Expert Terrain Only...

I had a great trip up to Crystal Mountain this week. The resort is just a few hours outside Seattle--the area itself is pretty remote, but the mountain is pretty big and I got a solid day of skiing in with my friend Krystal who lives just north of Seattle at the moment. We caught a super clear day with sunny, blue skies and decently warm weather.

We were feeling adventurous enough to try to make it to where the competition (North Face Masters of Snowboarding) was being held. We were given directions to go to the top of one of the highest lifts at the resort, where we could catch a traverse across a huge bowl, then drop over a ridge to the base of the spectator venue. On the left is the peak they were dropping down...probably one of the scariest pieces of terrain I've ever seen.

On the right, you can see the bowl we had to traverse to get over to the competition. Let's just say it was one of the most challenging runs I've ever done in my life. We stood at the top of the lift for 15 minutes debating whether or not we should download on the lift or go ahead and try to make the ridiculous journey down and across the bowl. Needless to say, we went for it. Krystal almost made it but bailed when she slipped off the traverse path on her snowboard. I managed to keep my ski tips on safe ground and proudly dropped into the spectator area for a much-needed breather.

Regardless of the journey across the bowl, the view from the top of the lift was simply spectacular. We had a crystal clear shot of Mt. Ranier not far in the distance, and that sight alone made the whole thing worth it.

Overall, it was a fantastic couple of days to catch up with a few old friends, ski a new resort, and complete another successful event for Sierra Nevada. I've got this weekend OFF so of course I'm headed up to Tahoe with friends...making the most of the snow this winter season.