Craig's Report - October 27, 2004

Looks Promising

It has been a while now since we have had any snow and down in the valley it is once again predictably green, albeit dead or dormant green. However on the upper half of the mountain the snow remains and even though these are still early days, it has a feel of permanence and promise to it. Yeah, yeah, the vagaries of November weather could put a lie to that, but after a couple of so, so snow years, I am determined to have faith that the Griz will be in pay back mode this season. (Skiers without unreasonable faith in the weather are called bowlers.)

It was a glorious day for slogging and gasping up a mountain through calf deep snow. I had punished myself a couple of days ago fighting my way up Falling Star, so it seemed appropriate to continue the abuse at the other end of the mountain with a trip up Cedar Bowl. Any trip I make up Cedar seems to require my getting befuddled as to what the route up is, but even with some back tracking and much tongue dragging, it was a wonderful place to be on a day like today.

Farther up, most of the snow is still quite sugary, but sits on a thin layer of breaking crust which adds to your walking pleasure. The trip down through Lizard on Tower Six road was on snow well packed by by numerous truck and ATV passages. For some reason it was only then that it occurred to me that walking up the packed road and down through Cedar might have been a tad brighter.

I am always impressed at where folks will take a 4x4 truck and that was particularly true a couple of days ago when I discovered truck tracks up Timber to the radio tower above the top of the Timber Chair. Here the road up was definitely not packed and the the tire tracks told the tale of some interesting struggles and I suspect some pretty decent driving.

At 8:15 PM, it is -3 C at the house and starry.


Griz Peak hangs above the trail to Cedar.

No snow at the bottom!

It appears the plan is to bridge the creek beside Tamarack, thus permitting what should be much easier access from the base area to the Timber chair.

All the chairs are off of the Boom Chair and some sort of work seems to have been done on the cable.

Spruce has seen some serious surgery, Cat D8 style. There is also a new small building up on the left, just above what appears to be a pretty significant new jump.

Cedar Ridge.

Looking down Cruiser.

Alas no trimming of Snake Ridge this year. Maybe the snow will be extra deep to compensate.

Ever wonder how they find the fixed cables they use for winch grooming? I am assuming that is what the tripod at the lower left is for. This is looking up the Bow trees towards the top of Bear and Griz Peak.

The Bear's Den area, with the Bear Express in the foreground and the top of the Elk Chair in the upper center.