Crystal Mountain 3-17-13

Nine inches of new snow overnight.  I left the house at 0515 and made it to Crystal by 0730.  I was in the third gondola up.  The wind was blowing on top and the visibility was poor but the snow was deep.  After a few turns down I was out of the wind.  It was deep enough that every turn yielded full facial snow.  I was finding untracked sections all morning.  By about 1300 I was pooped and decided to call it a day.

Gondola lineup

It was blowing some, right to left.

I checked out the historic Silver Creek Guard Station on the way out.  It turns into a visitor center in the summer.  There's a nice campground close by.

No trip this way is complete without a stop at Wapiti Woolies in Greenwater.  It's a nice little shop with a surprising amount of outdoor gear packed into it.  And they have espresso.  A 20-ounce iced mocha quenched my thirst and kept me awake for the long drive home.