Jay's Report - March 23, 2003

I Felt Something Running Down My Leg

There's never a bad day skiing, but Saturday came close. Even if Saturday was a bad day of skiing for some, it still beats a good day at work. So the cliche goes. Webster's Dictionary defines "snot" as "nasal mucus". "Mucus" is defined as "a viscid slippery substance"; and "viscid" is defined as "having an adhesive quality: sticky". That pretty much sums up the texture of the snow on Saturday.

It's not that I don't like spring skiing. I do. I don't like it as much as mid-winter skiing, but I do like it. If it had stopped raining, the skiing would have been spectacular. But it didn't so it wasn't. There was reportedly boot top new snot at the top of White Pass. I wasn't there early enough to capture first blow, but what I found was good if not fun. Even though all of Currie Bowl and even Shakey's Acres was closed due to an obvious avalanche hazard, Heartland had some soft spring bumps and soft, wet snow. Eager to locate fresh tracks, I found plenty on the top of Mitchy Chutes and Morning Glory. The untracked slope with nicely spaced trees looked mysteriously inviting. The skiing was unique. A cross between powder skiing, because of what the eyes see, and water skiing, because of what the legs feel. It was plenty good enough for two more down the same route. What struck me most was the sound of my mid-fats slicing through the untracked snow. Each carve sounded like the continuous hiss of a large snake with a fang ache. Another memorable part of the day occurred on the Timber Chair when out of nowhere and for some strange reason I turned to the two folks sitting beside me on the lift and revealed, "I feel something running down my leg." They looked at me as if I had just announced I was having a dump on the lift. There simply wasn't enough time for me to deduce that the apparent river flowing down my leg was a consequence of the sudden increase in the intensity of the rain rather than some biological mishap.

Sunday started out with a science lesson from my seven year old daughter. As we left the house I remarked to the kids that it seemed colder so that it might be a little harder pack than the day before. Rolling her eyes like I'm the stupidest person in the universe my daughter lectured, "Dad, it rained all day yesterday and when it gets colder the water turns to ice!" And that pretty much sums up Sunday. The good news is it stopped raining and started snowing lightly and the base is still in good shape for the coming spring break.

At 3 PM its plus 2C at the house.

Jay - jay@far.redtree.com



Skiers at the top of White Pass suitably attired in Baggies.

Morning Glory

Another on Morning Glory

Even Jacques the poodle was wearing a rain coat!