But now we're back in action. We had our normal Monday and Tuesday off, and by Sunday afternoon the snow was falling very fast. We were going to visit friends in Steamboat Springs, but decided that traveling in a blizzard was not the best idea. So, Monday morning we got up and headed up to Monarch. There was 10 fresh inches waiting for us. The skiing was decent but we could still feel the crust below the surface. I decided that hiking up to Mirkwood would be a good idea. Mirkwood is Monarch's hike-to, backcountry area. Because you have to hike for 15 minutes, there is far less skier traffic, making softer snow easier to find. The wind was brutal on Monday, probably blowing well over 50 mph. Hiking up, the wind would blow you off your track and it was really hard to hang onto your skis. I did three laps, the skiing was great, but the wind was enough to limit me to three runs. That night I noticed a dark spot on my cheek, frostbite. My skis must have been touching my skin causing a deep freeze. The spot is still there, getting worse, I hope my face doesn't fall off.
Here is a shot of Mirkwood Bowl, you can kind of see people standing on the ridgeline. Also you can see the dark spots of where they dropped bombs trying to mitigate avalanche danger.
Tuesday we awoke to another 8 inches of the fresh stuff. I got up early to ensure first lift, there were a few lines that I knew I wanted to hit before anyone else got there. Mica stayed home to wait for our friend Kelly who was driving down from Summit County to enjoy our sweet Monarch Powder. My plan was a success, first tracks for an hour and a half, then hit Mirkwood when they open that around 10:30. I could hear blasting so I knew that the wind had left a good deal of snow in the bowls. I got to the gate a few minutes after they pulled the rope, there were already a dozen people hiking up the ridgeline to the top of Mirkwood. I really wanted first tracks so I put on a charge and left the dozen people behind as I hiked up the ridgeline at 11,500ft. It was worth it, first tracks, deep snow.
Here is a shot of Mirkwood Trees on the right, those are some real good lines through steep trees. On the left you can see Monarch ski area, with the notable "gunbarrel" on the left side.
It's funny when you pass the spots where they dropped bombs, the snow is all black and you get the smell of blasting powder in your nose for the entire run. I have learned to love that smell. Probably the way a surfer feels when they smell the ocean. I continued to put first tracks over Mirkwood for four laps, I was beat after that. I found Mica and Kelly just as they were going in for lunch, perfect timing. They had been enjoying the endless soft snow as well. After lunch we all went for another run. It had started to snow real hard again and I stil had a plan for more fresh tracks.
By afternoon it is pretty hard to find fresh tracks at any ski area, so the next logical thing to do is to ski out of the area. I had been spying this slope from the top of my chairlift all season. Dropping off the west side of the Continental Divide would give me about 1000ft. of untouched snow before I hit the Old Monarch Pass road. After checking in quickly with ski patrol, I was off. It was great, I really enjoy not skiing over anyone elses tracks, guess I'm spoiled. I hit the road like I planned, fortunately a snowmobile had already drivin the road providing a real easy 20 minute skin back to the ski area. That was a great way to end the day. I met up with Mica and Kelly immediately after getting back to the area, good timing. They did a few more runs, I decied to go home and get dinner going. Here is a picture of the road back down during a snow storm. A great couple of days.
