Backcountry skiing (Alpine touring) 5:00:00 [2] +1900m
OMG THAT WAS VERY PROBABLY THE BEST DAY OF SKIING EVER!!!! I need a BIGGER Caps Lock button!!! I need a bigger font!
On every run, the snow was amazing. After each run, I couldn't imagine it being any better, and then the next run was somehow even better.
Started with a climb up by Espresso to the top of Hut Ridge and decided to go over and ski down Burton Direct. Wonderfully steep and lots of snow, so it was sluffing pretty big. Several folks were a little nervous about this, we skied down in groups of two, trying not to sluff down on each other. A really fun run if the sluffing didn't bother you; the steep pitch was exciting.
Then over to the other side of the Burton drainage and skied down a run between Illicit Smile and the Spear. More amazing snow, a great long run down, got to ski a cool little rib that no one had put a track on, then I got waved by and continued onto an untracked run to the lower portion, and you could maneuver through the alders at the bottom.
Wrapped around the end of Hut Ridge on yesterday's track and then 8 of us skied the Scimitar. Wow, it just got even better! Such deep, fun snow that was so consistent and easy to ski...you could jump off anything and have an easy landing in deep powder.
Then the last five keeners (Revy, Carbon, Big Fish, Seani) went back up to the top of Gateway Ridge, with Revy putting in an awesome uptrack through crazy deep snow. Traversed the entire ridge to Gateway Col, and then down Secret Lover which was amaaaaaazing! Somehow even better than the previous excellent runs. It was absolutely incredible. I do think this was probably the best run we have ever skied (and we've had a lot of great ones). Snow was so deep, light, the only problem was that the snow was blowing in your face so much and was so light that it wouldn't settle down in time for you to see your next turn!
Feeling very ALIVE!!! The best feeling there is! At the bottom of this run, I was so pumped that I had more energy than all day, despite what had already been a big day.
I LOVE this sport!! I love life :). What a charmed life we live :)