We headed Hatcher way after hearing of the dump, only to be slightly premature as it was still storming up high: flat light, high winds, heavy snow accumulation. Our stoke for snow was stomped out by this reality; that it was still storming and not ski-friendly. Though snow and ski-starved, skiing in a white box of variably depth and density snow is not that fun. We did a one-and-done after triggering a storm-slide of unknown size/origin: all we could see was the alders shaking and a fine-snow cloud in the adjacent gully. We will ski another day.
I went back with my partner-in-crime the next afternoon when skies cleared to see what's up. Winds were still strong(see pic) and yesterdays' triggered slide was mostly erased by the remaining storm/winds. There was a surprising paucity of natural slides. We skied a lap in Wimp Bowl which provided the most sheltered snow but was still wind-affected powder. I dared not venture steeper or deeper despite the urge to quench my thirst for it.
I worked a day or two and managed to snag an on-call for day 2 which affords the possibility of an evening outing in the mountains. Possibility obtained. Since daylight savings, the evenings have become spectacular because the sun now sets much later, like closer to 8PM. That means if you get off work at 5 you can blast up Peak 3 and get the coveted and well-worth-it sunset run. I did that today as getting off-call is around 5pm. I bee-lined for the front range to see how things fared(think wind-blasted): still thin all-around but the sunset and views did not disappoint. Calm weather, clear skies and skiing with Lucy on a relatively empty Peak 3 was worth the trip despite the fair snow conditions.
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