So far this year Ullr has been pretty stingy up in the Rubies, but he who predicts such things thinks that's likely to change, and that we'll have rideable snow by Thanksgiving. Here's his blog posting on the subject. Early snow, January thaw, snowy midwinter and spring. Wash, rinse, repeat.
Last year our early and mid-winter season was... well, crappy. No other word for it. However, later in the year we had some absolutely magnificent skiing, including one of my top five ski days ever, anywhere. Dandelion fluff- light- powder, lots of it, no snowmobiles - it was too soft, they were wallowing. Three days of ski heaven, all in a row. Sorry I didn't blog much last spring, you'll have to picture it in your heads.
If our NWS friend is right we should have a reasonable year in the Rubies... and at SnoBowl, since early snow is so critical for our local ski hill. I sure hope so, SnoBowl has really suffered the past two seasons. The very good news is that SnoBowl has FINALLY gotten its 501c(3) from the slowpokes at the IRS, and volunteers can start the arduous process of applying for snowmaking grants. What a difference that would make up there! According to our snowboarding friend at the National Weather Service, conditions at SnoBowl are excellent for successful snowmaking. Combine that with the natural snow SnoBowl does get, and we should have great and reliable ski conditions up there every year.
A girl can dream, anyway...
In the meantime, more yoga, more strength training, more aerobics... and more time doing the snow dance, hoping that Ullr will be kind.
Seriously. The folks from Owyhee joined us at the SnoBowl Spaghetti Feed this year to do a snow dance for us. We leave no stone unturned.
