Looking forward to a day back on the mountain, although we again woke to rain which has it raining constantly for 3 days. The snow report was snow above 1300 metres yesterday and today with strong winds possible today.
We were organized early and headed out in the rain with dry gear. Poo Poo Head was happy enough about Snow School so it looked like the makings of a good day. We were amazed at how low down the mountain the snow had fallen over Wednesday and Wednesday night. As we climbed the mountain, the rain turned to snow and the roads were getting more and more covered in snow. Ross was praying to the snow gods not to have to fit those bloody chains.
Although Ross bought a tarp, ground sheet and rigging gloves, fitting chains in the cold and snow early in the morning is not a great way to start the any day. The gods were smiling on us, 4×4 vehicles didn’t have to fit chains, but we past a few poor suckers in 2×2 cars braving the elements and fitting their chains.
Getting organized in the carpark this morning was like watching synchronized swimming. The light snow fall only added to enjoyment.
We were better prepared this morning, a little earlier and had replaced the grumpy whiney kid with the happy compliant Poo Poo Head. We forked out the cash and jumped on the express chair to the top. At the top the wind was blowing across the mountain like a hurricane. It looked a little like the windswept moonscape of Antarctica on some National Geographic special. The ground snow was as hard as concrete and what little loose snow was there was blowing horizontal.
Poo Poo Head was quite happy to stay indoors at Snow School, whilst Ross and Barb toughed it out. The side of the mountain where the car park is was blissfully quiet and peaceful until later in the day when all the people previously on the other windy side got sick of the relentless wind.
We generally take our own food most places we go because we don’t like to eat greasy fried food too much. After 4 days of not bothering to even notice, during a coffee stop (of which there are many) Barb inadvertently got a quote for a ham and cheese sandwich ….. at $8.50 we were quite chuffed that we had outsmarted them. A bit of a false economy after the masses of cash thrown about on everything other than the food.
After we picked up Poo Poo Head we found a quiet corner with virgin fresh snow. We de-skied and cut loose in the soft snow. We were all laughing as Poo Poo Head climbed up the slope about 20 odd feet or so. Ross went to walk up and sank about 3 foot; the panic button was pushed as Barb and Ross simultaneously started yelling at Poo Poo Head to come back for fear he would sink out of sight.
Barb made a pathetic little snow man, which looked like a small white malformed homeless nerd.
We spent the rest of the day trying to teach Poo Poo Head to snow plough. We might as well have been speaking Swahili, he couldn’t have cared less. And who could blame him, why work when his attentive parents continued to chauffeur him across the resort.
The Express Quad chair leaves from the carpark to the most popular and extensive run area which includes the Snow School. The carpark park side was the most protected from the wind today but we had to transverse across about 200 metres of wind blown hard snow from the top of the Express Quad to the start of the wind protected run back to the car park. Some of the transverse is slightly uphill and Poo Poo Head has to be pushed as we skate. Poo Poo Head flaps his skis’ about oblivious to everything about him. First it was Ross; as Poo Poo Head flap about his skis, his ski went under Ross and down Ross went on top of Poo Poo Head ski taking a chunk out of his leg. Later in the day it was Barbs turn; ending up with an egg size lump on her leg.
We ended the day relatively dry, warm and looking forward to to tomorrow which is forecast as much the same as today without the horrendous winds.
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