A Tale of Two Snowballs

A Tale of Two Snowballs

On Saturday, the 23rd,  new snow fell on the Park Creek and Alturas Lake ski trails… but it was a tale of two snowballs. Park Creek’s groomin’ Yankeeforker reported his snow to be a perfect consistency for grooming and he was able lay down some fabulous classic tracks and skate lanes that should please the skiers there on Sunday. All the trails were groomed. At Alturas Lake, the snow was a sticky, wind blown mix. The grooming roller was flinging off big glommy snow cookies and the ginzu groomer was pushing fat piles of snow. Happily,  the combination ultimately produced a Trail to the Lake that looked flat and groovy. More grooming there on Sunday.

Wolf Moon Ski Trails

Wolf Moon Ski Trails

The ski trails at Park Creek and Alturas Lake were groomed on Friday with the last of the deep snow drifts from multiple storms expertly compacted and shaped into firm corduroyed skate lanes and crisp classic tracks. Skiing should be excellent, however a new storm, predicted to arrive with the full wolf moon on Saturday, could add fresh powder to the trails.

PLANETS ALIGN FOR GOOD GLIDE

PLANETS ALIGN FOR GOOD GLIDE

With five planets already visible above the Alturas lake ski area and more being discovered every day, cross country skiers are experiencing effortless kicks and increased glide on all trails. Turbulent gravitational waves bombarding skiers have also resulted in reported weight loss and overall feelings of euphoria. On Thursday all trails at Alturas Lake were groomed for skating and classic tracks were added to the Trail to the Lake, Over the Hill and South Loop. With more grooming scheduled for Friday, trails are highly recommended at this time.

Ski trails groomed on the Eve of St. Agnes

Ski trails groomed on the Eve of St. Agnes

On January 20th, the ski trails at Alturas Lake and Park Creek were roughly groomed with rolled passes through deep new snow. The trails were all skiable but no doubt a bit soft. At Park Creek, skiers should keep a watch for hazard tree removal on Lupine and Shooting Star. On Thursday, the 21st, additional passes of ginzu grooming are planned to further refine the corduroyed skate lanes and add classic tracks at both ski areas.

January 20th, was of course, the Eve of St. Agnes, the subject of John Keats’ most famous poem. Having visited Keats’ grave in Rome many years ago, old Davinius, returned home from grooming Alturas ski trails and took out his rosary and his dog eared copy of “The Eve of St. Agnes” to read its mysterious, beautiful verses on that starry cold night…

St. Agnes’ Eve — Ah, bitter chill it was!
The owl, for all his feathers, was a-cold;
The hare limp’d trembling through the frozen grass,
And silent was the flock in the wooly fold;
Numb were the Beadsman’s fingers, while he told
His rosary, and while his frosted breath,
Like pious incense from a censer old,
Seem’d taking flight for heaven, without a death,
Past the sweet Virgin’s picture, while his prayer he saith. [ll. 1-9]

Ski Trails Rolled at Alturas

Ski Trails Rolled at Alturas

On Monday, 10 to 12 inches of new and drifted snow covered ski trails at Alturas Lake. All trails except for North Cabin were compacted with two passes of the roller. After getting stuck several times where the trails seemed to disappear in deep drifts, that old grooming desperado, Davinius, decided to go home, warm his toes and maybe sip on a Tequila Sunrise in front of the fire. North Cabin, with its twisting curves and hilly terrain was postponed for grooming until Tuesday in hopes that the snow there would settle out a bit. As he covered the snowmobile and walked to his car, Davinius hummed a little tune…

Don’t your feet get cold in the winter time?
The sky won’t snow and the sun won’t shine
It’s hard to tell the night time from the day
You’re losin’ all your highs and lows
Ain’t it funny how the feeling goes away?