of places to go for long steep runs of recirculated light snow. Snow sharks are still lurking out there as the light snow isn’t sticking to some rock, branches etc, so there is still some caution to be had.

NOAA had forecasted a temp spike over the weekend – up to 40 degrees. The locals were all in a state of despair that our epic week of perfect powder was over and we’d be limited to carving groomers and watching sports. Avalanche risk was going to increase, so even the backcountry wouldn’t be a gold mine of untracked powder.

Then something happened…. Something that happens often but rarely how we want it to. The weather forecast was wrong! Temps stayed low and another storm rolled in, dumping right side-up snow Friday and Saturday. The new snow brought out the powder hounds and lift lines Saturday picked up enough for me to take off on my splitboard for the day. Good times were had as we shared skin tracks to a safe zone in the backcountry for a few low angle runs before heading back to hit the lifts as the crowds all turned in for lunch or sore legs. The snow just won’t stop!

storm apres snowing dumping powder — Powder day at the Elk

Sunday the Seahawks game kept lines short and not many folks were out. More terrain opened in Northway and it was one of those days where you knew everyone on the hill just slaying pow.
I hear that the terrain park features will be going in later this week which means I’ll have to do as many laps on Mr. Magoo (my favorite run on Queens, no shame in it) as I can!

I’m sure everyone reading this knows to ski with a partner, but that can’t be reiterated enough. There were small inbounds slides right where NWAC predicted. Riding lifts with beacon, probe and shovel is standard procedure for me because of it.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE ski with a partner and keep them in sight!!! Tragedy struck at nearby ski area. A good friend of mine was 3rd on the scene and hearing what he went through was heartwrenching.

Stay safe out there.

See ya in the Gondi line on powder days.