MARTE

So after that last optimisitc post, marte did not open. BUT IT DID OPEN TODAY.

There was a bit of a thing last night so most people in my place weren't up for the 9 am start. Headed out by myself and bump into Jose - the ex-ski patrol / guide who also had a feeling about marte opening.

Cue the waiting. Getting to the top of marte is a journey of three lifts, and patience. As Jose warned me : Be ready to be disappointed.

5 mins for the bottom poma to open. 30 mins for the next chairlift to open (winds already beginning to pick up). Then at least a 45 min wait at the bottom of marte- waiting for the ski patrol to give the go ahead. During this time a core group had formed - mostly gringos- and Jose gathered us together with a "who is here for the season? Now I tell you - be mean. People here get killed every year here and its because of the damn rookies skiing over our heads and causing avalanches. So you see someone - you yell at them, hit them, whatever. I almost hit someone last year who started skiing down ontop of my partner. We need to control it cause there is no one else to do it."

We got first chair :) The chair was open for approx 90 mins before it was shut down due to high winds, and in that time Jose and I managed to hit it twice.


First run - down a chute/coloir called mericioles that went on and on and on. Awesome views - non- stop, not particularly steep but long and long and endless sweeping turns in untracked snow. Dumps you out above the Volcano chair where a crowd of people had gathered, watching us ski it. :)

Second run - Jose 'knew this chute' and after carefully stepping over piles of rocks (my bases!) we enter it from the side and way steeper! Narrower - you actually had to ski it. Again so long. He let me go first this time and it was just awesome awesome fun. My sluff chasing me down 'don't stop' Jose had warned me - no where to exit until the bottom.

I had a good season at Revelstoke, worked on my skiing lots, but it did disappoint a little in these big lines with good snow. Good good day today!! Now must go buy Jose a beer :)