bundle up

Even though it was still wicked cold Sunday morning, the sun was shining in a clear blue sky and we knew we were going skiing.  We bundled up in all our warm stuff - down parkas, heavy longjohns and face masks (just in case) - and hopped on the ski bus, getting up to Alta about 8:40 a.m.  As we rode up, we wondered what sort of crowds we might find.  Last Sunday, the day after a decent storm, was crazy-crowded in the morning.  This Sunday, the day after an impressive storm ... was basically deserted.  I guess the morning high temperature of 0 scared people away.  We hung out in Goldminer's Daughter until 9:10 a.m., then went out and got in the short singles line.  The lifts starting turning on time at 9:15 a.m. and that was the last (only) time we had to stand in a lift line.

I mean, don't get me wrong: it was cold.  Temperatures were inverted to start: 0 at the peak and -6 at the base.  But the sun was out and it wasn't windy.  After one run on Collins I could already tell that I was getting cold, despite my down coat, and we moved to Sugarloaf which has a little more sunshine on it this time of year.  If nothing else, it was nice to not have to ski in flat light.  We did a second groomer and then our third run was down Extrovert since we needed something off-piste to warm up.  I was skiing pretty tentatively, leery of falling and injuring my shoulder again.  I was on my Rossignols, which like to turn less than I like to turn, and I was struggling a little in the chop.  I suggested to H that we split up for the morning so he could get some solid runs in without waiting for me, and we planned to meet up a little before noon at Alf's.

Yay down parka with a hood!

After lunch, temperatures were right-side-up and slightly warmer: 3F at the summit and 10F at the base.  We did a Cabin Run, which was great, soft and fluffy, and then went to Supreme for another Catherine's Area run.  After that, we were both overheating and needed to do some groomers to cool off.  Several more Supreme runs later, we realized we could make the 2:30 p.m. bus down-canyon.  And fifty minutes after that, we were back at the car.

It's going to stay cold for the week, with some small storms moving through, just enough to refresh things for Christmas.  With these last two storms, however, we're in great shape snow-wise, certainly better than we've been for the last couple of years.  Makes us hopeful that we might have a decent ski season even.  Here's hoping!