After experiencing something on Saturday that I never thought possible–powder leg at Summit West–I decided to kick the early-season legs into gear and get up to Crystal Mountain for some midweek powder lines. I met up with a crew of four dudes at the VIP parking lot, where we exchanged greetings, stuffed our feet into boots and headed to the lift. Nate “Young Buck” Marquardt and his brother Joel, Steve-O Fratella and Matt Small would round out the crew, with cameo appearances by the occasional local (Wayne Grevey et al.).
Steve and I started off with two spectacular runs down the frontside near Iceberg Gulch. Since the ski patrol had not removed the ropeline protecting Sunnyside and Memorial, we started off by dropping down Iceberg Ridge to Rightberg where we worked an untracked run through the tree-lined gullies. Colder-than-usual snow conditions allows us ample overhead shots on each heelside turn in spite of the run being in full sun. A second run, this time closer to Pope’s Gulch, confirmed the epicness of the morning as we were rewarded with more overhead shots, a few cat-track hits into untracked landings, and high-speed turns from top to bottom of Rainier Express.
As ski patrol pulled more ropes and opened more gates, it became apparent that finding the best snow was going to be a matter of timing. We headed into Green Valley to contemplate the situation and get a new perspective by riding Grubstake. Fortunately we found excellent conditions on the sunny face with a consistent coverage of up to 20 inches of fluff. Steve and I made high-speed turns into the tree-protected chute to the rider’s left of the chair, where I found a 10 foot knob of rock to drop off into the untracked field below. We cleaned up and headed to Chair 6.
High Campbell was experiencing high winds and the lift ride was an excruciating 15 minutes in a brutal side wind. At the top, we made the call to hit Double Ought (00) Chutes, which was excellent due to the excessive loading from the Southerly wind. At the bottom of Chair 9, we were told that Chair 6 was closing, so it was decided to hit the VIP lot for some lunch.
After the meal, we scuttled most of the shaded exposures on Chair 3 (Green Valley) including Rinky Dink, Snorting Elk and more. Come to think of it, we scuttled everything in the sun and in the shade. From there I headed solo back to the frontside for a Door 1, followed by a trip back to Grubstake for a tree run just this side of Stockholders. I met up with Young Buck and his bro, who finished out the day with me by tackling the first Upper E/Lower Bull of the year, followed by a couple of Doors and an Upper Lower Exterminator to close out an epic day.
