Pico 3-3-14

[Ride Delaware ?]

OutCold decided that he wanted to try out something different today, so we decided to head down to Pico for a change of pace. We fell in love with the mountain when we visited 7 years ago, but it had been so long, that it was basically like visiting a new mountain.

 

We got a late jump today and didn't get on the slopes until 11. Conditions were a mix of machine groomed packed powder and ungroomed skier packed bumps with a dusting of fresh. It was a bluebird day with temps hovering in the upper teens.

 

There were no crowds to speak of, and maybe a total of 100 people on the mountain. We warmed up on the lower mountain quad and then headed to the top. We stuck to groomers early, but after a lunch break we started heading into the woods.

 

All the actual glades had been cleared this summer and had excellent coverage. There were very few obstacles and you could really rip them.

 

Towards the end of the day we were at the summit, saw some tracks into the woods, and decided to summon our inner J Law and follow them. The upper section was tight but fun. We quickly noticed that the lower section turned into a snowshoe trail, but the pitch was still downhill and we continued to follow it farther away from the ski area. Finally we noticed that it was part of the Appalachian/Long Trail, and it started to turn back toward Pico. When it started going away from Pico again, we decided to boot pack through thigh deep pow with a crust to get back to the trails. There was a slight ridge about 100 feet from the snowshoe tracks, and once we got above it, we were able to see the ski area. Worst case scenario we would have ended up on Rt. 4 at the trail head, but we were relieved to say the least. We still had fun doing it even if we had no idea where the fuck we were headed. I know it was bad planning, but luckily it ended for the best.

 

Overall it was nice to get back to Pico and have a fun day. The snow was excellent and they have a bunch of nice glades. I definitely will make sure I get back there before 7 more years passes.