IN THE DEEP

After several weeks of what seemed like a repeat of Ice Age 2:The Melt Down, winter has finally returned in the 'Boat and locals were up bright and early this morning tasting 9 new in 24. What fell yesterday squashed nicely into the base, filling in between bumps, holes, and patches, so that when today's half-a-foot fell, it was icing on the cake.

We made turned chair on Four Points into a rare lap back to Storm for what was our best run down Cyclone all year. 5" new on a fresh mow, meow. Big swooping GS turns, we cut first tracks down that baby all the way to a slightly bumped Drop Out for 11th chair on Storm, not bad. They were all chomping at the bit, and we'd had one long, gloriously powderific run. No complaints.

Storm Peak Express took us through the soupy morning fog - visibility, one chair - to the top, where it was hard to shake off the vertigo on Storm Face, but once you got dropped over the ridge the snow was buttery and deep in the meadow, already push piles on Sunset (First Trackers delight this morning!), and then glorious again in Moonlight Trees.

Where to next was the big question, and we decided to taste the trees- as normal, 1230, 130, and Wristband- that big open glade below the trees between Rolex and Westside, tasty. Ramrod, Buckshot, treeline off Sunshine, Westside Ridge; everywhere was nicely frosted with thick buttery, cream cheese-tastic Champagne Powder!