February 07, 2000

A Glass Half Empty

Okay, I concede! Conditions were very good today. They must have been because everybody I talked to told me so and my whining soon made me feel like the grump at the party that everyone avoids because all he can do is complain. I guess I am just one of those types who would call a glass half empty, although being an engineer I might reflect on the possibility that the glass is over built.

However all those folks did have a pretty good point. It was much warmer today and as a result the snow was softer just about everywhere. In particular the moguls I tried were soft sided and easy to get a grip on, despite a tendency to be rather more vertical than I would prefer. Alas I am not a rabid mogul fan and the sight of the field of baby Volkswagens that comprised upper Sky Dive sent me back to the comfort of the crud in Easter Bowl. Even this stuff had benefited from the warmth, but was still more than willing to take you for a ride if you let your guard down for an instant.

I was less convinced by the praise heaped on the groomed runs. Certainly there was some sort of soft heavy stuff on most of them that made for nice turns, but there were still plenty of stiff spots as well. I think it is telling that in many places down low, you have to lay your poles on the ground when you want to put them down, since it is impossible to penetrate the surface more than about a millimeter.