Holding Pattern

Tonight finds me a little mind numbed, it could be the aftermath of the light baking that befell me during last night's shift (My Monday)

It was almost 40°F when I arrived at work. On the bright side, we're reporting nearly four feet of new snow for the storm total! I had been looking forward to a shift on the Ol' Hero Snow, but even the prodigious amount of snow from the third and final system of the train, couldn't absorb Friday's drenching by 11+ hours of rain. The piste was a cranky combination of good news and lumpy mashed potatoes...without the gravy to sweeten the pot.

The bounty of snow did wonderful things for us, another peak opened, and all those ponds, puddles and sinks are now buried bad memories. We ran three winchcat shifts, triple the pre-storm level. We would have done more winching save for some electrical gremlins that shut down the graveyard winch pilot after one new trail was opened.

My favorite old BR350 spilled it's guts three hours in, too...a blown tiller motor seal consumed most of my hydrostatic fluid, which I noticed as I made a three-point turn preparing to open another new trail...good thing too. I caught it just in the nick of time to successfully limp her back to the shop without running the pumps and motors dry.

My back-up cat had stereo issues...my final six hours were a tuneless, podcast-less drone, playing catch-up. The cavalry came at dawn and we knocked out the work orders by two minutes past opening time...acceptable given that it was mid-week...

The piste will dry while we wait for our old nemesis, the Blocking High to move away again...

I sought solace in some of my other passions...curiously bicycle racing isn't flicking my switch just yet...and I'm still numb from the 49ers' brutal loss in the NFC Championship Game.

However, baseball is on the near horizon! The San Francisco Giants came to terms with their ace, Tim Lincecum Tuesday. Pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in three weeks.

Meanwhile, in San Francisco, the America's Cup Regatta leaped another hurdle.

Motorsports kicks off it's 2012 Season this weekend in Daytona! The 50th Rolex 24 at Daytona Sports Car Endurance Race should be great.

The guy I'm trusting this season with his forecasts says Winter will come back about Daytona 500 time...Mid-February

First estimates say the Modern Warm Period is about to end. Our Sun is still loafing.

Formula One is just 51 days from it's first race of the season in Australia...the wait will be interesting...

Keepin' On Keeping On...

Whatta  surprise! Snowmaking last night fired up three hours earlier than Tuesday night...so much for the accuracy of the remote sensors... All that snowmaking was blowing snow on trails we want to re-open, or open for the first time this season, so I felt like I was s*!^#ing in tall cotton!

I was grinding around with my window open...I did all the ramps that swing shift didn't get to, buried some more trouble spots on the bunny hills, and finally started making my long passes about the time my shirtsleeve thermometer told me that it was warming up...damn inversion was creeping up the slopes to make more mischief...

I hailed Jeweler on the 2-way: "Is it getting warmer?" I queried. "It is" Jeweler replied. Jeweler said they were shutting down...best to not make rain...I made a pass to the top of the mountain...for snowmobile pilots from Vehicle Maintenance who needed to retrieve a downed snowmobile in the AM.

I made another long pass from the Work Orders...and ran out of fuel. WTF?

I fueled up Wednesday morning after my shift, and nobody else ran the cat before I got in it at the beginning of my shift. No Idiot Lights, No alarms, No Go...No restart either. I hailed Jeweler on the 2-way again...no answer. I phoned him and asked "Are you still here? "Nope, I'm on the road" I pleaded my case...Jeweler said he'd come get me after he dropped off on of his crew. He was all of two miles from My Mountain, and would be less than three miles away when he dropped of his guy. He said he'd give me a ring when he was close.

The symptoms were those of a fuel delivery failure. I grabbed my flashlight and started looking for a broken wire or disconnected wiring harness. I haven't learned where the fuel shutoff relay or solenoid live on the BR350s...it's never been an issue like it was with the BR275s. I didn't find anything. My phone rang...

Jeweler was almost back to the shop and asked what I wanted to be rescued in. I asked him to bring a snowcat. Ten minutes later Jeweler phoned again: "I fired up the older Bison, and it made horrible noises...like rod knock noises...listen...I couldn't hear anything over the phone. I said: "Why don't you bring Driller's cat...it's only been parked for an hour and a half"..."OK" Jeweler replied.

Driller's CenterX Bison picked me up a half hour later..."You jump in the other seat and give me a driving lesson on our way down the hill" I suggested to Jeweler. I haven't run a CenterX yet...Jeweler gave me the lowdown, and the machine was leaving corduroy like butter...or buttah, I should say.

Nice machine in many ways, but all the important stuff is behind the operator...that would be the 2-way, the window latches, and the iPod dock. I finished the shift, fueled up, filed my report and talked to the mechanics about my tractor...all before punching out at 0830.

Looking forward to getting back in my own BR350 tonight, though.

That Christmas Eve Thing

It's 3PM...I've been in bed for half an hour...I'm not sleepy...I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve! My alarm is set for 9:30PM...it's my first worknight of the 2011-2012 Season! I'm sipping on a stiff eggnog, listening to some talk radio. Hopefully naptime catches up with me soon.

I just got off the phone with my Boss...things sound pretty good on My Mountain, and he says my favorite BR350 is running like a Ferarri. Furthermore, when I asked he said: "Every snowcat on the hill is in fine fettle...even the 2-Ways are all installed and transmitting".

So, this turn of events is thanks to a favorable week of snowmaking conditions, and yeoman's work from our snowmakers. It's gonna be nice seeing first hand how things look...I'm beyond bored with telepresence!

Oh, webcams, PWSs, and Remote Sensors are modern miracles of the Information Age, but when you boil it down to basics, they're just an electronic fishbowl view, akin to the Chamber of Commerce-style weather forecasts that make the forecasters and their TV weatherman customers happy at the expense of the resorts, their customers, their hard working crews, and the bean counters. There's an awful lot of beans to count when you're blowing snow around the clock and Mother Nature's not chippin' in!

Looking at the AFDs and forecasts, I don't see any change to the entrenched blocking pattern in the Eastern Pacific for another week, maybe two, maybe I don't want to think about it at all for a while...

Tonight I'm just looking forward to strapping on my groomer, looking at the Work Orders, and reacquainting myself with Grooming 101, and our snowmakers' finest!

Cheeseburger Time

Sunday mornings are my Friday Nights. After our most excellent Saturday Graveyard Shift, my week ended on a high note. I had enough time in hand to spend a few minutes on top of my mountain with all my lights off watching the first colors of  dawn paint my world as Venus changed from Mars red to Venus white.

We wrapped up the mountain and base areas by 8AM and we finished the shift helping Park Guy wrap up his list. We were back at the fuel dock by 8:30AM, and punched out by 9:00

A glorious morning made me savor my drive home...blue sky, cobalt blue lakes, velvet mountain forests is the sunshine, clean, cold air...every time I have a morning like this, I thank my lucky stars that life lead me here.

In Full Savor Mode, I postponed a grocery store stop and headed home to the DaveCave, where my DVR was brimming with open wheel racing and the Spring Classic Paris/Roubaix bicycle race.

I parked the parts runner in the driveway, grabbed my stuff and headed down the stairs. As I took the first step, I heard it...the first cheeseburger bird call of spring. "Hell yes!" I shouted...

After watching the F1 Qualifying and the start of the Malaysian GP, then sleeping through the Giants/Cards Game, I woke up and finished viewing a great F1 race from Mayalasia. The IndyCar Race from Alabama's Barber Motorsports Park was quite a bit less engaging so I surfed the web and found this:

No, I'm not the Goofy Gus muggin' for his child here, but you can hear my point...

I don't think Springtime has officially arrived until I hear the Mountain Chickadee sing "Cheese-Bur-Ger" I love these little guys!

Saga In Search of a Soundtrack

Let's not do that again! Whatta night last night.

When we walked up the shop road at midnight, there was a yellow Bison parked with it's blade in the vehicle shop and Driller, the lead swing shift park builder was elbow-deep into a broken hydraulic hose replacement.

Up on the hill, our newest CenterX Bison was down with ECM trouble as well.

Not an auspicious beginning...fortunately the Work Orders were light on grooming and beefy on the digging side of things.

When it all shook out, we would be OK...a cat for everyone, the Graveyard Wrench would roll in before 0300, and we'd get to catch up on some overdue digging before Friday's forecast pummeling. Happily I roared off to do battle with our ever burgeoning snow pack.

My usual go-to podcast of "The Don Geronimo Show" has been on vacation this week, and I didn't fancy talk radio politics, so I cued up Steely Dan's "Everything Must Go" album.

My mission was to dig out our moving carpet beginner lift. These are delicate, slightly inclined "moving sidewalks" like you'd see in most airports, but without the escalator-style moving handrails. Ours is about 200 feet long with a rise of maybe 15 feet. It stands on an earth berm about eight feet tall, atop leveling jacks that are another three feet high.

Five or six weeks ago, I was pushing snow across the bunny hill to hide the carpet's underpinnings and bury the top of the berm...last night I needed to remove the new snowpack. The carpet was now in a trench 5-6 feet deep!

As I began to backblade the pack away from the carpet, my 2-way crackled...It was the first guy out after me. "Dave, do you want some help on the bunny hill?" "No thanks", I replied. "Why don't you start with your usual program, 1st two secondaries only tonight". "OK" He came back as he roared by.

I turned Steely Dan back up, and went about exposing the moving sidewalk. I cleared the north side down to just under, and made a few passes to windrow away the spoils from the carpet. When the album ended, I started it from the beginning again.

About a third of the way up the other side, the 2-way crackled again: "Dave, my tiller's broken, I can't lift it, and the stinger mount welds are broken" "Pack up your stuff, and I'll come and get ya" I radioed back. We were barely an hour and a half into our shift.

I roared up the hill and surveyed the broken Bison. I ferried the operator back to the shop, and asked him to stay...he could help the graveyard wrench get the crippled cat off the hill, and help fix it...The 2-way came to life...one of the winch pilots just blew a hose, and couldn't lift his tiller, but wasn't stuck. He was right at his pick, and could drive it back to the shop.

I radioed Driller, and asked if he had another hose fix in him tonight. "Sure" said Driller.

I dropped the operator off at the shop, thanked him for his perseverance, and he and Driller got ready for the disabled winch. I went back to my moving sidewalk project, and switched my tunes to Jane's Addiction...time to power forward!

Digger called again...they were out of the hydraulic fittings he needed to make the new hose for the winch...I was starting to feel that Bunker Mentality coming on...

At 0300, there was no sign of Graveyard Wrench...that's when someone on the radio said: "Yesterday was his birthday" Digger chimed in: "Jesus, St Patrick's Day birthday?" Digger continued: "I'm in the shop, and this week's schedule has him off tonight" "We'll try to get the Shop Cat started if we can find the blade for it...it's got the forklift mounted up front now..."

Just about the time I finished my second Jane's Addiction album, and cleaning up the bunny hill, Driller called and said they were ready to jumpstart the shop cat.

I rumbled in, parked next to the shop cat and waited while the boys hooked everything up. I unplugged my iPod, turned off the 2-way, and shut down the stereo...I didn't want to tempt The Fates! I scrolled through my display and stopped on the volt meter page. My cat usually runs 28V-28.5V. With the jumper cables hooked to the shop cat, the voltage dropped to 27.2V.

I revved it up to the governor, Driller turned the key...nothing...not even a solenoid clicking...

I soldiered on...I topped up my fuel, and headed back to the bunny hill. I knocked out all the grooming that needed back-ups...dug out the top bunny chair terminal and tailored the ramp, dressed up the maze at the bottom of the bunny chair, and feathered the pack to the lodge decks and the ramps that land on the roads and parking lots.

I called Jeweler who was working farther up the mountain and quizzed him: "How's it going for you tonight? We laughed, and he said: "I know I'm behind, but we'll just go forward" I didn't want to pile on, but I entreated Jeweler to: "Take four feet out from in front of the Race Shack, two passes wide". "Don't make a project of it, just take a bladefull every time you go by" "10-4" Jeweler replied.

I moved up the hill and finished the secondary with the broken cat on it. My phone rang...

The Boss was almost laughing when he asked: "How's it going, Dave?" "Driller just called me and related your tale of woes" I said: "We'll be OK, it's a short list...as long as nothing else goes down...knock on wood"

We "got 'er done" and were back at the fuel dock in time for the lifts to turn at 8:45. The crew could finally sigh in relief. Truth is, we kicked it. We did the whole grooming list plus two short extra trails, and we got better than half of the digging done. Strong work for sure.

In the groomer's ready room I thanked the guys again. We agreed that someone should have recorded the 2-way all night...our night unfolded like a novel in search of a sound track.

Still Missing?

My saga continues...

Last night I had trouble with my pickup...It would not start to save my life! I finally got it to run, and got to work 90 minutes late.

My tractor was listed on the Ready Board as "Down: Erratic Throttle" I called the Park Groomers and asked if they could spare a tractor, and they obliged. Twenty minutes later I was suiting up in their BisonX.

The piste was cooperating...not quite Hero Snow, but close enough...climbing was good enough to allow us to knock out the list despite having a winchcat offline, and a tardy leader.

About 0730 I had a new problem. I lost the pin that anchors the stinger's lift ram to the tractor's frame. I couldn't lift the tiller, and the ram was hanging straight down, digging a little trench at the centerline.

I radioed the Vehicle Shop for help, and the Graveyard Wrench snowmobiled out to me and we got the ram up out of the snow and strapped to the stinger's frame. I limped the BisonX back to the shop for what was supposed to be a quick fix. I pulled up to the fuel dock, and two mechanics descended on the stinger problem as I put 55 gallons of diesel in the tank. That's when they noticed a pretty big hydraulic leak...that's cat number three on the night's "Down List"...

The head mechanic said: "Your cat is all warmed up, you can take it if you need to." "I couldn't get it to do the erratic throttle thing in an hour of trying"...

We talked about the glitch, he showed me a couple of things I could do to help diagnose the cause....should the throttle go wacky again tonight. Our first BR350 had the same problem last season. They never figured out what the cause was, and the problem went away never to return.

I roared off to finish my list...Ol' Faithful didn't even hiccup.

After I put the tractor to bed, I talked with the Head Mechanic about my pickup's starting problem. Head Mechanic is a wizard on his stuff, he asked: "Is it a 350 with throttle body injection?" "Yes", I replied. Head Mechanic advised:"They have a history of the Ignition Module and Pickup going bad"

He related a few tips on the job and said: "Good Luck" I stopped by the Auto Parts Shop on my way home and picked up my parts...I'm gonna get greasy fingers this weekend.

Holy Whiteout Batman!

Settle down, Boy Wonder, it's only Winter's encore...did you flick your BIC? Whatta tired cliché...today's Hipsters just hold up their Smartphones with the brightest screen they've got.

What a difference a day makes! The forecast got the snow and wind right, but muffed the timing. According to Reno's AFD, it started snowing twelve hours early. It was another good night before the ceiling dropped onto the deck, and the visibility went to pot.

It started innocently enough...gentle flurries...but still beneath the cloud deck, the seeing was excellent. Near Hero Snow reigned again, and though not lightning fast, grooming was fast enough.

Last night's List was back to reasonable, and aside from one equipment glitch, we enjoyed a Cakewalk in the end. My tractor's parking brake wouldn't release. The Prinoth/exBombardier E-Brakes are electric over hydraulic. It turns out the driver's door switch failed...It wouldn't allow the Safety Interlock to release the E-Brake, and the Dome light wouldn't come on when the door opened. My beautiful snowcat, ready to jump over the Moon...but I couldn't get her outta the barn...sigh...fortunately, the park groomers were on top of things, and I could run one of their cats, so I didn't have to run a winch for and hour or two and then get in snowcat #3 for my shift!

Instead, I ran the BisonX. It's a nice tractor, but it's not my fave old BR350...we dispatched the List, and were off the hill at 0815!

SturgeUrge and his girlfriend, the Doña of Aragon, were in town for Ski Week...I called them while I was warming up the pickup. I told them they'd best flee before the roads turned into parking lots. Westbound I-80 was moving at 10MPH when I crossed over it. I advised SturgeUrge and the Dutchess to demure, and go over the Summit on Old HWY 40...much better visibility, much less traffic.

Back at the DaveCave, I put the pickup in the garage, and cooked up some Hot Buttered Rum. I make my own Hot Buttered Rum Batter, from Emeril Legasse's recipe.

That wind is positively Arctic! Outside, the wind is howling, but it's cozy warm in the DaveCave's Inner Sanctum...thanks Emeril!  Bam!

I'm watching the early Trainwreck News on my DVR, and watching the LIVE coverage of the launch of NASA's STS-133 the Space Shuttle Discovery's last mission into space online...it doesn't launch until 1:50PM PST Spaceflight Now is my Go-To Manned Spaceflight Website...all the LIVE Intel you want...thanks Internet Age!

OK, this is gonna be a good trick...my eyelids are heavy....sleep beckons...I've set my alarm for T-Minus 5 minutes...Godspeed Discovery...in case I don't get up for launch!

Fooled Again?

Last night was funny. The snow surface was good (by which I mean it was near-hero snow). It was grooming out nicely, if a little bit slower than the nights before. There were spots that hid problematic climbing qualities, especially if one overlapped the previous pass too generously with too much down pressure...d'oh!

I was beginning to feel the time crunch, when at 0400 my phone rang. It was Jeweler (working further up the mountain). Jeweler was worried that he was behind...in the weeds...I told him I felt it too, ran down my concerns, and said I'd edit the List... we'd be fine by morning.

Part of the problem was perception...Wednesday night's Work Orders were penned by the Mountain Manager. Every groomable run was on the List! (Including two winchcat trails that we do so rarely that the grooming crew had long since settled on leaving them out of our internalized List!) One of these we've groomed once so far this season, the other not yet this season. At shift change, we had all groused about the "unrealistic" List, and agreed that the as yet ungroomed "trail" could go ungroomed forever...that's how little we think of it!

Back on the hill, I keyed the mic on my 2-way and announced that we'd omit a few secondary trails, and come back for them in the morning should time allow, I reminded the crew of the source of the night's list, and told them that I didn't want them hurrying....just steady as you go...the quality of our product has been Top Shelf all season, and now was no time to sully our reputation on a weekday!

We kept grinding it out...we streamlined our circuits, and left out some generous flourishes, and before long our night began to jell. I even pulled up to a good spot and called: "I'm going 10-7 for lunch. I'm up on X Run" It was 0530.

My power nap ended after 20 minutes when the 2-way crackled with my name and number.

Marketing was 10 minutes early with their morning call. This is when I tell them what, if any changes were made to the Work Orders. They use the Grooming Report generated from the updated list for the Daily Trail Map for our guests, and the Grooming Report is also faxed to all the radio and television stations for inclusion in their On Air Ski Reports.

I told them that we got everything on the list except those two winchcat trails we rarely do, and one more big winchcat secondary trail (that was skiing fine). With the rising sun beginning to color the eastern sky, the crew's spirits began to rise. Slowly the free cats joined up into one big pack. Then right at 0700, one winchcat finished his list and joined the pack...now 4 machines strong...easily covering a 60 foot swath on every pass. The lower mountain was finished in short order, the second winch operator finished his final project, and we went back up the hill for one final secondary.

Three of us knocked it out in less than a half an hour. The winches tidied up the walking paths, and we were back at the fuel dock well before the lifts began loading.

Another hat, another rabbit...

Back in the Ready Room everyone was upbeat. The Boss came in with a sixer of Newcastle Brown Ale saying: "This is the first six pack of a case that the Big Boss gave you guys to thank you for the great job you did keeping up with the big storm." I asked: "Did we get our 100 inches in 100 hours?" Better everyone chimed: "100 inches in 96 hours!"

The night ended well, we punched out and enjoyed a Newcastle. I read the Reno AFD and the Storm Report from the Ready Room's terminal. Good news and good snow ahead...it's gonna be a lot colder than that Newcastle, and there won't be any wind to speak of once the snow starts falling Thursday night.

Tasty!

Checkin' In

I'm between sleep shifts. Thursday night's shift looked to be a grinder from the outset...freezing rain made the highway treacherous, and the piste difficult. Call it "Candy Coated" with a cream-filled center...I called it diabolical...

Swing shift said the skies cleared around 9PM and the mountain set up shortly thereafter.

After negotiating the glacier that has transformed the shop road and parking lot, actually getting out onto the mountain was a relief, though slow going.

My crew shone brightly, and we made the best of the Sow's Ear we were dealt...we did everything on the Work Orders with some changes, and were off the hill before the lifts turned...Silk Purse! No small miracle given conditions!

When I woke up this afternoon, I did a little tech housecleaning...It's been just over a month since I got my new Naked DSL hooked up at the DaveCave...still no bill in the mail or in my inbox...I called AT&T twice before I actually spoke to a human...

As I suspected, my bill had been mailed to the DaveCave, where I don't receive mail service. Everything about setting up the DSL service has been screwed up from the get-go...After the first week of snafus, I had to cancel the whole shebang and start over! Now, with CS Agent Jason's help, I may finally have everything straightened out...I'll know when my bill arrives next week...

That's Better

Last night wasn't one for the Ages, but it was a pleasant surprise.

Things looked a little overwhelming on first glance at the Work Orders. Signs on the walk up from the parking lot to the Shop weren't encouraging...then a huge list, given the conditions. On the bright side, the fleet was hale and hardy, and Swing Shift was staying until 0200.

With the boys staying on the hill, I was reunited with my favorite BR350. She was parked on the side of the hill, away from the power pole that feeds the block and tank heaters of the cats. Plugging in these new Electronically Controlled Diesel Engines is really important...the heaters keep the coolant and hydraulic fluid warm and supple. The starter turns a warmed engine over easier, and the warmed oil moves a little easier as well. All this shortens the warm-up time...operating temps are reached in half the time, and the Cab Heaters blow warm air from the onset.

I had the guys go to my Bare Bones Plan, knowing we'd be losing an hour or so to the 0200 Shift Change that now included Cat Swaps. The Terrain Park Crew has been downsized too, so we had some trails to maintain for them added to our list. We even had to retrieve one cat from the far side of the Mountain before we could start grinding out some corduroy!

Fortunately, the piste was grooming out better than the perceived conditions would suggest. My guys realized before I let them know, that they could flesh-out their lists too. We weren't exactly flying Hero-Style, but the acres did add up, the fleet soldiered along without a hiccup, and the Sun rose on the Home Stretch with us right on schedule.

I was the last cat off the Mountain, and I pulled up to the Fuel Dock right at 0830. It felt good to be back in the old Cat...she fits me like a glove, and we're still simpatico.

Tonight should be an instant replay of last night...or better. The Max Temp was down 10F over the night before, but the humidity is up near fog levels, so we'll just have to see how things play out.

A look at the Reno Forecast show the rest of my week will be a carbon copy of tonight. My next Monday will feature snow...we may end the season with a week of Hero Snow!

Here's hoping!

Grinding One Out

Whew! That was one tough night! Warm temps vanquished the squeaky stuff, and the over the top Work Orders made our world impossible! The Race Department is finishing the season with a Big Bang! We've got races from one end to the other...all over the Mountain. Pro Jumps, Start Bumps, Winner's Circles, early chairs...the lists are endless!

Meanwhile, end of season staff cutbacks have clipped our wings even though we're attracting Mid-Season-Style Crowds! We've done better that 2000 skier visits all mid-week...bountiful snowfall coupled with California's near 20% Unemployment rate have filled our parking lots all week! Hero Snow is for skiers, not just Groomers!

Our front loaded Work Orders kept Swing Shift from doing all the details that they usually take care of...consequently, I nearly lost my hearing this morning with all the radio traffic advising me of all those details that needed my attention.

We did get it all done, and the whole crew was back at the fuel dock by 9AM. I found myself just a little annoyed when all was said and done...then I remembered that the end is just over two weeks away...salmon fishing, followed by Sierra Stream Trout Season, gardening at the Ancestral Digs...who could stay pissed off? Not me!

These are the times that try men's souls, goes the old saw...long, sunny afternoons, coupled with lurid, warm temps make it hard to obey the bedtime regime...and the nightly suffering is so easily forgotten given the wonderful weather...so the sleep-deprived nights become the diabolical norm...not a pretty picture even given the new Lunch Break Rules...wherein I get to catch a 30 minute paid nap when the old eyelids get heavy!

Longing for the squeaky Hero Snow while grinding along at a pace slower that a walk, it all becomes a penance...a strangely quasi-religious duty...owed...to be endured...never enjoyed.

This is the part of the season that we earn it...grinding out the acres one 16ft wide pass at a time...at a pace barely faster than a stroll...it's gonna be a long night...

I'm buoyed by the forecast...another bit of winter weather is on tap for next week! So far, I can count on one hand the bullet-proof nights spent grinding around my Mountain this season...clearly, Mother Nature loves me!

Knock wood!

Mac Arthur Park

No, it didn't rain last night, but the wind was rain on my parade, so to speak.

Still, near Hero status snow made for enjoyable grooming. The wind blew pillows of snow all over the trails I groomed, and these pillows weren't in their usual places. Trails with a North/South orientation were without pillows all together, while the East/West facing runs had drifts everywhere. These lead me into a sucker hole once or twice, where I had to lift my tiller to avoid auguring in...and to an extra downhill pass to clean up my mess.

I did more plowing that usual too...champagne-dry powder whipped by hurricane force winds makes for some huge drifts, and giant wind wells. I must have filled a dozen big tree wells last night. They kept reminding me of the Grand Canyon...

All in all, it was a quiet night. My old favorite BR350's windshield wipers failed, but the snow was dry enough that even with the wind, it didn't hit the window! We knocked out the Work Orders, save one winch project, re-winched two runs off the top, and spent our last half hour helping the Park Groomers get their list done!

Ski Resort Egg Salad Recipe

Take one or two bunny hills covered with Easter Egg Hunt treats

Add one SnowCat w/ Tiller

Mix and Explain...

This actually happened to me a decade or more ago...this may be the first year since that I haven't been reminded about it...

New and Improved this season...Two Easter Egg Hunts!

Happy Easter!

Encore!

Winter returned alright! While I was blowing my driveway before I left for work, it didn't snow a bit. When I pulled into the parking lot at work, there was about five inches on the ground. When I pulled out of the lot this morning, there was at least fifteen inches!

Pretty nice snow, and plenty of it...recipe for a tasty night's work. I was in no mood for hassles, so I ran the Pack. I broke trail and the rookies followed along behind. The snow was as deep as two feet almost everywhere because the Mountain only opened one lift Tuesday. The winds ranged from near 50MPH at the Base to 100+ MPH up top. Patrol's anemometer recorded a 130MPH gust in the afternoon!

Running the Pack was just the thing...it became a "Teachable Moment" in today's vernacular. As we rolled hither and yon, I narrated over the 2-way, coached the guys to make just a little more with each pass, and explained my deep, dry snow, berm position.

I've turned these guys into Perfectionists. When it's as deep and dry as last night, they've got to unlearn a few things in order to increase production. I told them: "Tonight, I'll tolerate 6X6 Berms" I explained that six inch high, six inch wide berms wouldn't be dangerous, wouldn't set up, and would let us get the Work Orders done. A lot of the list got groomed three times!

With the Mountain closed, Swing Shift came in early and did a lot of digging before grooming a bunch of trails. I ran the Pack until 0400, when I launched them to their own devices, so I could start detailing the ramps, roads and mazes, and dig out the lift terminals again. Visibility had been improving all night, so I didn't worry that the guys would get lost and make more work for us. With so much snow on hand, adjustments had to be made to our usual routine. Working alone now I did a few trails "backwards" to control the berms.

As the night wore on, the snow fell and got ever dryer, so dry that it could barely find the ground. Snow levels dropped as low as 2000ft. Everything flowed nicely, our only mechanical was a windshield wiper failure on my old favorite tractor...passenger side, so the operator was able to run with it fine. I got a nice "power nap" for Lunch Break, and when the Sun rose, I was well into the Snow Day routine.

Back at the shop by 0900, Jeweler, one of the guys worried that we didn't get enough done. I laughed and said we did fine...we did tons considering the two feet of fluff we had to work with.

Warming up the pickup, I thought about Jeweler worrying all morning...I'd better dole out some kudos tonight, and council a little more about the Big Picture! For me, last night wasn't ecstatic, but it was satisfying...you can get jaded in a hurry when Champagne Powder rules the roost in Springtime...I'd better not let it go to my head.

That's More Like It!

Practice makes perfect goes the old saw. The forecasters at the Reno NWS Office nailed the timing again last night. The latest wave of winter weather was leaving my corner of the High Sierra just as I left for work. Up on the Mountain, I was greeted by more than four inches of freshly fallen snow...without the gale-force winds of the night before.

The Swing Shift Crew were buzzing...all smiles at the return of Hero Snow! WooHoo! They really kicked it! There was some celebrating too...the Groomers scored a big victory with regards to the New Lunch Break Regime.

A near mutiny ensued after management began to comply with State Ordered Work Rules two weeks ago. Grudgingly, we all complied, and the nearly 20% loss of productivity was impossible to miss come morning, when the Marketing Department would call for the Grooming Report.

We bargained our way out of having to come off the Hill and punch out for the half hour, opting instead to enjoy lunch in our cats on the hill. There's several places on my Mountain where you're a fifteen minute trip from the shop. That can mean a half our round trip to the shop for that half hour lunch break. That's where the 20% went! Management relented and we began taking our lunch on the hill.

The Crew was happier now that compliance didn't seem so onerous, and the folks in HR refined our program upon further research into the actual Law...Now, we get paid for lunch when we take it in our cats! Problem solved...Trumpet Fanfare...Victory Dance! Productivity back up...it's a Textbook Win-Win Situation.

Rumbling off into the night, I cracked a new smile the first time I launched the Bison's tiller, and noticed that it was set for up pressure...not the down pressure that had been the rule since the last snow almost two weeks ago. Coming out of the trees at the top of the Bunny Lift, the beautiful waxing Moon spawned another smile on my old mug.

Speed was necessary the night before to master the wet piste, tonight speed was possible, and made for joyful grooming. With new snow beneath our tracks, the ride improves from a grind to something like flying or floating...CD's stop skipping in the stereos and the operators don't take as much of a beating. You don't feel as tired after a fresh snow shift...physically anyway...

Visibility was optimal all night, with the Moon looking spectacular setting behind our Westernmost Peak. We added a couple of extras above and beyond the Work Orders, and still wrapped it up early.

Back at the Fuel Dock, the Graveyard Crew was buzzing like the Swing Shift had at the end of their shift. To a man, each uttered the word: "Lovely" We all went home happy, and our guests would be happy too...sliding down acres of beautiful fresh corduroy, or hunting fresh untracked powder on a sparkling fresh Bluebird Day.

How often do you experience joy on the job? I love what I do, but it's a rare night when joy is on the menu. Last night most of the crew found joy, rare, beautiful and restorative. Springtime at it's very, very best...stay tuned, there's a "pattern change" coming Monday. They're teasing it with the phrase: "Kick the Storm Door Open" On tonight's 10 O'clock news, the WeatherDude said: Several feet of snow for the Sierras next week!

Oh Joy!

Lion or Lamb?

Wednesday's Play by Play

Snow it did! new Tiller Food everywhere! How sweet it was...prayers answered and all...

The weatherman had this one timed to the minute going in it seemed. Pellet-style snow was just starting to fall when I left the DaveCave for work. Light snow fell all the way to work, and up top the forecast winds started to ramp up during Shift Change. By the time I was settled into the Bison's throne, the wind was blowing like stink.

Conditions were difficult right out of the box. Even though the afternoon temps were 5F cooler than they'd been running all week, the piste was wet, wet, wet with a thin skin of new snow laying on top. We had to go as fast as we dared to keep the wet stuff from streaking and balling up. One touch of the blade to the pack, and you were looking for somewhere to hide the resultant glob...there was no feathering a blade-full until the temps dropped and the new snow started accumulating.

It wasn't snowing hard, but it was really starting to blow, making for tough going. We were joined by our newest team member Jake, an experienced winch pilot who's just learning our Mountain. He had a short To-Do list but the visibility wasn't helping any. I kept in radio contact, and offered to guide him to each successive trail as a precautionary strategy...no sense making extra work for ourselves. My regulars were getting lost an hour in...thankfully they weren't trailing a long invisible steel cable!

The forecast said the system would be short and sweet, and come through fast and furious. I dispatched everyone to their "Home Turf" where they'd be most comfortable (and most likely stay out of trouble) I went to my usual haunts as well...right in the Mid-Mountain WiFi cloud. I wanted to know when it would be over, so we could greet the morning with our best foot forward.

Having the internet in the palm of your hand, behind the sticks of a SnowCat is really something. I pulled up at the bottom of the incredibly wide, featureless home run trail I was working on and fired up the Radar Map from WeatherUnderground. What a beautiful picture! Vivid blues, greens and purples scudding right over us. I grabbed the mike and told the Guys: "It looks like this thing is more than half way over" "It should be clearing up by 4:00, 4:30" I opined. The pack was starting to get dry enough to put the blade into, but tight turn-arounds were bringing the goo up into blade territory, so I went with the Long Lines to keep turn ruts to a minimum.

An hour later, I checked the Radar again. I radioed "The trailing edge is east of Reno now, so this should be breaking up anytime now" I was transfixed by the images in my hand, I launched Tweetdeck and checked on Chain Controls, Weather Advisories, and the Local News. Chain Control was all the way down at Nyack to the west and down to Truckee in the east. I composed and sent my first message from the seat of my SnowCat on the iPod...I stepped into the 21st Century...with both thumbs.

I looked up and saw three hundred yards up the trail, and three hundred feet in elevation up the Mountain. I saw the vestiges of several wandering passes I'd just made, and decided to go to Plan B...I went up the mountain to find more confined spaces (read Landmark-Heavy trails) I'll come back down when things really clear up...before I even made 100 yards, the ceiling dropped down again, and the snow and wind kicked in again...big time. The Moon was up now, so at least I could navigate with my lights off, but the wind wasn't done yet.

Around 0430 I took my Lunch Break back in the WiFi Cloud. The Radar didn't show a single return, yet it was still snowing and blowing like crazy! My Twitter Feeds showed Chain Control had moved way up the hill to the west, and moved downhill in the east. This thing was nearly over, but didn't seem to know it yet! We chatted about it on the radio, and when I finished lunch, I lead Jake to the other side of the Mountain for his last two projects of the night.

Mercifully, the cloud deck rose off the piste just before sunrise as the winds subsided, making for a pleasant Home Stretch. We did everything the Work Orders asked for, the fleet performed flawlessly, and there was even some Sun breaking through the clouds when we pulled up to the Fuel Dock!

Evening Update

There's another little snowstorm working it's way across the State tonight. Chain Control has moved 1000ft up I-80 since I started this blog entry, and the Reno AFD says the bulk of it will be over by midnight's Shift Change. The wind will remain gusty into Friday afternoon, giving way to a nice sunny weekend.

It looks like winter weather will rule the day for the last three days of March...out like a Lion! Sweet!

My Night In Hell

After my most enjoyable Friday night shift, I didn't in my wildest dreams believe Saturday Night would be the Polar Opposite.

Whatever did I do to deserve a night like last night? Karma Chameleon? Karma Godzilla is more like it!

I pulled into the parking lot at the usual time, and was greeted with a warm west wind as I walked up to the Shop. Swing shift had a decent night...no major troubles...their half of the Work Orders was finished without undo drama.

Shift change flew by and I was back in my favorite BR350, and heading into the night, with time to spare, with welcome anticipation of another good night, pumping me up.

Gone was the Groomer-Friendly "Raised Glaze Piste" of Friday's fun shift...in it's place, remorseless Boilerplate...my progress seemed interminably slow...so it was for everyone else, too.

A couple hours in, my attention was zeroing in on a pain in my knee that I woke up with Friday...only now it was starting to really dominate my world. This is the leg I so enjoyed swinging out the door of my cat Saturday morning on my Lunch Break, while viewing my crew from on high as the rising sun painted the sky overhead. Now, my hip joint was joining the chorus of discomfort, too.

The Boilerplate wasn't helping...I couldn't find a comfortable position in the New Recaro Throne...I took all my breaks in two hours...nothing was helping, and our progress was glacially slow.

I stopped twice as often as usual...I tried to "walk it off"...to no avail. In the end I just" toughed it out" Time morphed into Salvador Dali painting

Mercifully, nothing blew up in our faces, and we were off the Hill early. Thank God I've got a three day weekend to rest and recover!

Rather than worry my Mom, I've decided to stay in Truckee for the weekend...more tech housekeeping to do...not to mention real housekeeping!

Livin' It

Last night's Lunch Break was One For The Ages!

East Winds combined with High Overcast to answer my prayers...I could have been my imagination, but the piste seemed drier,and more cooperative last night. It brought out the risk taker in me...a little.

The Work Orders were circumspect not ambitious for a change. The Boss was in covering for our young winch pilot who's taking a few days off to celebrate his birthday by kayaking the remote Middle Fork of the Feather River with some kayaking friends...miles of Class 5 whitewater...no motels or campgrounds...pure primitive fun.

Swing Shift had no problems and set us up nicely. Actually one problem came up. The Bison I've been driving these past few weeks started acting up...wild, unpredictable gyrations when backing up. Not good for yours truly, who spends the first hour of every shift backing up around expensive ski lift machinery and architecture! Handing off to one of the guys, I jumped back in my favorite BR350 and got organized. After some radio chatter with the guys about the song "Reunited", I rumbled into the Night.

A hundred feet into my night, I noticed a difference in the piste...it had a sort of Raised Glaze on it...all the ski tracks seemed raised somehow, and scraped off easily enough, without releasing any of the wet stuff lurking beneath. Just enough to feed the tiller so some more ground speed could be made compared to the last few nights.

With a full crew for the weekend, things moved right along, and I realized we could do more than the Work Orders asked for. Everything that hadn't been groomed since the last storm looked like hell, and the Mountain had a full slate of Early Race Training, Races and Events. Coupled with a nice forecast, and judging by the Eastbound Traffic on I-80 Friday night, I knew we'd have a good crowd. I wanted them to have the most good terrain we could offer, so they'd come up next weekend too.

I kept reminding the guys where to save a minute here and a minute there, and told the Boss "I could do this trail and that trail so he could winch these extras..." I pushed, albeit gently all night. I planned just right, the fleet held together, and I took my Lunch Break atop the Mountain's Westernmost Peak.

Perched atop the precipice, facing the East, I watched the rising Sun paint the skies over My Mountain, while I could see all four of my Stereophonic Compadres slowly laying down their corduroy far below. It was my "Around The World In 80 Days" view...I pulled out my digicam and snapped a few pix. I had the door open and I was swinging my leg out over the tracks to wake it up a little...It was a wonderful few minutes taking in the vistas...knowing I'd nailed my plan for the night.

In the end, we totally kicked it. All my guys were off the hill in time for an 8:30 opening save for the Boss who winched above the Terrain Park until 8:45 (benefiting from the cover of the park groomers who push it reliably every night to seconds before 9AM!) My Evil Plan worked again!

The Vernal Equinox came and went before I hit the sack. One more shift and it's my three day weekend. The Bison's problem was diagnosed before I'd finished filing my After Action Report. Should be another good night tonight, too.

Spring In Da Hood

It was Springtime all night long on My Mountain. High cloud cover acted like a lid on a saucepan, and kept the temps up enough that the piste never attained porcelain status.

My worst problem was keeping the old eyes open...springtime brings more distractions and more trouble getting enough sleep...and I forgot my Kitchen Timer, too!

One rookie didn't show up, my telephone entreaties went to Voicemail, but things worked out fine...Work Orders 100% completed!

My trusty BR350 was adorned with and old Flex Tiller from a BR275, but it wasn't equipped with Cookie Catchers...still the wet spring-like snow behaved and didn't berm up.

Ground speed was way down, inducing the dreaded Highway Hypnosis...man, I couldn't buy a break!

Looking at the sensor data, tonight's gonna be full-on Springtime Grooming...the Swing Guys dealing with slop, and after midnight...bulletproof on grave. Gonna be a slower grind tonight. The afternoon highs were up 5F from yesterday, and the cloud cover is gone...forecast lows are in the teens and 20's

Tonight I'll be earning it...there may be a little Backdoor flurry or two coming through tomorrow afternoon, but the Reno NWS Guys didn't have much confidence in it.

I however, am confident that work will be work tonight...earning it for sure.

Perfect

Pretty much perfect...what a lovely night we had!

Only the finest ingredients:
One foot of Hero Snow
One clear, star-filled Winter Sky

Hold the Wind
No breakdowns

When I pulled up to the fuel dock at the end of our shift, I noticed that I was feeling nothing but joy.
I yelled to the guys: "That's what I'm talkin' about"! Everyone enjoyed last night...nothin' but net, as they say.

The Hero Snow wasn't 100%...climbing wasn't as easy as flying upslope, full stick, but climbing was OK. Good enough. Visibility was awesome, half a Waning Moon illuminated the Mountain in magical light. Even the Mountain's WiFi Cloud pitched in...all the hotspots were working great, so I could stream my favorite morning talk show while grooming the Lower Mountain and Lodges!

Axeman pulled a double for us in his Sherpa Winch, taking one for the team, he hit the fuel dock just before 0600...my radioed thanks seemed inadequate, knowing he stayed an extra six hours on his Monday! With Axeman winching up a storm, we knocked out the Work Orders and threw in some major extra trails, before helping the Park Groomers finish up their projects...and we were off the mountain at 8:30!

Walking down the shop road to drive home, I didn't even wear my jacket! Instead I was wearing a Carhartt long sleeve shirt, sunglasses and a big ol' smile.

Dare I say it? I was feeling smug once again! The forecast is for another blast Friday night and into the weekend. Judging by the happy crowd arriving as I headed home, nothing but good can come with more new snow!

Suffering For My Art

Well, Craft...

I paid the price last night, alright! One hour of Nap Time does not a full night's sleep make. (Sometimes I think I'll never learn)

So here's how it all shook out...

As I trudged up the Shop Road I heard my guys exclaim: "Dave's here!" Strange I thought, I'm supposed to be here... as it turns out, the Boss gave me the night off...and forgot to let me know!

Cool I thought...my suffering will be at the DaveCave, fighting to stay awake while working on my music collection project! Swing Shift was still on the Mountain, so the Graveyard Crew chewed the fat while waiting...looking at the Situation Board, I noticed two of our cats were already down.

Swing Shift started arriving at the Fuel Dock, and they trickled in...every one of them looking crestfallen and stressed...Not Good...

As they spun their tales of woe, I reconsidered my plan to take the night off. My cat was on the Board as down, and I quizzed the operator who downed it. Same tiller electrical problem that's been plaguing her for the past two weeks.

The other cat on the Board had a life-threatening hydraulic leak at the stinger, and the Graveyard Mechanic was enjoying his weekend...so my fate was seemingly sealed...

OK, Spring wasn't false today, the Hero Snow had morphed into Swing Goo/Grave Porcelain...I had to stay...the Guys were starting way out in the weeds, I have the patience to keep ahead of the electrical gremlins with my tiller, and the crew needed me to edit the Work Orders into something realistic...and attainable. (Let me say here that my Boss is still in training...he means well, but there's no substitute for experience) The Work Orders were of the "Most Optimistic Ever" variety, and the Swing Guys let the Orders psych them a little too much...

I did a little mental inventory, and found a cat for everyone...provided I was in my BR350. I made a mental deal with myself...I'll run her long enough to get the Guys onto a positive plane, do all the leftover Special Projects, finish the Ramp Work, edit the Orders, and when I can't keep the eyes online...I'll call it a night...and the Sow's Ear will be as close to Silk Purse territory as possible.

So confident was I of my Plan, that I left my lunchbox and backpack in the Locker Room, and armed with my trusty iPod and MiniMag flashlight, rumbled off into the night. It took reality just twenty minutes to disabuse me of said Plan...and I returned to the Shop, fetched my stuff, refueled my steed, and got down to business.

The Psych had been in full effect apparently...more than an hour of details didn't get taken care of by swing...so I did 'em, and edited some more.

About an hour and a half in, my tiller quit. Less than five minutes of fiddling with the wiring, and she was good to go, and the problem was diagnosed a little more finely. It didn't even hiccup the rest of the night.

Now my real fight began...my eyes wanted to close so badly! I was almost delirious, and the hard snow wasn't helping...grinding along the Flats at Full Slow Ahead is the textbook definition of Highway Hypnosis...I was doomed...once the nodding off began in earnest, I pulled up and took a 15 minute cat nap. That did the trick...for about 30 minutes...then I handed off the Great Wide Open of the Flats and went to some North Facing Tree Trails for relief...not much there either...

About 0330, one of the BR275 utility cats gave up...auxiliary hydraulic leak...an hour later back-up cat number two goes down...coolant leak with overheating. More editing...

I caught a little relief when the pre-dawn color began to silhouette the trees, and we ended the show on time, and without further drama.

The edits of the Work Orders tallied out to about 25 percent of the list...just reality...I told the Boss to use the results to keep making the case for leasing our fleet to the Big Boss.

I had enough life left in me, that I did some grocery shopping on my way home. I got a full day's sleep today too!