One last day. High overcast, no sun, no new snow. The wind is howling. A little cool in the house. 6 am is my time. Everybody else sleeps, I do not hear a stirring until at least 7. No plan today. I am bagged but it is the last day and I cannot possibly sit this one out.
One by one people arise and the hubbub of the cabin begins anew. I’m sitting here wondering if the chopper will be able to make the trip tomorrow. The weather has been socked in for 3 days and it does not look like a change today. J and A have a plane to catch so life should be interesting for them.
More recon is the order of the day. We have not been past Posthumous Bowl. We travel on a wind drifted uptrack that we have passed over several times. A few hundred meters beyond our usual de-skin point we encounter a short steep pitch. The light is poor and we cannot determine if it would be safe to ski so we back off and find another route down. Around the bowl there are some scattered trees to help vision. 20 turns, good turns and we are at the bottom.
More exploration is on tap. We choose a high line and over the ridge is the sight we have been searching out. Glade after glade of open slope with smooth untracked snow facing north. None of us are sure but we think we have found the mother lode. Skins on and up the slope. We stand at the top and survey the landscape. We think there are numerous lanes to ski and we are won’t be able to ski all the available terrain in one day. Our first run is confirmation we have chosen the right area. It is our first recon that has paid big dividends. Every run ends in 5 ear to ear grins. The skiing is soooo good, the uptrack is relatively easy and we figure it is a perfect day to end our week. Salvation Bowl and Redemption Ridge. If we come back we will spend a good amount of time in this direction.
It’s been a good week and the last day is definitely the best.