Morning Snow, Great Skiing, and Dinner at Home

I woke at 610a, pretty much the same time as the day prior. It was completely dark in the condo, but because I had my running gear strategically placed, getting dressed was a sanp. By 625a I was ready to head out for my run. It was snowing pretty heavily and there was already a good three inches on the ground. Cold too. However, the snow was fluffy and light. It didn’t hamper my run whatsoever. In fact, it only added an extra element of fun. Daybreak occurred during my run. And by the time I returned to the condo my original tracks were completely covered over by more snow. It was roughly 7a. Like the day before, I quietly went about starting coffee. Soon brother Tommy and Tom S. were awake. I took Mindy coffee. Instead of a traditional breakfast, Mindy made grilled deli-style sandwiches for all. I think Glenn was up last, but still before 730a. Word from home was that it was sunny and 65 on Friday, a far cry from our wintry weather. We called the office to inquire about taking the shuttle up to the mountain. Said it was full and that we should’ve made a reservation. Hmm? We had no idea. They conveniently left that part out when we checked in. Despite the snowy weather, it looked like we’d be driving up to the mountain. We left for the mountain at 915a. The pass up had already been plowed and stoned, but it was still icy and slick, more so in some areas. Bottom line, we made it up safely and without the aid of chains. The lot was packed, but the resort does a masterful job of guiding their patrons to a parking spot. The first thing we did was fetch Glenn’s freshly sharpened and waxed skis. The line at the Pine Martin lift was crazy long, discouraging even. A ski host quickly suggested we use the Red Chair just to the west instead. Said it had next to no line at all. All five of us skied over there for our initial ride up the mountain. He was right, the line was much, much shorter, but it too was backing up quickly. The Red Chair lift took us up the mountain to Leeway & Ed’s Garden, both blue runs. The runs were awesome, and the fresh snow only added to the existing powder base. Lots of soft moguls, too. Once again, that proved to be quite challenging for Mindy & I and perhaps a little too tough for Tom & Tommy. We took several breaks as we headed down the mountain. After that initial run, Tom & Tommy headed to some easier runs while Glenn, Mindy & I did more of the western side of the mountain, including Melbourne and Kangaroo. Those runs were just about perfect for me, doable but still a challenge. All the runs required technical skiing – no casual cruising anywhere really. We all met and took a break at 1230p at the Pine Martin lodge located at the top of the Pine Martin lift. I had two pints – both Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale. I ate a bowl of minestrone soup, too. After our break, Mindy decided that she was gonna ski with Tom & Tommy for the rest of the afternoon, leaving Glenn and I the opportunity to ski “balls to the wall”. We opted to head back down Leeway and work our way over to the Northwest Express lift and all of its trails. We spent our entire afternoon over there. It was exhilarating. We did our first black runs during that stretch, but given all the powder and moguls, it seemed no different than the blue stuff. The 4p stop time came on fast, especially given that I'm used to skiing well into the night. We skied our last two runs as fast as we could. They were incredible! We got one of the last rides back up Northwest where we made our way back towards Pine Martin lodge and then down Thunderbird to the main lodge. By then, my legs were stiff and tired. I was out of gas. Without saying anything, Glenn diverted back up Pine Martin for another run or two. That’s Glenn. While waiting on the others, I paid my first visit to the ski shop. Wow! It was huge and with lots of offerings. I bought nothing, however. Thinking I will buy some souvenirs on Sunday. I spotted Mindy as I exited the shop. Tom & Tommy were already at the car. We waited another five minutes for Glenn then started our trek back to the condo. The pass was still snow covered and icy, plus the traffic was bumper to bumper and slow. We assumed a wreck. Traction was dicey. We must’ve gone 10 miles at a snails pace. We were low on gas too. Crap! I worried that we might run out sitting in traffic. Finally, the traffic cleared and we were able to make some progress, although the pass was still extra slick. We watched the old Mercedes in front of us fish tail all the way down the pass and into Bend. Purposefully, I passed by our condo and headed straight into town to get some fuel and also to make a stop for a dozen eggs. I think everyone was surprised how hard it was snowing in Bend. Their roads were even slicker than the pass. Yikes! I felt much better after fueling up. Instead of stopping at a convenient store, I suggested we stop in the Safeway on the town’s western edge. Tom S and Mindy went inside along with me. We weren’t in there long before Mindy suggested we also pick-up something for dinner thus avoiding any more driving in the relentless snow storm. Made sense to both of us. We picked up plenty more beer, two take & bake pizzas, cookies, hummus, and pita chips. By the time we were done, we’d spent $83. We headed back to our condo. At the condo we enjoyed some beer, pita chips and hummus, along with some chips and salsa. Before baking the pizzas, all five of us headed over to the hot tub where we spent a good hour soaking our stiff muscles. We met several interesting folks and shared many skiing stories. Pruned, we headed back to our room to eat some pizza. Mindy and I stopped in the resorts tiny general store right next door and bought another bag of Tostitos. They gave us some complementary plastic cups and paper plates, too. Nice folks! Tommy took charge of baking the pies. That’s his thing. While eating pizza, we watched a DVD, Grown-Ups. I’ve seen it 3 or 4 times, but was happy to laugh at it again. At the movie’s conclusion, Mindy & I headed off to bed. I’ll bet it was no later than 10p, but back home it would’ve been 1a.