Kirkwood, CA Report: 7.5 ft in 7 Days a Powder Dream

Before the Powder Faceshot Image/Skier Adrian Dolatschko

Report From February 6th, 2019

With over 7ft of snow in the last 7 days and unusually cold temperatures, Kirkwood was incredible yesterday. When Lift #10 The Wall opened for the first time since the storm, the fresh snow was so good that I couldn’t resist straight-lining the Chute “Once is Enough” for my first run. The run was a perfect introduction to the theme of the day…SENDING IT.

“Once is Enough” once again. Image: Adrian Dolatschko

As luck would have it I ran into some locals on my second run and we quickly chose to prove that “Once is NOT Enough” for the straight-line chute. Highspeed runouts were amazing with the deep snow. As a result, we continued to hit several other Kirkwood classics.

Sending Upper Chamonix, Skier: Danner Hillman Image: Adrian Dolatschko

The snow was light and soft because of the cold temperatures hovering around the 20s. The mountain was a playground with perfect snow everywhere. Many contours of the mountain were blanketed deep below feet of snow. The mountain crews’ hard work meant the complete front-side of the mountain was open. The backside is due to open soon as well.

Taking Flight, Image/Skier: Adrian Dolatschko

The snow was so deep that low angle slopes were difficult to ski while the steeps and cliffs became even more enticing. With avalanche conditions rated at moderate any open terrain was accessible. The biggest concern of the day was losing skis.

Airing into an Uphill & Searching for a Ski, Image/Skier Adrian Dolatschko

Upon airing too big off of a feature and flying into a blind compression, my skis disappeared deep into the snow. Luckily, using the “Marty Shaffer” recommended ski finding technique of slicing the snow, the ski was quickly found. With the deep snow, the day was filled with jumping, tumbling, and fun.