NateExpectations coming into today’s opener were medium to high. Medium for myself, high for Nate. It landed somewhere in between. Sometimes numbers can be deceiving. 54 inches storm total as of this morning for the first day of the season is all a skier can ask for. But with all that snow came difficulties getting terrain open.
The quick run down… Wildcat didn’t start loading skiers until about noon. Wildcat Bowl was closed however so Punch Bowl and the lower Shoulder were the go-to zones. Collins started loading skiers about 10 or later but the groomers down the front face weren’t open until a bit later. So most skiers were funneled onto Sugarloaf lift for the first couple of hours.
The snow was blower if you could find it on the right aspect. We also encountered some wind effected stuff that was still playful but a little grabby. Coverage was really quite good but plenty of hazards were still around.
Lastly, the avalanches. Stone rusher ripped out from skier’s left for the entire length of it. Fred’s Trees broke straight to rock for most of the face directly beneath Collins lift. There were other fissures above that large crown as well.
All and all a great day and the season is off to an amazing start with more snow tonight!
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