Headed out into the moonscape of the scoured world.  Wind event 2012 is in full swing and EV is not immune. One look at the Gore Range says it all.   Mountains bathed in white a few days ago are stripped bare, the precious  contents transferred to Nebraska.  Flagging on the peaks yesterday was huge, clouds of snow pluming off anything above 10000 feet.  Really a sense of deja vu, the Poma hike scoured, the anti-tracks of travelers past sticking out in relief, exposed by the winds.  It reminded me of  early December conditions. DPS and I headed out just to see what the results of the wind, not expecting any phenomenal skiing.  There has really been no periods of consistency with weather or snow this year and

everyday seems to bring something new.

Steps In Relief

Not much traffic, no surprise there. Top of the World really wasn’t that bad wind wise, the worst of the event is hopefully over.  Snow conditions were variable, meaning I skied seven different kinds of snow during our Tweeners run.  Rock hard scarp gave way to thin window pane like wind slab.  Old pow in the trees, old pow with a cracker crust in any sun hit lowers out of the wind.  East facing sun crust of different variations. It was a snow condition buffet, and I had my plate full.  I survival skied the run, but enjoyed it nonetheless. Hanging out with DPS on the ridge, looking around and shooting the shit is always a good time.

The run out to the water tank was the capper. The wind had brought down smaller limbs and pine cones and scattered them like confetti on the run-out.  Flying through the luge on a mostly brown carpet with the crunching of the pine cones under the skis capped a strange, otherworldly run in a otherworldly year.

On the ridge we watched Benchie and Old Mans reloading, the plumes of snow cartwheeling into the scarps.  The crown in Olds is still visible.  The fracture profile looks pretty similar to the slide I set off with the ski cut heard round the world early in the year.  Strip on the right side of Old Mans is holding tough.

Old Mans Watch Continues

I’ve chosen a couple of strip runs next to old slide paths this year.  These strips of snow have provided good skiing, while mitigating the danger with the old slide path interrupting the open faces.   Pow strips have provided this year when we couldn’t step out into the open faces we wanted to ski.  Can’t ever remember choosing runs in EV this way during any other year.

East faces are crusted from sun and warm temps. Upper north aspects are cross-loaded or slid out.   Lower protected trees are the best skiing at the moment, out of the sun and wind.

Bottom line in EV,  we need the reset button pushed in a bad way.