April Showers Bring...Snow??

After what seemed like a terrible winter, Washington skiers and snowboarders are experiencing extreme amounts of snowfall in April. And I'm not talking just a few inches, it's about 7+ inches a day! I spent three days up at the mountain this week, and I can honestly say that they were some of the best all season. Tuesday was filled with high winds blowing around large amounts of snow up at Alpental. David, and his broken collar bone, decided to join me that day in hopes of catching some late season powder turns in the 17" of fresh. After sitting on the lift in 70 mph winds and taking one epic run from top to bottom, we found they had closed the lifts for at least an hour. The wind was blowing so hard it was catching my board and we could barely see the people sitting on the chair in front of us! Due to some partial clearing and lighter winds, Alpental re-opened and off we went.

The next day I had to work a double, and then close on Thursday, so snowboarding wasn't able to work itself into the agenda. But today, I didn't have to work until 8. So off to Alpental we went. After calling the snow line and hearing about the 14" of fresh, we couldn't wait to get to the mountain. And it was well worth it. What an amazing day! The snow was a bit heavy, but that's how it is up here in the Northwest. Since David had recently bought his avalanche transceiver, we decided to give the backcountry a try. Ducking into the vast wilderness of the backcountry at Alpental showed us the best runs of the season. The sun even came out for a while making for some beautiful views.

Being in the backcountry is one of the most peaceful places in the world. It's quiet, with only a faint whisper through the trees when the wind blows. You feel as if you have the whole place to yourself. It's exciting. You have to be quick, because you never know what is coming up next. A chute, a cliff, a gully? It could be anything and you have to be ready. But oh, is it worth it. Those huge sprays of powder, the floating, and the feeling of knowing that you are the only one out there. No gapers traversing in front of you, no lifts, no crowds, just you and the mountain in all it's glory. I am so lucky for being able to have this experience, and it's only one hour away home :)