Powder, Sweet Powder

We woke Saturday to 14 inches of new snow at the mountain so the neurons immediately were on red alert. Sleeping was difficult knowing that something good was coming our way. I had a sleepless hour in the middle of the night as I often do when powder is imminent. Eating was also difficult the next morning with anxiety taking hold. I'm never a big eater first thing in the morning but I have a really tough time when I'm excited about the prospects of skiing soft snow. Knowing that I would need energy though I forced down a couple bowls of cereal and a banana with the obligatory cup of wake-up juice, not that I needed any.

We arrived at the mountain half an hour before the lifts would start taking passengers. I knew that the line would be significant already. All the locals come out when storms of this size pull into town. And, since it was Saturday the mountain seemed especially crowded. We waited for what seemed to be an eternity to get on the Teewinot lift (instead of the gondola). Teewinot would get us to Apres Vous, a nice long high-speed quad with ample intermediate and expert terrain. The upper lifts would not open for a while due to avalanche control work. We could hear the bombs going off in the distance, a sound that any true powder skier likes to hear because it means there is snow and lots of it.

After Teewinot finally started taking on snow riders a cheer went up from the antsy crowd. Unfortunately our excitement was short-lived as we then had to wait another 20+ minutes for Apres Vous to open. The line was humongous by the time they finally started loading the chairs!
But, this was the payoff for all our patience:

Kevin (near top of Casper Lift)

Colin Enjoying His Fair Share of the Powder

The snow was deep and wonderful but it was not light. It was a bit difficult to ski due to the density. This was a much bigger test for my knee but I'm happy to say that it survived (without any pain I might add).

We headed over to the Casper chairlift to try to get away from the crowds and this strategy worked to some degree. This is an old school, fixed triple lift that is reminiscent of times gone by. It also has a nice small lodge/restaurant at the base that really has a great feel. This is a real skier's lodge with hot chocolate, homemade cookies, and snowshoe chairs and thick wooden tables.

By the end of today, our legs were feeling it. Fatigue was setting in and it was time to be careful with how hard we skied. We stopped often to take photographs and enjoy each piece of the run, searching out hidden powder stashes in the trees. We did not have to look hard though.

What a day...