ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO WASHINGTON – 12/17/06
ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO WA
Date: December 16th thru 17th, 2006
Location: Crystal Mountain ski field, and Stevens Pass ski fun center
Day One – Crystal Mountain – 185" total snowfall
http://www.crystalmountainresort.com/
Kiddie Ski school members:
666, Arty50, and all of the PNW KReW …ALL OF THEM. <insert names here> From SQ99 to Greydon to Monique to BC-Flow to Buster to…….Alka to Ingrid to Kip to Julien Carr to….Squirrel’s buddy C-Huck from Utah.
Weather & Temp:
About a foot of new with some death cookies and rain crusted goodness on wind-exposed areas to funky monkey on some of the steeps. Aspects were KEY and Buster & Northway showed us the goods.
Highlight:
Watching BC-Flow skiing pow right next to the lift yelling "HA HA BITCHES"…that and his seemlessly matching attire.
Music: Orbital – ‘Halcyon On and On’
So I roll to Seattle via Denver to rack up those final frequent flier miles of the 2006 flight season. As I check my mobile while waiting for my first flight, the top story is how Seattle got anal raped by a massive storm. Power outages, trees, people thrown everywhere, including 2 feet of new powdah. Wierdly, I arrive into Seattle without a hitch.
Storm is a clearin’…
SQ99, one of the gracious hosts, braved roads, grabbed my ass, and we were off to EVO and then some food before Arty’s arrival. Arty, on the other hand, was another story. I could go on how he was to fly in at a later time from Reno, but I’m not going to dive into that one….<cough> 11:30 pm arrival.
While waiting for Arty, we arrived at one of the few places with power near the airport to get a snack…hmmm I wonder where all the electricity was going?
Monique, bless her heart, invited us up at her pad near Crystal to stay the night. 1:30 am arrival due to SQ99’s anti-GP3 route finding skills and the complete lack of power via the grid system, we finally arrived to this:
Ghetto filtered Peet’s anyone? Mmmmmmm Major Dickenson’s please…
Lineup at Chinook…who’s that guy in the yellow who busted’ an early chair?
I think I see BC-Flow in line at Rainier..I mean, how can you miss him right?
First turn of 2006-2007 season in Washington….
Chair 6 wasn’t running yet, so we headed to do an Exterminator run down to the bottom, and then hit up some stuff in Northway…<name JONG here>
Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Northway gives it a go on Northway…I wonder how he got his handle?
SQ99 on the ridge looking for C H E E S E …
…but finds some blower down lower.
Arty50 – grabs a scenic for the INT3RW335 crew
…and links up some Johnny Cash stash.
666 finds a line through the grabby face above into the flat-white pow…
Next up is the Spook area (correct me if I’m wrong), where Arty disappears at the sight of a str8line into pow, and I find the sketchiest snow in Washington…
Looks great, but that’s "toss n throw you" snow right there…
Meanwhile, Northway is still linking up late in the day powpow…
…into the chute above, and then screaming some Super-G turns through some chunder…
Ccccchhhhhhhainsaw Willie milking some trurns….
The aftermath…now I love Crystal too.
Its now getting late and dark, but why not more powder in Morning Glory?
SQ99 finds a home in bear country…
…don’t even dare spray me there Squirrel!
Northway has a "knack of finding untracked"…I don’t like him.
Now its Uncle Ricco’s turn…making his pal Runethechamp proud.
Hell, he’s even making me proud…
…now he’s starting to piss me off…
A quick Buffalo burger in the cafe, a few pitchers, and its time to head out. Well, so we can catch up with my bestest friend Z-bo:
Day Two: Stevens Pass, Washington
http://www.stevenspass.com/Stevens/index.aspx
Synopsis:
With rumors of the Double Diamond lift on hold the previous day, Z-bo assured us a full day of hippy-tree-pow, with untracked every run….he was correct…as usual.
We "found" a coffee stop on the way…that’s just unbelievable:
Kinda creepy…reminds me of Da King from Burger King aye?
Even more creepy is how Z-bo orders a quad nonfat mocha….
Some destruction from the Thursday storm still readily apparent…
WE’VE GOT BASE!
Yum Yum…me likey!
Arty on his first turn at Stevens…
Z dash in one of those "let’s nail the cameraman" turns…
C-Huck gets into the action…yep, sprays me too.
Arty finds a deep spot…(I wonder how deep Kirkwood was at this moment)
Z-bo shows what happens when you try hugging a tree while skiing hippy pow…
Mmmmm…BACKCOUNTRY!
SQ99 lines up some whipped cream for his mocha…
…and then JUST PLAIN SPILLS IT!
666 trying to get all scenic…
…and then tries to emulate Shugs:
C-Huck getting some in the haunted PNW treezzzzz…
Meanwhile, SQ99 makes a dinner reservation for some POWDUH…
So this is what the Cascades look like when the sun pops out….?
Hmmm…I don’t see any tracks?
Stevens lot and Hwy 2 below…
C-Huck takes a lap while we had the sun…
3-2-1 "LEROY JENNNNNNKIIIIIINNNNNNNNSSSSS"
I was jealous…
Arty getting the goods…
Jesus, now you’re rubbing it in man!
TEH ROD3nT5 angle….
SQ99’s turn to make…..turns…
Neeeerrrrrrrrddddddddssssssssss…..
The last run we rode down to the highway…"goggles messed up, legs burning, skiing like crap" type of run…and Z-bo was just glad to survive…
Hmmmmm…do I want a single espresso or a 32oz?
Scary! I mean Z-bo…especially the blood stain on his ski pants.
Mt. Index is next…straightline the whole thing? Who’s in?
Big ups to Monique for the hospitality, Z-bo for being handsome, SQ99 for being my chauffeur, Tiana from Crystal, and of course Chris from Stevens – You guys rule!
…and in case you have no idea wtf "all your base" is all about: