Squaw Valley 2/4/17

McConkey's comes down right between the rocks, right?  It was the section lookers left on the other side of the rock that I was really eyeing up.  Similar pitch, without the rock exposure. Yeah, there's a stand of trees below both, but the face seemed large enough and the powder soft enough that a tumble wouldn't result in a slide through the trees.  Of course, that's how it LOOKED to me from below.  When we did see someone finally rip that face in the afternoon it was steep, but not a huck.  Three or four turns and no required air.  Just like with the Fingers, perhaps the extreme snowpack from January made it a bit more forgiving?

Maybe not.  Errol may have saved me from myself by not being into the hike (he said he go if I wanted to), but after the Fingers and Ah Chute he didn't shut down the idea. As he and I talked about....things often look very different from the top!  The KT ride and the Fingers are like that. Heading up the lift there are lines that don't LOOK that bad, but once the lift is above them you see the real exposure.

Marcski wrote

The deep snowpack must have helped this time around, no?

I'm sure it helped, but I'll still take the notch!

So, rounding out my story, to close out the day it was over to the Far East Express to check out the trees in Poulson's Gully.  Errol was hoping to find some soft snow, but by the end of the day the Sierra Cement was setting up, and the bumps were getting firm.  There was one particular line he wanted to look at, a 50 foot straight rock lined chute that was maybe 10 feet wide.  Even for him the runout at that point was too firm and bumpy so we passed.  However, it was nice to get into a steep, long glade.  We didn't head to the bottom, opting to traverse left to the base lodge rather than having to hoof it out.  

Rounded out the day with beers with Errol at the Chamois, before hitting the hot tub at the Granlibakken, where some locals crashing to pool were happy to share their 12 of PBR.  Good day!

This is in low tide conditions. Dude goes huge and then gets tossed into the trees! Yikes!

Some POV.

Wow, that confirms Marc called it......25+ feet of snow in January has made things a lot more forgiving than they usually are!  My trip was well timed for an ego boost.  No wonder Errol has never seen anyone make turns in the Banana Chute, there isn't usually enough snow in there to do so!

As for the whole Eagles Nest area right now, it looks nothing like either of those two videos.  I'd never consider anything like in those two videos.  Right now that area is completely filled in except for two fully exposed towers of rock lining a smooth face of snow between them.  Immediately skiers right of the main tower of granite, where the dude in the second video skied.....right now it's a canvass of pure white, completely filled in.  From the lift we watched someone "steal my idea", as Errol said, and rip that face.  There or four clean powder turns, no rock, no mandatory air.

I ain't crazy, so don't think I was considering anything like those videos.  I'm not that good or brave even in my wildest delusions of grandeur!