IN THE DEEP

Mt Werner crested over the 200" mark today with the new fallen snow, and after a week of straight stormin', the sunshine came out for a Groundhog Day visit.

The mountain's enormous terrain is in impeccable shape; from buttery smooth groomers to powder stashes in the trees, it's all guaranteed to give a serious attitude adjustment. Not that we need one, living in winter wonderland and gifted a week like this last one, but the smile coming down the hill is always larger than the one going up.

I got a bit of a late start and rode the Gondola with visitors from all over today - Cayman Islands, Cleveland (shout out to our ATAB homies!), Jackson Mississippi and even Rangely, and it always reminds me how grateful I am for living here. I headed straight for the Sunnyside stashes and hit Sundial first... knee deep and glorious!

"The Captain was here!" Look at that blue sky!

Then down to Ramrod, Southpeak, and Westside.  I love the days when we get it all - beaming sunshine, surfy groomers, and powdery gifts in the trees. Another Sundown lap took me to 12:30, where the stash is always, ALWAYS, predictable:


Wanting to get a bite in before my noon Imbolc ceremony with the Goddesses, and seeing the Sundown line was already like Macy's on Black Friday, up Elkhead I went, straight for Valley View. And good what a good call it was. O. M. G.

There's nothing quite like 30 miles an hour down this one. If my attitude wasn't already adjusted, I was ear to ear by the time I got to Lower VV. Both upper and lower Valley View were g-love-carvin' magic, gifted with left side corduroy just for me:

The continual hammering snow this week has been straight from heaven, and I hear there's more on the way. Phil saw his shadow in Steamboat today, so whether it's sooner or later, those storms are now sealed with the Groundhog Day guarantee.  I got three words for that: BRING IT ON.

See you In the Deep -

The morning report announced another foot of freshies, and had it been 15 degrees still, it would have been two feet... But the much warmer temps made for heavier snow and slower going but it was still fresh, something we hadn't seen in 3 weeks, and it was a gloriously stormy powderday out there on Mt Werner. 

The boys loaded the Gondola early, and hit Cyclone-DropOut while Georgie and I made our way up to Pony in a line of a thousand powderhounds. One run down that usually untouched part of the mountain made me realize this wasn't the normal powder day for playing the flatter trees. I got sucked into the gully next to Bar-U-E, and climbed 50 yards up and out.  Breathless, not laughing, and ready for a real run, we headed right over to Dropout again on a mission for steeper terrain.

Words are lost on days and weeks like this one - 40-plus inches in 3 days so far and more is still coming down.  So here's the video from today... as I'm too weary to keep writing!  We sure are loving the GoPro, it's saving my hands, and making for some great faceshot capturing!



See you In the Deep people! What a FUN week!! Snow Gods, send more anytime!