Pyramid April 2014

[patrick]

4/5 Pretty darn good conditions. By the time I got there at around noon I met Dale N leaving and he had already done 6 laps. We gained snow above around 800 feet or so and got a lot up high. About an inch of powder evenly distributed on top and adhered to refrozen/slush/corn from the storm. Not bumpy up high either. In the north bowl I could get the bounce going and the harder you bounced the deeper you went, but if you wanted you could stay on top too. Sort of hero conditions. Softer underneath in the gibber bowl, but getting grabby by the bottom of the gibber bowl Sharon's traverse is getting thin at the bottom and you have to cross grass to get to the parking lot. Patrick

[brooks]

4/7 Went up today. Ridge run. Mild to moderate meh.

[steve]

The Goats are out.

And thats more exciting than the snow right now. Hard pack with frozen tracks and ruts. The South faces are trying to corn up but with the cold temps. at night its not quite happening. If you can find a smooth untracked area it is fast and fun.

[patrick]

4/13 Great ski conditions up there today. It looks like we gained snow above around 1500 feet and lost a lot below 1000. I was still able to ski pretty easily down to the beginning of Sharon's traverse. It feels like May. Patrick

[Philip]

Monday April 14 (getcher taxes done, people!)

A bunch of us converged on the Chalet parking lot around 5 PM and headed up the main trail. The slope below the Spruce Knob is basically all brown grass but with a few new green puchkie shoots showing (SPRING!). The lower half of the Jibber is 50/50 brush and snow, but the upper half is okay. Things really start looking up on the summit ridge as you can see from Patrick's truly lovely photo above ^^^. Most of us took North Bowl runs which despite a little flat light were very nice with a few inches of damp new snow over a firm base. Some old avy debris in the bowl made the cruising less than velvety, but can't complain for this winter. We even rode farther down below the bottom of the bowl (about 3/4 the way to the valley floor) than I have this whole winter, further reinforcing the notion that we have actually gained a bit of snow recently. It did get slow and soft near the end, but hey: pretty long run! On the way home we took our boards off at the Spruce Knob and walked down, not even bothering with trying Sharon's Traverse. Spring skiing has arrived, though it may not last long. Get some or wait till next year...

Getting ready to ride!

[patrick]

4/16 It was lightly snowing from the lower gibber bowl on up when I went skiing around 2 PM. However, the new slush was VERY slow. Even on top. Funnily enough the best skiing today was on the upper part of the beaver pond run from below the level of the knoll for 2 hundred or so feet down further. The snow was corned up and fast - no death slush like higher up on the mountain. It is pretty easy to ski to the spruce tree where Sharon's traverse breaks off to the left. And I still skiied to the top of the little up hill that gives the snow boarders fits. I'd rather ski the steep section and walk the flats than work my knees hiking down the steep slope below the knoll. Patrick

[steve]

Fresh wet snow above 1000.ft, a little sticky in spots but at least its snowing up high.

[patrick]

4/19 I went up around noon - cats paws on the windscreen and sleet at the parking lot and all snow by around 1000 feet. Some new slush to a couple hundred feet below the knob. I skiied to the beginning of Sharon's traverse and there was new snow the whole way. Problem was that the new snow was super slow - even up above the gibber bowl. But good news is lots of new snow!

Patrick

[Philip]

I was just on top of Pillar and it was sleeting up there too, though not sticking.

[patrick]

4/20 I went up Pyramid around 10 AM this morning and it was excellent. 1 to 2 feet of new powder in the south bowl and new slush down to around 700 feet towards the parking lot. The north bowl had dry powder too but it was more wind effected. This morning the snow was still fast but as it warms up I suspect it will get slow and grabby. Patrick

This is a view of the Gibber bowl - note Dale's tracks on right.

[Philip]

We went up around 2pm on Easter, and the weather was starting to move in. It was pretty much full gale as we arrived on top and we started getting pelted by rain, so we headed down. The snow had in fact gotten REALLY slow. I did not have to make a single turn to chech my speed the entire way to the spruce knob. The amount of new snow on the upper half of the mountain was certainly encouraging though. With the forecast, I doubt I will be up there again soon.

[patrick]

4/26 The good news is that there is new slush down to the beginning of Sharon's Traverse 200 or 300 vertical feet below the knob, and a lot of new snow in the gibber bowl and on up. The bad news is that when i went skiing this morning it was raining up to the top of the north bowl with some sleet mixed in above 1700 feet. Still the snow seemed fast.

Patrick

[patrick]

4/29 I went up Pyramid around 2PM and it was excellent. It froze last night and was fast. The North bowl was still icy but by evening I bet you can ski down from the summit into the north bowl. It should be perfect. About half way down the gibber it got super soft and isothermic.

And believe it or not but above 1400 feet we have more snow than we have had all year.

Patrick

[Philip]

Lovely panorama.