IN THE DEEP

There are obvious rewards for patience. For those who have said all year, "it will come, it always does," with that deep inner peace of knowing that winter was just around the corner; for those who read the Farmer's Almanac and said, "it's always right, just believe;" for those who enjoyed every blue bird groomer day anyway thankfully, this week is your week.  Your patience has paid off.

Twenty seven whopping inches yesterday broke the Steamboat record for deepest day.  And it was probably 35" by the time I came down after 10, perhaps 38 or 40 by the end of the day?   Yeah, that's three feet!

Today the ski area reported another 9" at 6am, definitely more like 12-15" in Pioneer Ridge by 9am, and it's  snowing sideways with those big fat pancake flakes that stick to your jacket and goggles and pile up fast and furious.  We're looking at another two feet today...

But it doesn't stop there. Tonight we're in the middle of a Winter Storm Warning (I love these, but it seems redundant to warn people of an eminent danger when we can look outside our window and see it's already here).  They're calling for another two feet.  I can add, that's 5-6 feet in 3 days.  Has there been a week like this since the epic 1996 January that held the record of 26" in 24 hours that we broke yesterday? 

I saw this in a Pirate Theater once... I think it's time to bring "24 in 24" back this year boys!

Today I did laps down Pony with the girls, Cabin Fever, Diamond Hitch, Royal Flush, Ambush, Longhorn, Flying Z, Drop Out, and every where we went it was the same story- bottomless leftovers from yesterday with a fresh coat of Champagne frosting. Especially in the trees. Can't beat that.

My last thoughts: Thank you Mardi Gras Gods.  It always dumps the motherload on Fat Tuesday!

I didn't take out the camera today because it was intensely blowing, and my sit-skiing powderhound was at work... so today's video is brought to you by the best at Steamboat:


©Steamboat2012


Keep it coming, Mama, thank you for this week's love In the Deep!

After five days of skiing and a stompin-fast African Dance class this week, I wasn't sure my body could handle the additional 9" on top of it all, man is Mother Nature piling it on!  But between a morning and afternoon meeting today I managed to make it up for about 90 minutes of powder hunting.

As I love to challenge myself when riding alone, today I decided to avoid riding the same lift twice, and went from the Gondola to Pony to Storm Peak to Sundown to South Peak to Elkhead, and think it might be a fun day to try and ride every one them once, as I am pretty sure I've never done that in one day!

The powder wasn't as elusive as I thought it might be not arriving until about 10:15; thanks to a lull in visitor numbers right now the hill was deserted.  (Although I did hear one tourist say from South Peak as we were looking up High Noon, "See honey, how crowded that is? We just need need avoid the busy runs." Lady, you have no idea what busy is apparently.)

I started out with a few Norther trees, knowing the shape it was in from yesterday, and from Pony I took Nash Junction to Chuckwagon to Drop Out.  From the top I traversed to upper 3:00 and then on to 1:00 and into 12:30, back to about 1:30 into the grove below Daybreak.  Then knowing that the Sundial grove doesn't ever seem to get eaten up, I headed there for the freshest powder of the day.  Then on to Pup's right side trees and South Peak for a West Side bomber, no powder there but the soft groomer provided a nice a break, as did Vagabond down, as I had to take the fastest route, pushing my noon meeting time to the edge.


What a week it's been!  3+ feet of snow this week and counting!

Happy Valentines Day!  It's another powder day in the Boat amigos y amigas, and we've been awarded for our patience, Pony Express opened today and Pioneer Ridge was amazing.  I only had about 90 minutes this morning, but enough for 3 sweet luscious laps in the Ridge, unfortunately without my Valentine, who got up there about an hour after I did.

But I didn't ride alone and made some turns In the Deep with Alicia (today's photographer, Steamboat native) and Peter, who has lived here since 1974 and therefore native as well. 

We started out with a lap up Four Points and down Cyclone and Drop Out, exploring the trees and about 10" of fresh, which has now pretty much covered up that ccrrrrrr sound beneath.  From Drop Out we headed right over to a newly opened Pony, which hasn't been open all year due to abysmal conditions, leaving the 16 or so in the last few days wide open for us, glorious us.  We went right to Fetcher's Glade and the bottom of Middle Rib, surfing and yipping like it was early season again.  Another lap up left me with little time to make my 10am Zero Waste meeting, so I did Cabin Fever to Longhorn to WJW- which I have always thought should be called WOW instead, and was tearing up at the return of winter. 

I must say, I'm glad I took yesterday off to work out and bulk up, because after 3 days of riding Friday-Sunday, my rudder leg was outright whining. 

A last note, it was clouding up around run two, and started snowing upon my descent down Valley View... and suffice it to say, it hasn't stopped snowing since!  BIG FAT FLAKES, tomorrow is going to be another beautiful powder day in the Boat.  Winter, we love you, thanks for sticking around.

See you In the Deep!