2012/2013 Ski Area Snowfall Log
for the Silver Valley
|
I moved to Wallace
in January 1993 because it was a
charming village halfway between TWO ski areas, a dozen
miles in either direction on Interstate 90 in northern
Idaho's
Silver Valley.
This page will
log the snowfall
statistics for both
Silver Mountain,
a gondola ride away from Kellogg,
and
Lookout Pass,
at the Montana border. Click on the
animated color bars to move between the top and bottom of
the data. Greg Marsh |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ten Day Weather Forecasts for both Ski Areas | ||||
| A crude measure of each previous season is given by the maximum snow depth recorded at Lookout Pass's summit. The Season Recaps link leads to more summary information presented at the bottom of the page. | ||||
| 2001/2002
Snowfall Log 225" |
2002/2003
Snowfall Log 130" |
2003/2004
Snowfall Log 119" |
2004/2005
Snowfall Log 85" |
2005/2006
Snowfall Log 168" |
| 2006/2007
Snowfall Log 163" |
2007/2008
Snowfall Log 197" |
2008/2009
Snowfall Log 144" |
2009/2010
Snowfall Log 90" |
2010/2011
Snowfall Log 192" |
|
2011/2012
Snowfall Log 176" |
Season Recaps | Follow @gregswallace | ||
|
Silver Mountain The Lodge, elevation 5650 feet, is at "Mid Mountain," while Kellogg Peak, top of Chair 2, has an elevation of 6200 feet. See trailmap for orientation and today's Snow Report for operation confirmation. |
Lookout Pass The Lodge is at base of Runt Mountain. The chair runs from an elevation of 4800 feet to the top of Runt at 5650 feet. See trailmap for orientation and today's Snow Report for operation confirmation. |
|---|
| 94 |
Days Open in 2012/2013 season as of April 27, 2013 |
106 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
The early morning temperatures listed below were
recorded between 5 and 7 AM at the Silver Mountain Lodge and/or at the Lookout Pass Lodge . A (temperature) means it was recorded/reported after 7 AM. A (new snowfall) number records new snow when a resort is closed. Click on the animated color bars to move between the top and bottom of the data. |
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| Date | 24 hr New |
at Lodge |
at Summit |
temp °F |
Date | 24 hr New |
at Lodge |
at Summit |
|---|
|
|
|
/ 27° |
Sunday Nov 25 |
1" | 8" | 23" | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I rode up to the mountain with John who made about ten runs on his tele skis. He said that the top half was good, but that caution was warranted on the bottom half due to early season conditions. I was content to get my season pass picture taken, and my K2's fully tuned and torque tested. I appreciated seeing blue sky, a full parking lot and old ski chums. Phil and I had a fun chat regarding the new chairlift on the bunny hill, the replacement towers on the Montana side, the announced sale of Silver Mountain, and Forest Service paperwork associated with the next phase of Lookout's expansion. | ||||||||
|
|
/ 33° |
Thursday Nov 29 |
2" | 8" | 24" | |||
|
|
/ 35° |
CLOSED by rain |
0" | 8" | 24" | |||
|
|
/ 34° |
CLOSED by rain |
2" | 8" | 26" | |||
|
|
/ 31° |
Sunday Dec 2 |
5" | 10" | 29" | |||
| Del and I drove up to the resort about 2:30 to check out the conditions. At that time, the snow line was about 500 feet below the parking lot. We were told that it was at the parking lot in the morning. In other words, the heavy rainfall in Wallace during the day became heavy snowfall for the happy folks on skis and boards. Heavy wet snowfall is exactly what we need to establish a good base for the season. However, readers not familiar with this area should realize that we are having an unusually slow start this winter. For perspective, check out the conditions on Dec 2, 2010, or the photos taken on Dec 2, 2006. The latter season was distinguished by the "knee-deep powder on the day after Thanksgiving!" | ||||||||
|
|
/ 29° |
Monday Dec 3 |
8" | 16" | 38" | |||
| Adding 5" of snow that fell during the day on Sunday to the 8" that fell overnight, gave a 48 hour total of 18". | ||||||||
|
|
/ |
|
(4") | |||||
|
|
/ 27° |
Thursday Dec 6 |
1" | 14" | 38" | |||
| Jim and I joined Mark to make seven runs by noon under mild conditions. The groomed packed-powder runs on the front side were unblemished. I found myself singing jazz down Copper on a surface that could have ten feet of snow under it and not be as good. Later, flat out on Golden Eagle, I found two convivial charley horses riding along on my thighs. I then recognized the damage done by not working in [Wildland Urban Interface] Fire Mitigation last summer. We took a Rainbow Ridge tour to check out our favorite trees... too crusty. Even tho all the runs on the Montana Side are now open to careful travelers, we opted for the easy exercise available the Front Side. | ||||||||
|
Friday Dec 7 |
5" | 14" | 31" | 19° / 24° |
Friday Dec 7 |
10" | 22" | 50" |
| 3 lifts operating, 25 trails open, 6 groomed | ||||||||
|
Saturday Dec 8 |
4" | 14" | 31" | 20° / 21° |
Saturday Dec 8 |
10" | 28" | 56" |
| Del, Jim and I were there when the lifts opened at 8:30 to witness a grey, white, blue and golden sky, 20 inches of champagne powder, and the opening of Chair 3 on the North Side. Del on his snowboard was the first one down expert Hercules. He called it epic bottomless, where every second turn gave him a face shot... and eventually an ice cream headache. Jim and I were the first skiers down advanced intermediate Marmot, where I alternated between knee deep powder and the single groomer lane down the middle when exhaustion dictated. Jim was able to stay in the poof most of the time, however. After a duplicate run, we checked out the trees west of Rainbow Ridge... to our regret: what was crusty on Thursday was now not steep enough. However, expert Lucky Friday on the Idaho Side certainly was! Exhausted after seven runs, we went to The Loft for coffee. They had refills while I emerged to check out Cloud Nine and Keystone on the Montana Side. The trailside trees were fun and the bottom steeps were well covered. A final run thru the trees between Gold and Silver gave me a day's total of ten runs just as the next snow storm arrived. | ||||||||
|
Sunday Dec 9 |
0" | 14" | 31" | 18° / 15° |
Sunday Dec 9 |
0" | 28" | 56" |
|
|
/ 24° |
Monday Dec 10 |
1" | 28" | 56" | |||
|
|
/ 26° |
Thursday Dec 13 |
7" | 30" | 59" | |||
|
Friday Dec 14 |
0" | 24" | 49" | 23° / 20° |
Friday Dec 14 |
0" | 30" | 59" |
| 6 lifts operating, 40 trails open, 8 groomed |
Jim and I met up with Mark for a morning romp on a beautiful day
summarized by bright sunshine, no wind, full parking lot, empty slopes,
excellent machine groomed packed powder trails, PLUS a half foot
of freeze dried powder under the trees left over from yesterday.
Consequently we began with two trips through our favorite Rainbow Trees.
There are much steeper forests available at the resort, but we like
this area because when it is good it is... luxurious. The gentle slope
with trees generally 3 to 8 feet apart makes it easy to bounce
around in untouched powder without much concern. I did hit a tree with
my shoulder once... "Ouch but no biggie mon." Last fall, Phil
gave Del, Jim, Mark and I permission to remove widow-makers, deadfall
and dead trees from this area west of Rainbow Ridge.
I pushed a couple of dozen root-rotted trees over; others used chain
saws to cut our future passage ways.
Most of this old lodgepole forest will be removed when the
new Eagle Peak terrain
is added to the resort within a couple of years. We made a total of
eight runs
together before Jim and I headed back to Wallace at 12:30.
|
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|
Saturday Dec 15 |
0" | 24" | 49" | 21° / 24° |
Saturday Dec 15 |
1" | 30" | 59" |
| Once again Del, Jim and I were there when the lifts opened at 8:30. Unlike last Saturday, however, the sky was overcast and there was only one inch of new snow, not ten. Nevertheless, we had a ball making eight runs by 11:15. It was fast and smooth sailing everywhere... except on the North Side, where Del found Hercules to be a "workout," and Jim and I found thin spots on Marmot to navigate around. The chopped powder beneath the trees on the Idaho Side was easy to play in, especially between Gold and Silver. And yet, four times we were drawn to the pockets of untouched powder beneath the trees west of Rainbow Ridge on the Montana Side. This forest is outside the alpine ski resort boundaries and a happy place for cross-country skiers. It is also a potentially very sad spot for alpine skiers and boarders who don't pay attention to where they are. To understand the gravity of the situation before entering this playground, please read, or reread, what happened to Jim on January 2, 2011. | ||||||||
|
Sunday Dec 16 |
4" | 24" | 49" | 20° / 24° |
CLOSED Avista power out |
6" | 33" | 62" |
|
CLOSED by wind |
4" | 24" | 49" | 23° / 29° |
Monday Dec 17 |
8" | 37" | 68" |
| Jim and I drove carefully to the Pass in a near blizzard, encouraged by the ski report which said in part: 14" of FRESH POWDER in the past 48 hours! Conditions are excellent... After making four Front Side runs (Silver, Copper, Golden Eagle and Hoot Owl), I called it quits and went in for coffee. I didn't like the baby white tornadoes hitting the lift, and the powder wasn't dry enough for my taste. I never fell, but it was just not a relaxing experience given the reduced visibility. Jim went on to conquer Lucky Friday a couple times and then joined me in the Loft for coffee, exhausted. An unrecognized group of male forty-somethings came in about noon raving about the fantastic powder. One fellow told everyone that he had just bought his season pass and felt that he had already gotten half his moneys worth! I thought to myself: Wow, Greg, what a local primadonna you have become: a foot of powder is only worth four runs on a windy day? I guess twenty years of skiing at Lookout Pass has spoiled me rotten: I expect to be served sunshine with my champagne powder. | ||||||||
|
|
/ |
|
(9") | |||||
|
|
/ 24° |
Wednesday Dec 19 |
8" | 44" | 75" | |||
| Jim and I made thirteen runs on a calm overcast day, where again 14 inches of dry powder had accumulated in the past 48 hours. This was indeed the famous Lookout dry champagne powder, where moving from a packed powder groomed run into knee deep untracked snow is more of a visual transition than a physical discontinuity. In other words, you slow down very gradually rather than abruptly. Your invisible skis move in steady slow motion to accommodate every wim. We made five runs through the Rainbow Woods because it was, for us, at the perfect pitch. We could essentially free fall through this forest with untracked powder breaking at our knees, keeping us safe on our random walks down fall lines. Decisions about how to move between trees 3 to 8 feet apart could be made calmly at the last moment. Several times I found myself wondering if this was the best powder skiing experience of my life... then I would remember all the other times when I had the same thought while skiing here on Runt Mountain. | ||||||||
|
Thursday Dec 20 |
6" | 36" | 58" | 25° / 28° |
Thursday Dec 20 |
9" | 46" | 77" |
| As I rode the sixth chair up the mountain at 9 AM, I fantasized that since the ski report said that another 7" of FRESH POWDER fell overnight, today would be even better than yesterday. However, on my first run down Gold, I took my eyes off the road, caught an edge and threw a yard sale. After collecting and reattaching my equipment, I proceeded to fall a second time as I approached the lift. Since I normally finish a season without ever suffering a binding release, I was demoralized by the turn of events. Yesterday the fresh snow was uniformly light and aerie, today it was inconsistently dense and scary due to overnight wind. So I escaped to Rainbow Ridge, where I found the wind-packed snow under the trees to be unattractive. However, I soon met up with Jim and Mark, who explained that I simply had to go further into the forest where the wind had done less damage, and go faster so that surface effects became less important. They were right, of course, and I started having fun again... until I lost a ski in the Gold/Silver Woods on run #7 when it struck a submerged tree branch. After lunch, I went back out to complete ten runs on a windy day. | ||||||||
|
Friday Dec 21 |
1" | 36" | 58" | 27° / 28° |
Friday Dec 21 |
2" | 48" | 81" |
| 100% of mountain open: 72 trails, 25 groomed | ||||||||
|
Saturday Dec 22 |
1" | 36" | 58" | 30° / 30° |
Saturday Dec 22 |
2" | 49" | 83" |
| The two inches of new snow overnight made both trails and trees easy white velvet rides on a warm foggy morning. We started on the North Side, where Del challenged himself on skier-chopped Hercules, while Jim and I began with a mad dash down well-groomed Marmot. The consistent surface under the Cloud Nine and Rainbow Ridge trees on the Montana Side made for smooth sailing. Frequent speed checks were in order, however, unlike last Wednesday when knee-deep powder ruled. It was nice to watch a lift line develop on Chair #1 about 11:00 with lots of happy folks enjoying a great day... time for us to leave with eight runs and coffee under our belts. | ||||||||
|
Sunday Dec 23 |
3" | 36" | 58" | 24° / (29°) |
Sunday Dec 23 |
4" | 52" | 87" |
|
Monday Dec 24 |
4" | 36" | 58" | 20° / 24° |
Monday Dec 24 |
6" | 56" | 92" |
Another perfect morning of snowy bliss:
a calm 28° with light snow
falling on a half foot of dry powder on top of four inches of dry powder
left over from yesterday. We again began our morning with vigorous exercise
on the North Side: Del twice on Hercules, Jim and I on
Marmot and Red Dog. Perfect untracked powder for all parties:
mentally easy, yet physically exacting.
Then we joined Mark
for five Montana Side tree runs. Easy untracked powder everywhere,
other people nowhere. We ended our Christmas Eve celebration with a couple of
runs through the deep powder in the Lucky Friday and Last Chance
Glades (Idaho Side). We left about noon after making
nine runs
and plans to return tomorrow for Christmas Dinner.
|
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|
Christmas Dec 25 |
4" | 36" | 58" | 20° / 24° |
Christmas Dec 25 |
4" | 57" | 94" |
Del and I celebrated Christmas with "thigh buster" enthusiasm, beginning with
a fast run down Marmot, followed by five tree runs through the woods around
Rainbow Ridge and Cloud Nine, where we kept finding untracked
powder to zip through. We finished off with a couple of trips through the
Lucky Friday Glades, before heading over to Jim's for an unexpected
Christmas Feast.
So while we missed the Christmas Buffet at the resort,
our vigorous
eight runs
left us in a happy and hungry mood to appreciate Jim and Diane's hospitality.
|
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|
Wednesday Dec 26 |
1" | 36" | 58" | 21° / 24° |
Wednesday Dec 26 |
1" | 57" | 94" |
|
Thursday Dec 27 |
0" | 36" | 58" | 20° / 24° |
Thursday Dec 27 |
1" | 57" | 94" |
|
Friday Dec 28 |
1" | 36" | 58" | 21° / 25° |
Friday Dec 28 |
2" | 57" | 95" |
| I walked to Jim's home in Wallace by 8:30 and sat down in front of my computer at 12:15. In between, Jim and I skied eight runs with Mark, his daughter Kaitlyn (7) before her lesson, and another Mark from Orange county, CA, a local boy who cannot stay away. Gentle snowfall gave way to sunshine during the morning making all snow surfaces ideal. The groomed runs were smooth, fast and fun. The snow beneath the Rainbow trees has stayed dry, so we continued to find easy passage through them. Naturally, today we traversed side hill to control speed where previously we had floated down fall lines in knee deep powder. That's the cool thing about tree skiing powder: lines open up in all directions depending on how fast you want to go. Usually, new paths can always be found through pockets of untracked snow. | ||||||||
|
Saturday Dec 29 |
0" | 36" | 58" | 19° / 18° |
Saturday Dec 29 |
1" | 56" | 95" |
|
Sunday Dec 30 |
0" | 36" | 58" | 19° / 21° |
Sunday Dec 30 |
0" | 55" | 94" |
|
Monday Dec 31 |
0" | 36" | 58" | 14° / 20° |
Monday Dec 31 |
1" | 55" | 94" |
|
New Year 2013 |
0" | 36" | 58" | 16° / 19° |
New Year 2013 |
0" | 53" | 94" |
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Wednesday Jan 2 |
0" | 36" | 58" | 9° / 16° |
Wednesday Jan 2 |
0" | 53" | 94" |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Thursday Jan 3 |
0" | 36" | 58" | 25° / 13° |
Thursday Jan 3 |
0" | 53" | 94" |
Jim and I ran to the mountain about 10:00 to get some exercise and found
"excellent seamless corduroy conditions" and "sunshine"
as advertized. We also found a brisk wind that chilled bearded faces
and gloved hands in spite of the twenty-something temperature.
So I was a wimp again, making only
four runs on a beautiful day.
However, my main goal was to try out my two Christmas presents: Fisher XTR skis
and HD-digital camera. I was very happy with both. The photo shows a typical
Christmas Break college/high school crowd at the top of Rainbow Ridge
(joke alert),
with Silver Mountain Ski Area in the
distance, 24 Interstate miles away.
|
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|
Friday Jan 4 |
0" | 36" | 58" | 25° / 22° |
Friday Jan 4 |
0" | 53" | 94" |
|
Saturday Jan 5 |
0" | 36" | 58" | 28° / 25° |
Saturday Jan 5 |
1" | 53 | 94" |
Del and I made
nine runs
on a foggy warm day that lacked wind and sunshine.
Altho the parking lots were full, we only stood in one lift line:
Chair #2, 5 minutes.
However since we are keenly interested in the
next expansion of the resort, we were happy
to be part of it.
At Lookout Pass, lift lines are actually appreciated
by the locals... occasionally. The machine groomed skier
packed powder was ideally soft yet fast. While the snow in the trees was a
little too fast for our liking, the groomers were wonderful full throttle
mad dashes. I don't like it when exhilaration and anxiety cross paths in the
forest, but flat-out, one turn behind snowboarder Del on Marmot is
a comfortable thrill. Keystone was our favorite
Montana Side trail: three times in a row.
"When it's this good, why go elsewhere?"
Del felt that the "capped" nature of my new (to me) Fisher skis was
responsible for my improved style as I bounced between the baby moguls
on the steeps.
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Sunday Jan 6 |
1" | 36" | 58" | 23° / 24° |
Sunday Jan 6 |
1" | 53" | 95" |
|
Del, Jim and I drove up in the afternoon to make
five runs
with Mark while his daughter was in lessons.
The odd thing was that it was just like yesterday: foggy, warm, calm,
and cloudy with perfect packed powder for high speed cruising. Normally,
every day is different in northern Idaho. We had to park in the third
parking lot that extends down the
NorPac Trail, but once on the hill,
all lift lines were trivial. I tried to keep up with my friends racing
down mile-long Keystone and Cloud Nine, but had to be content with
finding new leg muscles to stretch at what felt like 40 mph. Those guys fly! PS: I found out later that Mark clocked himself at 34 mph with his fancy GPS toy. |
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|
Monday Jan 7 |
2" | 36" | 58" | 27° / 25° |
Monday Jan 7 |
5" | 55" | 97" |
|
|
(4") | / |
|
(12") | ||||
|
|
/ 31° |
Wednesday Jan 9 |
9" | 62" | 106" | |||
| Jim and I were eager to check out the mountain when the lifts opened after hearing that 5 inches fell overnight. This in spite of the fact that I had walked from Silverton to Jim's place in the rain. The resort called the new snow "heavy powder" and it was as advertised. Snow falling at 31° is obviously wet and self-packing. However, on Rainbow Ridge we found the snow manageable on both the trail and in the trees due to its consistent weight and texture. Unfortunately, on the run out to Chair #2, the new snow began to play "catch and release" underfoot. Hoot Owl trees and Gold on the Front Side gave me three runs and no falls for the day. Jim made another run, while I went in and purchased an EZ Ski 1-2-3 package for a friend. We were back in Wallace by 11 AM, thinking about tomorrow. | ||||||||
|
Thursday Jan 10 |
5" | 40" | 62" | 21° / 20° |
Thursday Jan 10 |
1" | 63" | 107" |
| Jim and I joined Mark on a foggy morning where the inch of cold overnight snow had combined with yesterday's wet snow to offer a variety of fabrics ranging from silent satin to crunchy corduroy depending on elevation. I made seven runs with and without my friends, who retired to the Loft before my enthusiasm was exhausted by the constant vigilance required to swiftly adapt from fluffy to firm conditions part way down the mountain. This was especially true in the woods, where the transition zone was dramatic... and potentially dangerous. | ||||||||
|
Friday Jan 11 |
2" | 40" | 55" | 9° / 17° | Friday Jan 11 |
8" | 70" | 116" |
|
Jackass Day Jackass Ski Bowl was introduced to the world in 1968 with one chair where Chair 4 is today. Come celebrate their 44 year history with cool retro lift ticket price of only $12.00 plus tax! All 6 lifts are running, 73 trails are open, 23 are groomed. |
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|
Saturday Jan 12 |
0" | 40" | 55" | 11° / 12° |
Saturday Jan 12 |
1" | 70" | 116" |
| Today was the start of the Famous Free Ski School and Del and I acted accordingly. "In 76 seasons, the Lookout Pass Free Ski School has introduced about 60,000 kids to the wonderful winter world of skiing and riding." Given that and the clear crisp conditions, a large crowd was expected to be there when the lifts opened at 8:30. So we left Wallace at 9:00, boarded the deserted chairlift at 9:20, made six runs, and left the resort at noon, happy to see a huge throng now at the chairlift. We made four Montana tree runs on the boot-deep dry powder left over from yesterday. Since we ski and ride where others don't, we always found original routes through undisturbed powder, along avenues that would appear at just the right moments. A fast run down Marmot and then through the Lucky Friday Glades completed our morning refreshment. | ||||||||
|
Sunday Jan 13 |
0" | 40" | 55" | 11° / 14° | Sunday Jan 13 |
1" | 70" | 116" |
|
Monday Jan 14 |
3" | 40" | 55" | 13° / 10° |
Monday Jan 14 |
1" | 70" | 117" |
| This morning, Jim and I were not in a hurry to get to the resort; our enthusiasm had been mitigated by the 5:30 AM ski report that combined a mere 1" of overnight snow with a 10° temperature. Upon our arrival about 10 AM, we immediately saw our mistake: at least 3 inches of dust dry snow had calmly fallen since 5:30! We met up with John and made six runs on all aspects of the mountain. Although the fresh snow in the Rainbow Woods made them delightful as usual, the 28 freshly re-covered groomed runs offered serious competition. The skier-chopped powder on Marmot was easy to handle with enough vigor that made 10° seem warm. In fact, after my beard froze over, I actually started over heating while skiing. Naturally, I had hand and toe warmers in place, and the only wind I encountered was what I generated by my speed. Jim and I went in at noon to enjoy the Monday Prime Timers luncheon. "The Lookout Pass Prime Timers Club is a non-profit organization of skiers and riders 55 and over who share a a healthy outdoor life style." | ||||||||
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|
/ |
|
(4") | |||||
|
|
/ 23° |
Wednesday Jan 16 |
0" | 72" | 119" | |||
|
Thursday Jan 17 |
0 | 40" | 55" | 28° / 20° |
Thursday Jan 17 |
0" | 70" | 118" |
What a wonderful inverted day: when the temperature at the Lodge was 20°,
the summit was a sunny 26°. The cold river of Montana air flowed over the
Pass and down the Silver Valley,
so that Mullan was 17°, Jim's house in Wallace was 12° and my home in Silverton
began the day at 10°! Jim, Mark and I made
fifteen runs
in two sessions as the inversion dissipated to give noon time
temperatures of 33° at the Lodge and 30° at the summit. We stayed on
a variety of well groomed runs, as the snow in the woods was too tempermental to be fun.
We followed the sun from the Idaho Side to the Montana Side to the North Side,
always skiing fast on well behaved surfaces. The photo taken from Chair 2 shows the
St. Regis Lakes Basin and the approximate location of the top of the
new
Chair 5 planned for a couple of seasons from now.
|
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|
Friday Jan 18 |
0" | 40" | 55" | 30° / 27° | Friday Jan 18 |
0" | 68" | 116" |
|
Saturday Jan 19 |
0" | 37" | 57" | 32° / 32° |
Saturday Jan 19 |
0" | 67" | 115" |
Another sunny day filled with soft snow and LOTS of happy people. When Del and
I arrived at 10:07, we marvelled at how far down the NorPac Trail we had to park.
Our initial lift line was huge... for here. However, in spite of the crowd,
I made
eight runs
in three hours. Three of the first four were
down Marmot where there was NO lift line, as expected. Del made five more reps
on this Chair 3 fast track, while I went over to the the Montana Side for a couple of
runs. We joined forces again to race down Cloud Nine, pictured here,
only to find the entire Free Ski School waiting in line at Chair 2.
We were happy to see everyone, but it was a sign that it was time for us to
make our last run and leave to return another day. |
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|
Sunday Jan 20 |
0" | 37" | 57" | 30° / 26° |
Sunday Jan 20 |
0" | 65" | 114" |
I rode up to the Pass with my friend Rona, who enjoyed the first day of her
EZ Ski 1-2-3 package of lessons, rentals and passes.
She skied twenty years ago, before various knee surgeries, but is starting over
with shaped skis and proper instruction. Whether it is the Free Ski School for
youngsters or the Professional Ski School for everyone, Lookout Pass is known
as the family playground where generations have learned to ski and ride.
Today was a warm and sunny March day in January where I made
fourteen runs
all over the mountain, primarily on perfectly groomed
yet uncrowded trails. While yesterday set an all-time attendance record with
over 1700 skier visits, today was more pleasantly packed with only an occasional
lift line. Possibly because it was also the
WINTER CARNIVAL & FAMILY FUN DAY, which included the seventh annual
Pacific Northwest National Wife Carrying Contest, as well as other amusements
in front of the Lodge.
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|
MLK Day Jan 21 |
0" | 37" | 57" | 33° / 32° | MLK Day Jan 21 |
0" | 64" | 113" |
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|
/ 22° | Wednesday Jan 23 |
0" | 62" | 112" | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Thursday Jan 24 |
3" | 37" | 57" | 25° / 26° |
Thursday Jan 24 |
5" | 65" | 116" |
Jim and I joined Mark to get an early start on a warm and beautiful day
featuring 5" of overnight snow. They charged down the Montana Face first
thing, but I chose to check things out in the powder beside Golden Eagle
instead. We all agreed, the new snow had the right density for easy control.
It wasn't dry champagne powder: that would have been too easily scraped away
to uncover unexpected hard pack. And it certainly wasn't mashed potatoes: that
would have made turning difficult. It was Goldilocks snow: just right.
In other words: not too dry, not too wet, just consistently substantial.
In two sessions, we made
fourteen runs
on all mountain aspects. Naturally, we made several trips
through the woods... although I felt that the ease of transit decreased as the day
continued to warm. My friends laughed at me for being so critical: "It's still
great Greg!" The photo shows the competition for fresh tracks on the Front Side
around noon.
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|
Friday Jan 25 |
2" | 37" | 58" | 30° / 28° | Friday Jan 25 |
1" | 65" | 116" |
|
Saturday Jan 26 |
5" | 41" | 62" | 28° / 30° | Saturday Jan 26 |
3" | 65" | 117" |
|
Sunday Jan 27 |
2" | 42" | 63" | 25° / 25° |
Sunday Jan 27 |
trace | 65" | 117" |
| Altho only a trace of snow fell overnight, it continued falling all day long making for ideal skiing and riding conditions. Fresh light snow on machine groomed packed powder with occasional sun breaks made a good crowd happy. Especially Rona who took her second lesson in the EZ Ski 1-2-3 program, and ended up successfully negotiating the intermediate trails Black Bear, Gold and Silver on the Front Side and Rainbow Ridge on the Montana Side. I made fifteen runs during the day, mostly alone, except for a couple of runs with John and his friend Russ, who, like Rona, is returning to skiing after knee surgery many years ago. Lookout Pass has the reputation as the family ski area where thousands of locals have learned to ski beginning in the 1930's. The addition of Chair 2 in 2003 and Chair 3 in 2007, has only enhanced this distinction. But it is not always just about having fun outdoors; today, part of the resort's charm was a BAVARIAN-BREWS, BRATS & MUSIC FEST that made the Loft a very merry place indeed. | ||||||||
|
Monday Jan 28 |
5" | 44" | 65" | 25° / 23° | Monday Jan 28 |
4" | 67" | 119" |
|
|
/ | |
(7") | |||||
|
|
/ 26° |
Wednesday Jan 30 |
5" | 72" | 125" | |||
Twelve inches of LIGHT DRY POWDER since Monday made this a must-ski-day for Jim and I.
However, under "Powder Rules" it's everyone for themselves and Jim and I never did
see each other until we met for coffee in the Loft at 11:15. Part of the reason
involved dense fog and light snowfall that made the Montana woods the best bet.
After a couple of such solitary runs, I met up with Sheriff Mitch and a fellow
named Paul, who I led through the woods between Rainbow Ridge and
Cloud 9 from top to bottom... twice. It was the first time this season
that I had dared traverse the wetlands, which has a buried creek running through
it. This is the isolated clearing I have called
my Church in years past.
It is a mistake to enter this area without at least six feet of coverage.
Unless you're with the Sheriff, of course. Today reminded me of
a fun day last March when Mitch and I bounced
down thru these same woods covered with even drier and deeper powder.
After coffee with Mitch, Jim and I returned to Wallace with
plans to join Mark here tomorrow.
Six runs
in dense fog was enough exercise for me today. More snow
is expected tonight with possible sunshine tomorrow...
|
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|
Thursday Jan 31 |
6" | 44" | 65" | 27° / 30° |
Thursday Jan 31 |
1" | 72" | 125" |
Jim and I joined Mark for
eight runs
on a morning much like yesterday, except less fog,
more snowfall, warmer, and therefore denser snow. For visibility's sake,
tree runs were again preferred, although the groomed runs were styled
with soft and seamless corduroy and tempting. Altho the snow under the trees was
heavier than yesterday, it yielded to skier whimsy given sufficient speed
to overcome hesitation. Speed control was accomplished by alternating
between untracked and tracked lines. The photos show Jim and Mark descending
through a hidden glade adjacent to Cloud Nine.
|
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|
Friday Feb 1 |
2" | 44" | 65" | 23° / 32° | Friday Feb 1 |
3" | 72" | 126" |
|
Saturday Feb 2 |
0" | 44" | 65" | 28° / 24° |
Saturday Feb 2 |
0" | 70" | 124" |
A bit lazy, Del and I decided to see what the resort was like under the most
crowded conditions.
After all, weekday commentaries touting negligible lift lines might not be
considered representative of the Lookout experience. So we arrived at noon on
a warm bluebird Saturday and parked farther down the NorPac Trail than we had
ever parked before. It took me 7 minutes to walk from Del's car to my locker!
And the Chair #1 lift line was indeed 15 minutes long. So first, as pictured, we
headed down Black Bear and continued down Marmot to Chair #3...
where the only two people present were lift operators!
We quickly repeated the run and this time found four people in line...
except they were actually just waiting for companions.
Chair #2 was naturally more crowded, with lift lines often lasting 5 minutes.
Considering the fact that the machine groomed packed powder on the trails and
the residual untracked powder beneath the trees was ideal, these lines were
trivial. Between 12:30 and 3:30 we made
nine runs
under blue sky with temperatures in the mid-thirties.
Moral of the story: Do not fear Saturday crowds at Lookout Pass.
|
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|
Sunday Feb 3 |
0" | 44" | 63" | (28°) / 26° |
Sunday Feb 3 |
0" | 68" | 122" |
|
Monday Feb 4 |
0" | 44" | 63" | 28° / 29° | Monday Feb 4 |
½" | 65" | 119" |
|
|
/ 28° | Wednesday Feb 6 |
4" | 67" | 121" | |||
|
Thursday Feb 7 |
0" | 48" | 69" | 23° / 26° |
Thursday Feb 7 |
1" | 67" | 121" |
Jim and I joined Mark and California Mark to enjoy perfectly machined groomed,
skier packed powder on all runs, beginning with Marmot. The untracked
snow under our favorite trees was fast and fun, but a tad tricky due to a subtle
crustiness. The weather went from bitter to better with sun breaks beginning about
10:30. The Chair #2 photo shows the sadly typical weekday crowd headed toward
Whitetail with Eagle Peak in the distance. Once the
next phase in the resort's expansion plan is
approved, the top of Chair #5 should appear in this view within two seasons.
Chair #6 will service a bowl below Eagle Peak to the west. The others went in for
coffee and beer after seven runs, but I stayed out to enjoy the sometimes sunshine
and scenic solitude available in the Rainbow Woods beyond the ski area boundary...
only a good place IF you know
where to turn back to rejoin the resort. I ended up making
eleven runs
before leaving with Jim about 1:30. I just wish that more folks
would realize the remarkable quality of the Lookout Pass experience. Force me to stand
in a weekday lift line!
|
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|
Friday Feb 8 |
3" | 48" | 69" | 25° / 26° | Friday Feb 8 |
3" | 68" | 123" |
|
Saturday Feb 9 |
0" | 48" | 69" | 21° / 24° |
Saturday Feb 9 |
1" | 68" | 123" |
| Del, Jim and I ran to the resort early on another very foggy morning and completed nine runs by 11:45, effectively avoiding most lift lines while enjoying superior snow surfaces, in and out of the trees. However, good snow is not always the most important thing. Our first run of the day was down the perfectly crafted corduroy on Marmot... a run simple to ski in the fog as long as one keeps moving. My mistake of the day, and almost of the season, was to stop on a steep pitch and look uphill in the flat light to see where my friends were. When I looked back down, the calculus module in my auto-pilot self-destructed. As dx/dt approached zero, my comprehension of movement, forward, back, uphill or downhill vanished and I crashed at zero mph, twisting one leg in the process. At the point of pain, the binding released. For this I am most grateful to Dave the competent Rental Shop manager, who changed the DIN setting on my new skis from my traditional 8.0 to 6.5 because "you are over 50, Greg." As a still spry 65 year old, I am again thankful for the friendly and knowledgeable Lookout Pass staff. | ||||||||
|
Sunday Feb 10 |
0" | 45" | 69" | 23° / 24° |
Sunday Feb 10 |
0" | 68" | 123" |
Today was beautiful, warm and magical for Rona who
completed her EZ Ski 1-2-3 program and then skied the advanced
intermediate trail Marmot off Chair #3. Her braced knee was not
in pain at the end of the day, but her leg muscles were to an enjoyable extent.
Twenty years ago, she was told that she would never ski again, but with
shaped skis, professional instruction, and determination, she got past her
bad knee handicap.
As an added bonus to further enhance Lookout's Learn (or Relearn) to Ski
(or Ride) Program, she will get a free ski pass for the rest of the season!
For my part, I took it easy, making
eleven runs during a relaxed
day, mostly by myself through the trees, but twice with Rona before
and again after her lesson. I met up with John for a fast cruiser as well.
The photo is taken on Rainbow Ridge as it turns the corner and faces the
St. Regis Lakes Basin. The woods where I like to play is at the center.
Eagle Peak rises above those trees.
|
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|
Monday Feb 11 |
0" | 45" | 69" | 23° / 24° | Monday Feb 11 |
0" | 67" | 121" |
|
|
/ 30° | Wednesday Feb 13 |
1" | 67" | 121" | |||
|
Thursday Feb 14 |
0" | 45" | 69" | 21° / 22° | Thursday Feb 14 |
0" | 67" | 121" |
|
Friday Feb 15 |
0" | 45" | 69" | 27° / 27° | Friday Feb 15 |
0" | 65" | 119" |
|
Saturday Feb 16 |
0" | 45" | 69" | 32° / 27° |
Saturday Feb 16 |
0" | 63" | 117" |
As I put my skis back in my locker at 12:02, I thought to
myself 'where else in America could I make
thirteen runs
on perfectly pushable granular snow on a warm Saturday
in February, without ever standing in a lift line?'
Short answer: nowhere I have been. During my career, I had occasion to ski at many
different resorts, both large and small, in CO, UT, NY, MA, NH, VT, and CA, but I
never experienced the day-after-day consistently great conditions that characterizes
Lookout Pass. Early on today, Del, Jim and I encountered a colorful fellow named
Troy who lives in Sandpoint. He and his wife would rather drive two hours to Lookout
Pass, rather than 45 minutes to gigantic Schweitzer for a variety of reasons,
chief among them, the quality of the experience versus the cost. Troy started out on
skis, but changed mid-morning to ride a hard-boot, alpine carving board. Turns out
that he and Del have crossed paths several times over the years without realizing it.
For the most part, we skied and rode Marmot and Red Dog fast
and easy on the North Side. At the right moment, we moved over to the Montana
Side, totally avoiding the popular Free Ski School classes. All morning we were
always able to load immediately, although sometimes it seemed rude not to stop and
chat with the lift operators first. On the final run down Silver to the
Lodge, I saw very full parking lots, a moderate line at Chair #1 and lots of
happy people. The photo shows Del, Troy and Eagle Peak rising above Cloud Nine.
The mouse-over close-up shows
the
bowl that Chair #6 will service.
|
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|
Sunday Feb 17 |
3" | 45" | 69" | 23° / 25° |
Sunday Feb 17 |
5" | 65" | 119" |
When Del and I pulled into the parking lot at 8:15, we were giddy with anticipation.
Five inches of dry powder overnight! When we left the parking lot at 11:05,
seven runs
later, we were more sensible. Yesterday morning featured uniformly soft, but not wet,
granular snow that made turning on any of the 30 groomed runs easy, I found myself
daydreaming at high speed more than once. This morning was far more complicated.
Our first run down Red Dog taught us once again that poof on pebbles is not
an ideal surface. Del on his board was able to stay on top of the fresh snow for
the most part, while my skis kept scraping yesterday's hardpack. This differential
behavior was exacerbated in the woods, where Del (135 lbs) played and I (215 lbs)
worked. Both of us agreed, the new snowfall was wonderful, but yesterday was more
enjoyable. Go figure. The photo was taken at the bottom of Rainbow Ridge.
Del has just emerged from the woods at the This Way, That Way junction, but
you cannot see him. Rather, check out the slope across the way where
someday Chair #7 will let you play.
|
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|
Pres. Day Feb 18 |
2" | 45" | 69" | 23°
/ 21° |
Pres. Day Feb 18 |
2" | 65" | 119" |
|
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|
Tuesday Feb 19 |
0" | 45" | 69" | 23° / | |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Wednesday Feb 20 |
3" | 45" | 69" | 21° / 24° | Wednesday Feb 20 |
2" | 67" | 121" |
|
Thursday Feb 21 |
0" | 45" | 69" | 14° / 18° | Thursday Feb 21 |
0" | 67" | 121" |
|
Friday Feb 22 |
4" | 45" | 69" | 23° / 25° |
Friday Feb 22 |
8" | 72" | 127" |
Mark drove Jim and I to the Pass for a super day remarkable for at least two
things. First, six inches of dry powder had fallen overnight on top of yesterday's
two inches, making a perfect surface everywhere. And second, today was the annual
"Ski NW Rockies" KREM TV/2nd Harvest Food Drive, where anyone could donate
three or more cans of food and receive a FREE FULL DAY LIFT TICKET. So the place was
crowded, right? Parking lot and lodge, yes; where we skied, no. We made made
thirteen runs
in two sessions on all mountain aspects, dividing our time
between the ungroomed sides of main trails and the woods. We may have had a couple
five minute lift lines, but most of the time we loaded Chairs #2 and #3 immediately.
I'm shown deep in my own little world, in need of a haircut.
|
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|
Saturday Feb 23 |
6" | 45" | 69" | 23° / 22° |
Saturday Feb 23 |
9" | 75" | 131" |
In a repeat performance, another six inches fell overnight on top of yesterday's
three inches. However, 17 inches in 48 hours made the composite much heavier and
established minimum slopes required for movement. So on a day where "Powder Rules,"
Del, Jim and I spent most of our time together apart. Del bounded down Hercules
and twice dropped out-of-bounds to the road east of Chair #2. In contrast, I spent
time "walking" through deep Rainbow forest powder, when I realized that the
need to keep my speed up by heading downhill was in conflict with my need to return
to the resort by going east. Lots of new muscle groups exercised during this and
subsequent solo explorations. The three of us eventually met up for some fast
cruisers before retiring to the Loft.
Sufficiently tired, I was content to only make
six runs
by noon, less than my more ambitious friends. On the way home,
we stopped at the Historical Markers turnout where I took this photo of
Big Dipper, the steepest expert trail on the
North Side. Last February, on perhaps the best day of
the season, three of us had quite the
adventure in the out-of-bounds forest next to this trail.
|
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|
Sunday Feb 24 |
0" | 45" | 69" | 21° / 24° |
Sunday Feb 24 |
0" | 75" | 131" |
Although there was no new snowfall overnight, the conditions could not have been
better for Rona's fourth time skiing in twenty years. As a graduate of Lookout's
EZ Ski 1-2-3 program, she received a pass for the rest of the season. After
renting equipment, we spent a fun day on Rainbow Ridge, Cloud Nine, Keystone
and Huckleberry Ridge. I made
twelve runs
during the day; she made one less.
Her bad knees were kind to her, but her leg muscles cried out for attention.
The photo shows her just after skiing Keystone for the first time. The photo
also shows a typical Sunday crowd.
|
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|
Monday Feb 25 |
0" | 45" | 69" | 23° / 25° | Monday Feb 25 |
0" | 74" | 130" |
|
|
/ 21° |
Wednesday Feb 27 |
1" | 79" | 136" | |||
| 14 inches fell since Monday morning. | ||||||||
|
Thursday Feb 28 |
n/r | n/r | n/r | n/r / 28° |
Thursday Feb 28 |
1" | 79" | 136" |
|
Friday Mar 1 |
2" | 45" | 69" | 32° / 35° | Friday Mar 1 |
0" | 77" | 134" |
|
Saturday Mar 2 |
0" | 45" | 78" | 37° / 32° |
Saturday Mar 2 |
0" | 74" | 131" |
Del's car reported the outside temperature as 37° when we pulled into the parking
lot at 8:38. When we left at 11:19,
seven runs
later, it read 47°. As expected, the soft spring snow was
delightful to play on. For the most part, we stayed on the Montana Side, where
Cloud Nine and Keystone provided good thigh muscle exercise on a
consistently fast surface. We joined Troy from Sandpoint, pictured here,
on his alpine carving board for a couple of runs, but otherwise, we normally
had entire trails to ourselves. For example, we saw no one on Marmot
until we reached chair #3, where we saw two lonely lift operators.
This in spite of the fact that Lookout Pass hosted the GS Races for the
Inland Empire Youth Ski
League today. And of course, the regular Free Ski School
was also in session. So lots of happy kids were on the Front Side of the mountain...
where we were not. We left the resort early, feeling smug that we had avoided both
long lift lines and wet sticky snow. By doing so, however, we also missed
the annual Season Pass Holder Spaghetti Fest.
Clearly a stupid move on our part.
|
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|
Sunday Mar 3 |
1" | 45" | 78" | 19° / 25° | Sunday Mar 3 |
2" | 68" | 125" |
|
Monday Mar 4 |
0" | 45" | 78" | 19° / 15° | Monday Mar 4 |
1" | 68" | 124" |
|
Thursday Mar 7 |
7" | 45" | 78" | 25° / 28° |
Thursday Mar 7 |
6" | 67" | 124" |
Jim and I joined Mark for an absolutely fabulous Powder Thursday with six inches
falling overnight to give a total of nine inches over the last two days. During a
mellow day that mixed snow squalls with sunshine, I made
twelve runs, mostly on
untracked routes through Montana Side woods.
On these solitary expeditions, the dry powder was normally breaking at my boot
tops, with bounces taking me back and forth between knee-deep and slightly
airborne.
The ungroomed main trails were also delightful, and perhaps more exciting due
to the increased velocity they elicited. In steep deep powder, speed is your
friend: the faster you go, the more consistent the ride... but as you go faster,
the consequences of a fall becomes more dire. So as you work hard to stay afloat,
your adrenaline levels max out. Thus, at the bottom of Cloud Nine,
I had to stop and wait a couple of minutes for my pounding heart to resume its
normal function again. In contrast, my passage through forests is WAY slower.
My preference is to follow a path where my speed is governed by the slope,
and is never scary. I am there for the aesthetics, not the adrenaline. The
animated photo shows the weather above Rainbow on two occasions; click
the photo to see why I'm headed directly across the trail and into the woods.
|
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|
Friday Mar 8 |
0" | 45" | 78" | 23° / 18° | Friday Mar 8 |
1" | 67" | 124" |
|
Saturday Mar 9 |
0" | 45" | 78" | 25° / 28° | Saturday Mar 9 |
0" | 65" | 122" |
|
Sunday Mar 10 |
0" | 45" | 78" | 27° / 25° |
Sunday Mar 10 |
0" | 62" | 119" |
|
Monday Mar 11 |
1" | 45" | 78" | 26° / 30° | Monday Mar 11 |
1" | 62" | 119" |
|
Thursday Mar 14 |
0" | 45" | 78" | 40° / 38° |
Thursday Mar 14 |
0" | 60" | 114" |
|
Friday Mar 15 |
0" | 45" | 78" | 36° / 38° |
Friday Mar 15 |
0" | 58" | 112" |
|
Saturday Mar 16 |
2" | 42" | 73" | 34° / 33° |
Saturday Mar 16 |
1" | 58" | 112" |
Del and I made
six runs
on fast yet heavy spring snow that provided a good morning workout
and relaxation at the same time. Plenty of cover; brown snow not seen even
in high traffic areas. Travel through mellow glades was
even possible... especially for those who like oatmeal.
Mild weather alternated between
snow, groppel and rain as the next storm moved into the area.
|
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|
Sunday Mar 17 |
5" | 42" | 73" | 20° / 23° |
Sunday Mar 17 |
7" | 62" | 116" |
Del and I joined Troy for a great powder morning. The snowboarders laid down
first tracks on ungroomed Hercules, while I was the first skier to go down
ungroomed Marmot. Yesterday, Marmot was physically demanding, but
mentally relaxing due to the consistently heavy wet snow. Last night the
temperature dropped into the teens and 6" of light snow fell on skier mush.
Consequently the
trail was now untracked poof over the boot and frozen chicken heads lurking
beneath the boot. I found more comfort skiing under the Montana Side trees
in my own little world, where I could bounce between airborne and knee-deep,
without hitting a second surface. The photo shows what I call "Church"
and others call "The Meadow." During the summer it is a wetlands;
during the winter it is a sanctuary for those brave enough to enter through
the steep and dense forest, and wise enough to avoid the hidden creek.
I made
ten runs
during a snowy morning where the cold wind decreased and sun breaks became
more common.
|
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|
Monday Mar 18 |
12" | 47" | 82" | 20° / 22° |
Monday Mar 18 |
11" | 68" | 124" |
The ski report correctly announced "Some of the BEST POWDER CONDITIONS of
the season!" Rona and I made
fourteen runs
during a very snowy day. Six inches had fallen overnight, bringing the two day
total to one and a half feet. It continued to snow all day while the
temperature stayed in the twenties. This made for perfect deep powder conditions
for me in the woods and along the sides of major groomed trails. And since these
"groomed" trails still had six or more inches of fresh dry powder on them, Rona
was able to make first turns through boot-deep powder on
Hoot Owl flawlessly.
She was also able to ski groomed paths down Marmot and
Cloud Nine, but had the most fun on 1¼ mile longRainbow Ridge,
as shown in the photo. Her bad knee was never a problem thanks to the expert
instruction she received as part of Lookout's EZ Ski 1-2-3 program.
|
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|
Thursday Mar 21 |
10" | 49" | 84" | 21° / 23° |
Thursday Mar 21 |
4" | 77" | 134" |
Jim and I joined Mark to make
six runs
by 11 AM on an "interesting" snow surface that combined 4 inches of overnight
powder with the 6 inches of consolidated snow that had fallen since Monday.
As expected, this meant that some runs, such as Silver, had a full 10
inches of heavy layered snow to negotiate, while others, such as
Rainbow Ridge, had just a couple of inches of light powder on a firm
machine groomed base. Naturally, I spent half my time exploring the
Rainbow Woods, where I moved slowly through fairly uniform untracked
fresh snow looking for animal tracks and appreciating the solitude.
In other words, mine were the only human tracks seen time after time.
Jim and Mark were more ambitious, making turns in the Lucky Friday Glades
and on Niagara. It snowed heavily all morning with occasional
sun breaks, and the forecast is for more of the same.
|
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|
Friday Mar 22 |
5" | 49" | 81" | 21° / 22° | Friday Mar 22 |
7" | 81" | 138" |
|
Saturday Mar 23 |
2" | 51" | 91" | 16° / 24° |
Saturday Mar 23 |
3" | 82" | 139" |
Jim, Del and I made
seven runs
on a morning best described by the resort's report:
"Excellent machine groomed packed powder conditions and powder in the glade
areas." On our first run down Marmot we rode on what I call
"Magic Carpet Corduroy." This is when seamless corduroy is covered with an
inch of dry powder.
As good as this was, we then checked out our favorite
Rainbow Ridge woods, and were immediately hooked for four runs.
Sublimation during recent dry cold nights lightened the snowpack beneath
the trees, enabling effortless movement at full speed on arbitrary untracked
pathways. On several occasions, I found myself making my loud and obnoxious
"woody woodpecker laugh" of glee. I also survived several airborne to
knees-to-chest compression and rebound transitions. We finished off with a
couple of Front Side runs on a partly cloudy day that combined blue sky and
big snowflakes.
|
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|
Sunday Mar 24 |
0" | 51" | 90" | 16° / 14° | Sunday Mar 24 |
1" | 82" | 139" |
|
Monday Mar 25 |
0" | 50" | 87" | 19° / 14° | Monday Mar 25 |
0" | 81" | 138" |
|
Thursday Mar 28 |
0" | 48 | 84 | 37° / 32° |
Thursday Mar 28 |
0" | 76" | 133" |
|
Friday March 29 |
0" | 46" | 81" | 37° / 36° | Friday March 29 |
0" | 74" | 131" |
|
Saturday March 30 |
0" | 45" | 79" | 37° / 32° |
Saturday March 30 |
8" | 72" | 129" |
Del and I made
nine runs
between 10:15 and 12:15 on a bluebird spring day. Keystone was our favorite
Montana Side trail. The photo taken from the top shows the bowl that
Chair #6 will someday service on the far right.
The snow on this run began slightly crispy and ended a bit
mushy, but in the middle 900 vertical feet, it was perfect...
But not as perfect as Marmot on the North Side, where from top to
bottom it was fast and easy, soft and slippery. Oh, and all surfaces
were blemish free as well; there was nothing to avoid.
We passed on the BEACH PARTY LUAU
at the Lodge as part of Season Pass Holder Appreciation Day, but we
certainly appreciate living in the Silver Valley where the
Early Bird Season Pass Bargains are so extreme.
The link opens a pdf file of the following table.
|
||||||||
| Early Bird Season Pass Sales ~~~ Buy before 4/30/2013 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Mountain pass page | Early | Regular | Lookout Pass pass page | Early | Before November |
| Adult (18-61) | $269 | $619 | Adult (18-61) | $199 | $229 |
| Senior (62-69) | $149 | $419 | Senior (62-69) | $129 | $159 |
| Super Senior (70+) | $89 | $139 | Super Senior (70+) | $99 | $129 |
| Teen (13-17) | $189 | $299 | Teen (13-17) | $149 | $169 |
| Junior (7-12) | $189 | $299 | Junior (7-12) | $139 | $159 |
| Child (6 & under) | $25 | $35 | Child (6 & under) | $20 | $25 |
| College Student w/ID | $219 | $349 | College Student with ID | $179 | $199 |
| Military with ID | $249 | $519 | Military with ID | $179 | $199 |
| Mid-week only | $199 | $319 | Mid-week only | $149 | $169 |
| Corporate (2/day) | $800 | $2400 | Corporate (2/day) | $479 | $579 |
Extra Benefits
|
Extra Benefits
|
||||
|
Sunday Mar 31 |
0" | 45" | 74" | 36° / 36° |
Sunday Mar 31 |
0" | 67" | 119" |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Monday Apr 1 |
0" | 45" | 74" | 36° / 38° | Monday Apr 1 |
5" | 62" | 114 |
|
Thursday Apr 4 |
0" | 38 | 68 | 36° / 39° |
Thursday Apr 4 |
0" | 56" | 107" |
Jim and I joined Mark and his daughter Kaitlyn, age 7, for four early morning runs
on Rainbow Ridge's crispy corduroy. The photo show this future Olympian on
her own private trail. She went in to the Lodge, but the rest of us continued to
enjoy the warm spring day until we had made total of
ten runs
and it was time for drinks in the Loft. Skiing was always fun
and smooth sailing on the Runt Mountain snow cone, but naturally one had to slow down
and use enhanced situational awareness at the bottom of Keystone and
Marmot, where mother earth was beginning to emerge. On the Front Side,
however, Copper was pure white and easy.
|
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|
Friday Apr 5 |
0" | 38" | 68" | 34° / 38° | Friday Apr 5 |
0" | 52" | 103" |
|
Saturday Apr 6 |
3" | 38" | 70" | 33° / 34° |
Saturday Apr 6 |
1" | 48" | 99" |
|
Sunday Apr 7 |
2" | 38" | 71" | 32° / 32° |
Sunday Apr 7 |
1" | 46" | 97" |
|
Silver Saturday #1 Apr 13 |
7" | 38" | 78" | 24° / 28° |
Super Park Saturday Apr 13 |
8" | 50" | 102" |
|
5 lifts, 64 trails open 26 machine groomed trails moderate wind, cloudy, high 26° |
Mid-winter weather in mid-April!
COST ANALYSIS: |
|||||||
|
Silver Saturday #2 Apr 20 |
1" | 38" | 78" | 30° / |
|
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5 lifts, 63 trails open 14 machine groomed trails snowing, fog, light wind, high 36°
"The Annual NASCO LEADMAN at Silver Mountain Resort is an exciting individual or team competition for those who prefer a rowdy adventure course and might be a bit softer than the traditional Ironman athlete! The race begins at Kellogg Peak on Silver Mountain when the gun is fired and competitors run about 200 ft to click into their gear for an approximate 1 mile ski/board to the mountain bike transition point. At that stage, competitors find their riding gear and mountain bikes and brave a mostly downhill dirt course to the City of Kellogg where the run initiates. After the 7 to 11 mile bike ride the runners take off for a 4 to 5 mile run to the finish line at Gondola Village at Silver Mountain Resort. The fastest times are under 50 minutes and the last racers cross the finish line in about 2 hours." |
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Silver Saturday #3 Apr 27 |
8" | 38" | 78" | 40° / |
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5 lifts and 63 trails open 13 groomed trails, Spring Conditions calm, cloudy, high 49° great weather for the ski/ride_to_bike_to_run LeadMan competition "The 14 inches of fresh snow that fell last Sunday has compacted down to about 8 inches on Kellogg Peak and 4 inches at the Mountain House." |
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94 91" March 23 |
Days open in 2012/2013 Season Maximum snow depth at summit |
106 139" March 23 |
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This Snow Water Equivalent Graph was downloaded on April 28, 2013, and shows that in many respects this season is similar to the previous one, in that the total precipitations measured in both years are equal, and just slightly below the the average measured from 1971-2000. Another similarity is the mild season experienced at both resorts during both seasons. Both seasons avoided single digit temperatures during operating hours, in contrast to the eight single digit days recorded in the 2010/2011 season. This season the mild weather effected snow depths at Silver Mountain more than Lookout Pass, which maintained more than 100 inches at the summit from January 9 on. However, the most distinct difference between the last two seasons is the amount of snow that fell during March: more than a Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) foot. Open the CURRENT graph in a separate window, or visit the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Idaho.
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| Silver Mountain | Lookout Pass | |
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101 135" |
Days open in 2011/2012 Season Maximum snow depth at summit |
113 176" |
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103 145" |
Days open in 2010/2011 Season Maximum snow depth at summit |
112 192" |
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97 70" |
Days Open in 2009/2010 season Maximum snow depth at summit |
111 90" |
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92 118" |
Days Open in 2008/2009 season Maximum snow depth at summit |
93 144" |
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128 178" |
Days Open in 2007/2008 season Maximum snow depth at summit |
98 197" |
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132 117" |
Days Open in 2006/2007 season Maximum snow depth at summit |
106 163" |
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118 139" |
Days Open in 2005/2006 season Maximum snow depth at summit |
111 168" |
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97 80" |
Days Open in 2004/2005 season Maximum snow depth at summit |
83 85" |
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136 85" |
Days Open in 2003/2004 season Maximum snow depth at summit |
104 119" |
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101 111" |
Days Open in 2002/2003 season Maximum snow depth at summit |
69 130" |
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90 209" |
Days Open in 2001/2002 season Maximum snow depth at summit |
80 225" |
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greg4mss@hotmail.com
