Is That Chicken Done Yet?

Yesterday we removed most of the grooming equipment from our staging area, anticipating a lack of adequate snow to continue with grooming activities.  We're down to the bones in several spots out there, so it seemed prudent to take action now.  We did hedge our bets in that we still have one machine up there capable of rolling any new accumulations.  But it doesn't seem too hopeful at this point.  Don't know what happened to El Nino, any one see him?

Hank, Brad, Allen, Phil and Peter B. all toiled for several hours yesterday to tidy up and get things ready for the summer.  That plus administrative chores adds another 18.5 hours to the volunteer basket.

Fresh Groom Job

Just a quick note to let you all know the Bauer Loops got groomed today - Friday - to freshen things up for the weekend.  We skated today from about 10 am to noon and the skiing was way better than it had any right to be.  It's melting out fast up there and no break from warm day temps in the forecast.  So this weekend may be the last gasp for the broiled chicken.  Still full coverage on the trails, though it's getting thin in the few usual trouble spots.

Thanks David B for the groom job.  5.5 volunteer hours today.

Good News!

Phil went solo and re-groomed the entire area today (Friday) all by his lonesome.  Way to go Phil!  He also set (re-set) the classic track everywhere.  This is good news indeed for those of us who do not enjoy cheating death when we go out to ski.  Conditions should be much improved over what they have been the last several days.  So go chomp on some chicken now, before it's too late!

Phil put in 3.5 hours today.

Chicken Stew, Chunky Style

Expect rapidly changing conditions at the ski area, with frozen solid mornings quickly degrading to mushy, sloppy mid-day skiing.  All the volunteer labor we could muster yesterday went towards reclaiming the snow machine stranded on the upper reaches of the CC Road yesterday.  And quite a bit of effort was involved in digging it out and towing it home (if home is the repair shop, which it may as well be).  A big shout out to Phil, Brad and Chris for their efforts yesterday.

The kind of weather we're currently experiencing now really requires daily grooming, and we simply do not have the manpower available for that.  So expect less-than-stellar conditions at the area for the foreseeable future.  Right now it's looking like the next groom will not take place until the beginning of next week.  There's not a thing I can do about that, sorry to say.  The best I can do is to keep you all informed when something does happen.

A special word of caution to those of you brave enough to ski to the upper stretch of the CC Road; watch out for the large hole left vacant by the rescued machine.  Although efforts were made to fill the hole, it still presents a hazard, most especially on the descents.  Please use extra care up there.

The rescue team put in a total of 12.75 hours bringing the machine down.

Of Chickens, Pigs, Dogs, and Squirrels

Attended the Church of the Chicken early this morning and found it to be delightfully peaceful and contemplative.  I realize a lot of you all will be attending the church of the pigskin this afternoon and I hope it is as soul-feeding for you as the trails were for me.  Generally conditions are still at least Good, and the upper terrain is certainly Very Good.  As things warm up things will get a bit more dicey, with cold nights causing the slushy track to get pretty slick and chunky, so please use caution out there.  We're trying to arrange for an early and mid-week groom to keep things freshened up, and of course that depends on the availability of volunteer manpower.  I'll keep you posted as well as possible.

The Abert's Squirrels (or tassel-eared squirrels) were out in force today, chattering and scampering around and enjoying the warmer weather.  I saw some coyote scats and lots of sign of hares and other unknown (to me, anyway) residents of the Ponderosa forest. 

Several scats of the Canis familiaris were also to be seen scattered about the lower loops.  I know most dog owners are responsible people and do clean up after their critters.  Some dog owners - however - leave me scratching my head in bewilderment at their incomprehensible behavior.  To wit:  placing their perfectly biodegradable dog poo in a plastic bag and leaving it at the trailhead for someone (???) to transport away for them.

Let me just lay it out for you all.  If you have a dog, grab one of the handy spatulas conveniently located near the trailhead.  Carry it with you.  If your dog defecates on the trail, use the spatula to fling the offending fecal matter off the trail.  Nature will deal with it in due (doo?) course.  Finally, return the spatula to the bucket on your way out.  Could it be any simpler??  No-one wants to dispose of your dog's poop for you.  If it's your dog, it's your responsibility.  I hope this clears things up.  Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.  I feel better now.

As far as volunteer labor for this entry, the only thing accomplished was the construction of this blog entry; a dubious achievement at best.  We'll call it .5 hours.

Crispy Chicken

Gorgeous conditions prevail at the ski area, and thanks to Phil, they are now more delightful than ever.  Classic track is now set from top to bottom.  Lower loops got a touch-up and now the Hamlin Loop as well as the Chicken Creek Road to the turnaround are groomed.  Given the predicted lows in the single digits for the next two nights the chicken ought to stay crispy, crunchy, and finger-freezin' good.  Tom R also deserves a double helping of praise for his efforts yesterday to machine pack the upper terrain.

Volunteer labor since the last blog entry amounts to 10.75 hours; 8 hours worth of grooming and another 2.75 spent fetching gasoline, bookkeeping, blogging and coordinating the groomers.

Latest storm update

John G and David B got after it today and groomed the Little Bauer Loops as well as the Rush Creek Loop.  There are about 8 or 9 new inches of snow at the base and more up higher.  We're really lucky that storm turned colder as it got older.  And some very cold night-time temps in the offering.  So the skiing ought to be fantastic.  Most likely it will be a couple/few days before we can get Hamlin Loop opened up (groomed) as well as some classic track set.  Please bear with us.  We haven't seen a winter like this - that is, "wintery" - for a bunch of years.  We've got a little groomer fatigue setting in as well as a couple folk on the disabled list.  We should be closer to full strength crew in about a week or so.

Brad groomed early on in the storm cycle, Sunday.  Then John and David went after it today.  Total volunteer hours logged since last blog is 13.5 hours.