There was quite a bit of conjecturing about where would one could go to find good snow to ski this past Sunday, February 2, at the Westside Safeway in Bend. The group of ten hemmed and hawed and cussed and discussed for more than a half hour before deciding to head up in three groups; one headed to Big Meadow via an off-trail route, one group of two going to Big Meadow and down Pete’s way, and another group of two going to Todd Lake. It turned out to be one of the nicer skis of the season. The weather changes from blue sky to snow showers and back were dazzling, and a very firm base with 2 inches of fresh snow meant that it was easy crust cruising. The Todd Lake group found an open slope on the southwest corner of the lake that was excellent for turns. The Pete’s Way group extended their ski out a lower drainage on untracked paths. The Big Meadow group took advantage of the firm crust, thinking “outside the blue diamonds”, and headed off trail seeking open terrain just for the fun of it! I guess you just never know when, or where, you’ll find that sparking, good snow.
Photos by Susan Sullivan
