The Day We'd Been Waiting For

We woke to good news. Big Sky received 6" of fresh overnight and 9" in the past 24 hours. The snow looked great riding up the Swiftcurrent lift and the anticipation was building. There were not many people at the mountain today unlike Easter weekend.

Ann and Chelsea opted to ski the lower half of the mountain and it was hard to resist a quick run down Swifty. But, Jim and I felt that the greater snow depths would be up high so we headed for the upper lifts. The Lone Peak Triple was not open yet as they presumably waited for avalanche control to finish their work in the bowl area. So, the three bulls bypassed the lift line building at this lift and headed for Challenger. Visibility was not great there either and the trees off Challenger would provide better ability to see.

We zoomed under the LPT lift and traversed our way to the bottom of the Challenger lift. Off the traverse we got our first taste of untracked powder with very few people opting for this same route so far.

The wind was blowing strong at the top of the lift and it was quite cold. Spring? I don't think so. It was single digits and blowing for a below zero wind chill factor. Nonetheless, Jim had his video camera and we have some good video documenting this epic morning of skiing. (Stay tuned for Jim's upcoming video masterpiece, soon to be seen on youtube for the world to enjoy.)

Colin Enjoying Some Freshies

Who needs a helicopter when you can get this at a ski resort?!

Jim Enjoying Lower Highway

We got our money's worth on the first run but the second run will be firmly imbedded in my mind forever. We stumbled upon a steep pitch through the Zucchini Patch. I captured Jim on film skiing this memorable line. Rarely have I been this stoked! 6"?? I don't think so. Due to the wind and buildup over a few days, certain spots were well over 18" deep and as you sunk down in on the turn you'd feel the snow from the knees to your hips. And, the wind gave you face shots for even the not-so-deep turns. I had more than a few turns where I could not see where I was going. I was simply being caressed down the mountain in soft powder with white all around me. It does not get much better than this!

Zucchini Patch Heaven