Crisp with a hint of Oak

That's how I'd describe the snow, that is.

Wow - friggin' amazing.  I sat here this morning while my kids were napping reading this forum, thinking to myself, damn, I should go see if I can get some skiing in.  Then I thought... you know, it's early season, heavy, wet snow and it always sucks.  I thought that last night and the day before, so I hadn't even looked at a ski or my boots.  Everything was still stored in the basement.  Until 12:30pm today.

It hit me.  All my rational thought about being the first day of gun season went out the window.  I was going to give it a shot and see if I could get a few turns in.  I threw my snowshoes in the car because I didn't have much expectation.  I thought it might be a gloppy mess, or too many hunters and I'd have to turn back.  None of that was the case.



Everyone was out lookin' for Bambi, but I was greeted by these ladies.



I didn't even mount up my new Voiles yet, and I wasn't going to take them out in unknown cover (even though it would have been fine) so I took these old girls.  Not my favorite skis, but scales and the widest option I had to keep me out of the muck.



This picture does no justice, but the rust brown of the oak leaves still on the trees was quite beautiful against the backdrop of the white.



I had some areas in mind I wanted to try out once I saw there was enough snow to actually ski and it wasn't a sloppy mess - it was actually kind of soft on top - it was 30F so the air was colder than the ground.  Once compacted though, it instantly sucked the moisture from the ground and turned to hard, icy shit.

Anyway, I had some areas in mind but it seemed there were hunters every couple hundred yards, and I didn't really want to ski right in their sights.  I kept to the jeep trails and skied off where I didn't see their footprints.

I was happy to get my first turns of year even though they were a little shaky.  My tele was not feeling its strongest.

Did some laps and skied off to another area where I found even less hunter prints.



The trails aren't very steep, but there are endless gladed section in between with every pitch from very steep to mellow.  This is typically where I like to run, but I kept my senses and stayed out of trouble.  I actually think there was enough snow to ski some of the cleaner sections though.

I'm pretty glad I got out.  And hey, my turns started feeling a little stronger by the end.  My balance muscles are definitely weak, and will need some exercise to get back where I want to be, but it was about the best early season ski I can recall.  Usually I'm just sliding around on grass in sticky snow that clumps under my skis.  And I didn't get shot, so that was a plus!

Perhaps I jacked this up and should have posted in trip reports?  

My title didn't fit the specified description, so I posted in the Woodstove.  I don't know what I'm doing...

That photo of the turns through the leafs is dope!

Great report, CS. We might have to make you an honourary Hinterlandian if you keep this up.

raisingarizona wrote

That photo of the turns through the leafs is dope!

Thanks - that was actually pretty special as I've never skied a foot+ of snow like that with oak leaves on top.

OTOH, the leaves kind of sucked.  They didn't bother me so much going down, but elsewhere they seemed to have a mind of their own.  That is to say, they were sticky and keeping me from gliding much on flats and slippery when climbing.

Sick Bird Rider wrote

Great report, CS. We might have to make you an honourary Hinterlandian if you keep this up.

Cool - thanks.  I'll take what I can get, even though I don't know what that might entail.

Most leaves on snow on my property than I can ever recall before thIs year

Sweet TR CS.