"Heading up the Great Escape Quad, my fears about my late arrival were averted. Though there were plenty of tracks on the runs visible through the light fog from the chair, I could still envision lines linking soft, powdery turns. The local I was sharing the chair with told me that Schweitzer has enough great terrain for off-piste skiing, that it is common to find first tracks well into the afternoon if you know where to look."
"When I arrived in the Schweitzer, Idaho, base area a little after 11 a.m., I was worried that after months of waiting for skiable snow, I had missed the powder day. A teenager near the ticket window called out to their friend: "You're sick today, too?" It seemed that an unseasonably warm winter had weakened all of our immune systems, and more than a foot of new snow had caused Sandpoint, Idaho, to come down with a case of the powder flu."
"From the moment I tipped my skis over the edge and dove into the first pitched, powdery turn on C Chute, I was elated. This is what we've been waiting for this season. With a small band of clouds clinging to the top of the ridgeline on this side of the resort, it wasn't until I got two or three knee deep turns in."
Arrival at Schweitzer base area occurred a little after 11 a.m., with concern about missing a sought-after powder day after months without skiable snow. An unseasonably warm winter had weakened locals' immune systems, while more than a foot of new snow transformed Sandpoint, Idaho. Chairlift views showed existing tracks but promising opportunities for fresh lines; locals noted that Schweitzer's terrain often yields first tracks well into the afternoon for those who know where to look. Recent storm snowfall allowed the resort crew to open extensive new terrain, dispersing the crowd. Skiing C Chute produced knee-deep, pitched powder turns beneath a low band of clouds.
Read at SnowBrains
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]