A Toast to El Cap

Got back into The Chutes yesterday and was pleasantly surprised that El Cap was skied in. Cupless, smooth and way less of the rotten stuff we found on Hornets Nest and Chaos we found a couple of weeks ago. El Cap skied really consistently as long as you stayed in the middle. Sides were rotten and rocky as you might suspect. My buddy got a nice stone grind free of charge from the Mountain Gods. Very few rocks exposed in chute center and the only really rotten snow we found was at the bottom apron exposed to the sun. My neighbor Eric also said the Rose face runs were still skiing well too.

With the Winter Weather Advisory this week the skiing should stay good if you have the patience to wait for the corn to warm up. Or, who knows, maybe there will be enough snow to actually ski some new stuff although my crystal ball is very cloudy on that and my 8 Ball, after a good shake said "Doubtful." The storm will be providing precip from now through Tuesday off and on. We shall see what the weather brings but the fact that its going to freeze at night won't hurt the pack any for next weeks skiing.









Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Season Winds Down with a Bang & a Whimper...

Image
Lots of BBQ's, beer wagons and costumed patrons led to a great last day of the season at Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe. Many closing days have been less than extraordinary with frozen crust, snow or high winds. Today was the exeption. Although there was some wind at the top it didn't amount to much and the snow softened quickly with temps in the 50's. The Chutes almost didn't open. Understaffed, the lift department just didn't have enough liftees... in stepped Mikyla (pictured below) a ski patrol rookie who volunteered to run The Chuter Unload... thanks to Patrol for making The Chutes happen the last day. They were absolutely sublime with all gates East of El Cap open. One could also downhill traverse over to El Cap which was the best I've seen it sans pow in many years. Pic is of Naia Selby ripping down it like it was a groomer. I can say with confidence The Chutes were absolutely stunning today and so forgiving that even I felt pretty good dancing with gravity. Groomer
Read more

The Rose Legion of Honor (Part 1)

Image
There are those that do their job and then there are those who rise above their position description and become an exceptional employee and host to the area. Come along and meet some of the exceptional staff who have proven themselves once more as those that go above and beyond and make Mt. Rose Ski Area a special place. Some of these folks are up front who you see all the time while others are in the background working to make things better behind the scenes every day and night. Lets start with Ted... he has been grooming for years and his experience and stoke to provide perfect cord for the public makes him our number one choice from the grooming department Next up is Darja from the Food and Beverage Department. Darja is one of the most positive and wonderful people one could ever meet in the lodge. If you haven't met her yet, this last weekend is the time. Make it your mission. She can probably be found cashiering. She is seen here with our very own 98 year old Raymond Josep
Read more

The Chutes... 45 days on

Image
On Saturday a kid in the Skytavern Junior Ski Program took the Oblivion Express into a tree on the Cut Throat run in the The Chutes at the Mt. Rose Ski Area. He ended up in the ICU but is expected to fully recover.  The results could have been much worse.  Most of us are tired of seeing patrol rescues, ambulances and Careflight rides resulting from skiing or boarding and then losing control in The Chutes the last five weeks. This post addresses where we currently are in The Chutes in an effort to minimize future accidents and point out that you are putting more than yourself at risk when you ski beyond our ability.  Occasionally I get asked "Why are The Chutes still closed?" or, less occasionally, "Why are The Chutes still open?". My stock answer is something about snow safety, patroller safety, the time it takes to open complex terrain or the neglected skill of skiing within one's ability etc. And I only hear the question a 10,000th of the times patrol hears it
Read more