Jay's Report - January 18, 2004

No Fresh, But the Hill is Still Delivering

We haven't had any measurable snow in about 9 days. In fact, we even got a little rain during the week. That's the bad news. The good news is the freezing line was about at the bottom of Currie Bowl. So White Pass Chair and anything above the bottom of Cornice Chute and higher still delivered great packed powder turns. I overheard someone describe anything below that as "hideous". I won't argue with that description. But scraping through the lower bulletproof section was a small price to pay in return for the sweet upper part of the mountain.

The fog cleared on White Pass this weekend to offer up stunning views of fully blanketed slopes. For the first time in a couple of weeks you could actually see rather than feel your way through to Currie Bowl or down Shakey's Acres. The brighter conditions seduced our friend Mike Hill to have a hard ski day on Saturday despite doctor's orders. Mid season last year Mike hit a hidden snag on a powder day at Castle Mountain. If you've ever hit one, you know it's like striking a land mine. The impact completely shattered Mike's ankle. There's enough hardware left over from the surgeries to sound off an airport x-ray from 10 feet away. Thoughtful as we are, we decided to start Mike out easy by taking him to Cornice Chute. The snow from the top was soft packed powder. When combined with the pitch of descent, the run delivered top drawer, attention grabbing turns. Mike took the narrow chute line at mach II, apparently confused as to whether his doctor said "Don't ski for 6 weeks and we'll examine your ankle then." or "Ski hard for 6 weeks and we'll examine your ankle then". Either way, the Hill delivered; so did the hill.

The Alberta Alpine Junior Provincial Cup Race was on the weekend. Conditions were perfect on the lower section of the mountain for racing - hard and fast. Local talent placed high in the standings. Operations were well under way preparing the hill for World Cup Freestyle event next weekend. A little fresh between now and then would be delightful.

Jay - jay@far.redtree.com



Deb on Cornice Chute

Mike Complete with Bionic Ankle on Cornice Chute

Blue Fencing for World Cup Mogul Competition Next Weekend, Red Fencing for Alberta Junior Provincial Cup Race

View from High on Currie Bowl of Anaconda Glades, Gotta Go and 123's. Top of White Pass Chair in Background on Right