TR - Big Boulder closing day 4/14/18

[enjoralas]

Headed up Saturday for a solo trip to Boulder for their closing day. Pops wasn't feeling up to it, still recovering from the crud that hit both of our houses this past week. The 10 am open was well appreciated; I really didn't feel like having having to head out hella early to get good conditions for a few runs on a couple trails.

Left the house at about 9 and with a quick stop at the BK on the turnpike for a bite, was parked a few minutes before 10. Maybe 30-40 cars in the lot, not a lot of people around. Wasn't in a hurry so went inside to boot up. Dropped the bag upstairs and went down and picked up my $35 ticket.

I had planned to wear a jacket shell so I'd have somewhere to attach my ticket, but it was already far too hot.  Popped into the shop to see if they had something lightweight but still with a zipper, but came up empty. Ended up using my car key to pop a hole in the waistband of my gym shorts and fastening around there, hanging it out of the uninsulated wind pants I had on.

Booted up and hit the snow just before 11. Took the Merry Widow lift up and skied down Mittleweig past a "thin cover" lollipop that wasn't lying. The trail was pretty much full width but not a done of depth and some dirt showing through. It was certainly skiable, but various spots of very draggy slow snow made it not so much fun. At the bottom I headed skiers right to the triple.

Took note on the way up of what looked to be excellent coverage on Draufganger, and what I could see of Bunnys.

Of course, the jump line had plenty of snow. Snowdrift, the trail under the triple, has never been open on any of my previous 3 or 4 visits but was Saturday. Coverage was, ah, .  . . existant. 

I'm not sure if that trail is normally fashioned after a skiercross course, but that's certainly what it reminded me of. I ended up skiing it once just because later.

Up at the top I headed down Draufganger and found great coverage and good snow. The rest of the session consisted of laps mostly down Draufganger, with one down Snowdrift, two down Bunnys (one each Elbow and Schuss) and 3 or 4 down the right side of the jumpline, off the hills at the trails edge which had the best snow I found.

There is no shortage of PASR sticker relics around Big Boulder like the one below. For giggles I counted on one lift ride and confirmed stickers on at least 32 of the 70 chairs on the triple.

The snow got slower as the day went on of course, and there weren't a whole lot of people having a real go at the jump line, but I managed to grab a few pics from the lift of people still sending the jumps.

By the end of the session a large watery slush pond had formed at the bottom of the run to the lift. After 24 runs and about 2.5 hours I figured it was time to call it a PA season and headed up and down Mittelweig for run 25 and to end closer to the lodge. Still thinking about maybe Killington first weekend in May, otherwise that's gonna be the season

Edited April 16, 2018 by enjoralas

[eaf]

Ooooh, PASR stickers. That sounds like an interesting piece of history. What were they?

[Shadows]

These pieces of paper with sticky backings.

[eaf]

26 minutes ago, Shadows said:

These pieces of paper with sticky backings.

Oh those good old days... Some quality paper it was. How old?

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

36 minutes ago, eaf said:

Oh those good old days... Some quality paper it was. How old?

12-13 years 

[Schif]

I had a PASR sticker on the back of my old bright red helmet. 

[Shadows]

Got a hoodie. Gave it to stevo cause it was too small

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

6 minutes ago, Shadows said:

Got a hoodie. Gave it to stevo cause it was too small

I think Stevo is married now.  He grew up quick.  I bought my first car from his step dad. 

[enjoralas]

Another chair I rode later had one a little more legible, and it said something about “keeping kids in the snow.”

 

i feel like the mission statement has shifted somewhat, lol

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

19 minutes ago, enjoralas said:

Another chair I rode later had one a little more legible, and it said something about “keeping kids in the snow.”

 

i feel like the mission statement has shifted somewhat, lol

Those were based off of the DARE slogan and the funny part is that Papasteeze helped create those stickers and he’s an old crackhead.