Whiteface/Slides, March 21, 22, 2015

Sometimes you have one of those weekends when things just line up and everything works out in a way you never could have planned for.  Those times are few and far between, but when they happen....boy.  This was one of those weekends.

Plans were made weeks ago to hit WF/Placid this past weekend.  With the lack of a spring the conditions have been good, and then the Slides opened Friday.  Could it be?  Hope was born that what was going to be a good weekend might possibly turn great if only the Slides opened on Saturday.

Then on Friday night Harvey has to open up his yap and utter the V word, planting the pessimistic seed of doubt.  Remember, Harvey nailed the Monday opening a couple weeks ago.  Didn't go, but he called it.  

So, while not discouraging the boys from skiing on Saturday, I didn't argue when they decided resort time (swimming, show shoe, skate....they could find cool stuff to do) would be good on Saturday.  So we leave home at 6am, at the mountain at 9:15, and I'm free for whatever the day brings.  

It's on the way out, really focusing on the hill for the first time, that I begin to wonder if I'm going to have to curse Harvey, as the summit is engulfed in cloud.  A warmup run from the Gondi down Empire to the summit quad, then up and over to Cloudspin, which was in great shape.  No action up top near the Slides on that trip up, but that's not unusual just before 10.  Still, the cloud deck, which hangs about 1/3 of the way down the Slides nags at me.  Back up the summit quad.  Not much action up there.  Informed that there is a Level 2 training class going on.  When asked a patroller says he doesn't know if the Slides will open given the (damn you, Harvey) visibility.  With the cloud deck still draped 1/3 of the way down the Slides I begin to wonder if maybe it's just not gonna be the day.  Another great run down Cloudspin gets me back to the summit quad, and up I go.  As I ascend the mountain my heart sinks, as the cloud deck has lowered, Slides fully envelloped in cloud, the visibility (fricken Harvey) into the Slides zero.  Foiled again!  Or so I thought......

Cresting the top of the lift, what to my wondering eyes should appear....but a miniature sleigh.....sorry, wrong story....two orange mountain host jackets stand about where the Slides line forms, shooting the shit with a bunch of guys.  Not wanting to be a pest and ask the obvious question, I move off to the side and just wait.  About 10 minutes later patrol emerges from the building, and asks the orange jacketed angels if they want to lead the charge, and it was on.  The day was about to get great, but little did I know how great......

Having been waiting, I was maybe 6 people back of the orange jackets.  After the trip in, it's across the traverse we go.  Everyone in front has dropped in by Slide 3.  The gentleman behind me was wondering if anyone had done 4, and I said it sounded good to me.  This is where I hooked up with Ethan and Emily, a nice couple from Keeseville who, by the way, could stomp.  We were the first ones down 4, and had a great run.  Back up the lift we go, stoked from the run, looking forward to more.  At this point Ethan mentions something about exploring the woods and skiing something he'd done before, but I don't really know what he is talking about.  Across the traverse the second time we drop into 2B, more great turns, so much fun.  Toward the bottom of 2 there are some ice floes.  It's a tricky drop in, but rather than go around I jump in to the untouched, headed for a narrow strip of powder down the middle.  Yes, Harvey, JTG was happy!  Another great run, it's straight back up.  This ride Ethan is much more intent on the woods he skied once before.  After a couple runs I figured he knew what he was doing, so I was up for some adventure.  The next trip in involved what I'll call Slide woods.  Amazing the spaces that open up in the trees.  Ethan, Emily and I took turns dropping untouched lines of almost knee deep powder.  While the Slides proper had a little crust, protected in the woods the tree shots were light and dry.  Did I mention Ethan and Emily could stomp? I go around stumps and small pines.  In the midst of a tight tree shot Ethan would launch over and through them without skipping a beat or missing a turn.  The spaces were not large.  Emily made impeccable, flawless turns.



We finished that run heading to the falls on Slide 1 and billygoating (love that term RA) our way down.  The woods shot Ethan was looking for,it seems, had eluded us.  Not to fear, it only made Ethan more intent.  Back up for a second search, deeper into the woods for tighter lines that were just as light and untouched as the first romp through the trees.  Foiled again, we hit up the lower half of Slide 2.  These ellusive woods had now become an obsession for Ethan, and Emily and I were happily along for the ride.  A well placed question and some good route planning, the fifth time was to be the charm for Ethan's quest.  This was what greeted us.
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Did I mention we picked up a fourth on the way up for our last lap?  Jeff, a nice older gentleman rocking tele, joined us to play in the woods.  While there was a little crust at the elevation of Ethan's playground, it was an amazing experience to finally have found it.




The four of us finished off the day with one more summit run, a chance to carve arcs all the way to the bottom where we could share a couple drinks after our adventures.

The solitude of the mountain, the thrill of challenging yourself and responsibly testing your limits, ethereal powder turns, and the ability to share it with new friends......skiing doesn't get any better than that.  

And then Sunday arrived!

It dawned an entirely different kind of day.  Despite the extreme cold (for late March) and wind that arrived Saturday night, it was a day to ski with my boys.  Pleased to see all the lifts turning on arrival, the boys and I booted up.  An inch reported, that turned out to be more up top, combined with wind drifted snow made for very nice turns.  And here is where more random events led to spectacular opportunity.  My youngest struggled with the cold.  He'll toughen eventually, but it provided me an unexpected opportunity to ski with my older son, the one on one time very welcome.  We skied Skyward, which had great soft snow and piles of powder at the edges.  He enjoyed it so much that we hit up Cloudspin next, to let him try his hand in deeper powder.  While challenging, it was the type of run he could take pride in when done.  In to find my youngest, he wasn't ready to head back out yet.  That turn of fate would make my day, seal the weekend....maybe make my season.  Oh, and another one of those 'little' decisions at the time......I thought about leaving my pack, something I had been skiing with all day, seemingly unnecessarily, as there was no activity up near the Slides all day, and it was now pushing 12:30.  Actually put my pack down....but then reconsidered.  So, pack on shoulder my older son and I head up for one more summit run before lunch.  Well, upon arrival at the summit the Slides were set up for opening.  My son was willing and able to head down by himself, and my Sunday opportunity was there.  Silver status.....not leaving the pack paid off, big time.  One guy (Mark A) was waiting, talking to patrol.  Waiting to have the go ahead from Patrol for a suitably geared group to head in took a good 20 minutes, but it was well worth the wait.  You can ski a lifetime and rarely get the opportunity for this.......

An untouched Slide 2B


The more than an inch, with the aid of the wind, presented a clean canvas for Mark and I to lay tracks in.

What a run.  What a weekend....that so easily could have gone in a thousand different directions.  However, circumstances and decisions provided for one of the more memorable ski weekends I could hope to ever have.


Have to work on embedding what little video I have.

Yes YouTube!  

Cool good job getting first tracks

That last picture is incredible.

We finally skied Paradise at MRG this weekend - now we have to hit the slides. This looks amazing! How long will the slides be open for? I saw that it was silver status.. Looking forward to a video report.

Skiray wrote

How long will the slides be open for?

Ha....the million dollar question that is so hard to answer!  There is a lot of snow in there in places, but it hasn't been the best snow year ever, so how quickly things get exposed once it warms up is hard to say.  Of course one could ask if it's ever going to warm up?  Brief warm up Wed to Thurs will be followed by more cold and below normal temps into the first or second week of April.

I suspect they may be in play for a while.....of course there is no way to know how often the rope will drop, as so many things can factor in.  Not just weather (precip, temps, winds), but events and staffing at the hill, and other stuff I likely don't have a clue about.

So, I would be willing to bet (and keep in mind, I do terrible at the casino!) that we'll be watching weather and condition reports for the next couple weeks (at least) with the possibility/hope that they will open.  Assess those reports, make some educated guesses, take a chance.....and hope to get lucky.  That really is all you can do.  I've skied the Slides as late as April 20 in years past.  While that might have been in a better snow year, the temps seem to be in our favor this year.

It was gold Saturday, silver on Sunday.

JTG4eva! wrote

FTW.  

Every bit of that untouched snow fell after 3pm on Saturday.  I guess that answers the question about what was happening up top when we were in the bar at quitting time.

Sweet shot. And thanks for the awesome report.

Great trip report JTG!  You must have gone back and added the text after posting the pics, because when I saw your post originally it was just the photos...

JTG4eva! wrote

 You can ski a lifetime and rarely get the opportunity for this.......

Nice report!

Now get that touring rig and you can have many more

Great report and pics JTG...here's a few in some "Slide woods" from Friday. Snow was bottomless.




 

Nice HPD.  Lots 'o fun.  Hit the woods up first run on Friday.

I was up Friday and thought about inquiring about a tour, but I knew I'd be arriving late on a great Slides day.

Headed up Thursday-Saturday.  Should be some nice soft spring conditions Thursday and Friday, hopefully not too many r*in drops.  If you have any tours headed out there let me know!