winter's return

We had to be content with the thirteen inches we got by the end of Saturday: there was no new snow for the clear and windy Sunday morning.  There were much colder temperatures, however, with it never getting above 24 F at the resort base and hovering in the high single digits/low teens up at the summits. The cold didn't keep people away though: Alta was busier than it had been the day before since folks out here don't like to ski during a storm.

We skied singles right from start, sticking with Collins for the first few runs since there was a big cloud hanging low over Sugarloaf.  I could feel the fatigue in my legs right away, even on the groomers; when I ventured off piste into the little trees under Main Street, I knew I was in trouble.  We did two runs on the Backside: Yellow Trail was crisscrossed with traverses but around the corner East Greeley was good, skied out but still soft.  I had to pick my way down through Glitch (or Glatch, whichever) but H powered through the big bumps seemingly effortlessly.  Shortly after we moved over to Supreme, I got cold and went in to forage a table at Alf's.  H joined me one run later and in all that time I just managed to find two seats on the end of a long lunch table - apparently I wasn't the only one whose toes were a little frosty.

Perched near Yellow Trail

After lunch, we rode up Sugarloaf and skied back to Supreme, where we stayed there for the afternoon.  I managed a couple of hikes into/runs through Catherine's Area but my legs were just too tired for much fun.  H, whose legs were not thrashed from Saturday's deep snow skiing, alternated Catherine's runs with flyers down groomers and we just met up with each other at the lift after each lap.  I of course got cold skiing the groomers but every time I ventured off-piste to warm up, it came at a price my poor, pathetic legs just couldn't pay.  Finally, I couldn't do it any more and we skied out, about a half hour earlier than the day.  It was time anyway, as clouds moved in, the light went flat and it got even colder.  I was disappointed in my conditioning - at the end of February, I shouldn't be completely flattened by one day of good snow skiing - but it was still a pretty good day, the snow holding up well in the cold temperatures.