Damn True
02-18-2006, 09:50 PM
Woke up this morning at 5:30 in Boise, ID. Hopped in the rented Buick Rendesvous (nice little SUV) and drove about 115mi up to Tamarack Resort in Central Idaho.
It's a brand new resort, their lodge is still only 1/2 completed. But they have the hill pretty dang dialed. Every lift is a high-speed quad and it takes only 11.5min to make the trip from the 4900' base to the 7700' summit. The lifts are all brand new, not recycled from larger resorts as is common with many new resorts.
The snow conditions were not the greatest as they have not had any new snow in over a week. Luckily within that period the temps have been brutally cold (below zero most nights and under 30 during the days) I found no ice. But they have high-aspect capable groomers so they can make the most of it.
I got out of the car 30min before the lifts started turning and as I hopped on the third chair up the hill the temp was a balmy 15 below zero with no wind, and not a cloud in the sky (20 above at noon). So while on the lift with the sun on my dark jacket & pants it was pretty comfortable.
I skiied every blue, double-blue (new marking to me = steep groomed terrain), black and double-black on the hill and sampled a few OOB areas looking for some untracked powder. I managed to find a couple of stashes that hadn't been tracked up over the last week or so since the last snow.
Skiied from first lift (9:30am) until about 3:30pm (lifts close @4) and then made the drive back to Boise. I couldn't find a hotel in the Donnelly/McCall area due to the holiday weekend. I think I'll get up tomorow and do it again!:cool:
I'm marrying a wonderful and absurdly hot woman in a couple of months, I have a job that affords me the chance to do the things I love, and a once in a while I get a reminder that I'm still a pretty damn good skiier.
Damn my life is good.
It's a brand new resort, their lodge is still only 1/2 completed. But they have the hill pretty dang dialed. Every lift is a high-speed quad and it takes only 11.5min to make the trip from the 4900' base to the 7700' summit. The lifts are all brand new, not recycled from larger resorts as is common with many new resorts.
The snow conditions were not the greatest as they have not had any new snow in over a week. Luckily within that period the temps have been brutally cold (below zero most nights and under 30 during the days) I found no ice. But they have high-aspect capable groomers so they can make the most of it.
I got out of the car 30min before the lifts started turning and as I hopped on the third chair up the hill the temp was a balmy 15 below zero with no wind, and not a cloud in the sky (20 above at noon). So while on the lift with the sun on my dark jacket & pants it was pretty comfortable.
I skiied every blue, double-blue (new marking to me = steep groomed terrain), black and double-black on the hill and sampled a few OOB areas looking for some untracked powder. I managed to find a couple of stashes that hadn't been tracked up over the last week or so since the last snow.
Skiied from first lift (9:30am) until about 3:30pm (lifts close @4) and then made the drive back to Boise. I couldn't find a hotel in the Donnelly/McCall area due to the holiday weekend. I think I'll get up tomorow and do it again!:cool:
I'm marrying a wonderful and absurdly hot woman in a couple of months, I have a job that affords me the chance to do the things I love, and a once in a while I get a reminder that I'm still a pretty damn good skiier.
Damn my life is good.