| I was tempted by Northstar because of the possibility that
the runs on the Backside would be open. On the web-site it claimed that
they would be opening shortly. They were not and the skiing was
restricted to the runs in the mail bowl.
After the trip to the mid mountain area on the Big Springs gondola, I took the Vista chair and the short run down Skid Trail and Lumberjack to warm up. The snow cover on the trails was fine with evidence of snow-making, but under the lift showed how little natural snow there actually was. |
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For most of the rest of the day, I skied a variety of runs
from the Comstock lift.
Firstly, another cruise down the almost deserted West Ridge, Luggi's and Cascades. Certainly no congestion at this time of the day.
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| Pictures taken on the next ride up Comstock show
how deserted the slopes were and how poor the coverage was away from the
main runs.
The backside area was closed off and the new Summit restaurant replacing the one burnt down at the end of the 1998/99 season not yet open for business. The views from the West Ridge were magnificent as the cloud in the distant valley started to burn off. This time I took the slightly steeper Ax Handle run. |
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For the next three runs, I took the slightly steeper Stump Alley and Springboard runs. Meanwhile, under the lift the ski patrol were being trained for the new season. |
| I stopped in mid morning for a cup of coffee (and to phone home), taking East Ridge with its wonderful view of the lake and the bumps on Powder Bowl to get down to the mid mountain area. |
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After a break, I took the direct route back to the
top, Vista and Comstock chairs.
The images from Vista chair show the half-pipe for snowboarders at the bottom of Main Street and the snow conditions beneath the lift and on the runs to the right of the lift. |
| I returned to the East Ridge to finish my
day.
Powder Bowl was in excellent condition with relatively large, but very soft and forgiving bumps. I tried the one other black run that was open, Dutchman, but had to pole so much to get there along the ridge that I went back to Powder Bowl for the last two runs. |
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Returning to the bottom all the way down Lumberjack,
Main Street and the Village
Run, the bears near the children's area was a reminder of
the family nature of Northstar.
All in all a good day, despite the backside being closed. |
| Lift | Vertical | Easy Runs | Intermediate Runs | Advanced Runs |
| Big Springs | 480 | |||
| Vista | 1173 | Skid Trail | Lumberjack | |
| Comstock | 1250 | West Ridge, Luggi's, Cascades | ||
| Comstock | 1250 | Cascades, Ax Handle, West Ridge | ||
| Comstock | 1250 | West Ridge, Cascades | Stump Alley | |
| Comstock | 1250 | West Ridge, Cascades | Springboard | |
| Comstock | 1250 | West Ridge, Cascades | Stump Alley | |
| Comstock | 1250 | Main Street | Lumberjack, Upper Main Street | East Ridge, Powder Bowl |
| Coffee break | ||||
| Arrow | 535 | |||
| Comstock | 1250 | Cascades | East Ridge, Powder Bowl | |
| Comstock | 1250 | Cascades | East Ridge, Dutchman | |
| Comstock | 1250 | Cascades | East Ridge, Powder Bowl | |
| Comstock | 1250 | Village Run, Main Street | Lumberjack, Flume, Grouse Alley | East Ridge, Powder Bowl |
| Total vertical | 14688 |
Last updated: 19/02/00
