La Nina’s late November arrival was like a Lady Gaga gig, a pretty spectacular affair – powerful, unpredictable and enduring in its effects. But with no new snow after this initial dumpage, we headed north for the weekend where cold sunny weather was predicted. The sun didn’t quite prevail on Saturday at 49 Degrees North, but the reported snow cover and quality was genuine. A few of the glades were twiggy and messy, and sun-exposed slopes firms all day, but with most of the mountain open, perfect, cruisy groomers and some soft skier-packed off groomed, we had a great day at this hidden gem of ski hill.
The sun did arrive Sunday at Schweitzer, and this made for an even better day. Due to lack of people, only the front-side was open, but this was ample terrain for high speed exploration. The steep groomers were mid-winter quality, so we ripped circuits all day long, smiling like Cartman eating donuts. By late morning, the dusty snow in the trees around Headwall and Stiles had soften just enough to be huge fun. It was hard to believe it was the first weekend in December.
Sat @ 49 Degrees – 8100m, Sun @ Schweitzer -8900m
Season Totals: 8 days, 57,100 vert, 3 powder days
Pacific Northwest Ski blog (and a few other places!) 
Recent Comments