Powder

The only thing comparable to opening your hotel room door and finding your rental car buried in a few feet of snow, is a quadruple shot of espresso. Overnight, 36 inches had fallen on Sierra-at-Tahoe, and the trench that was supposed to host the third and final Vans Triple Crown of Snowboarding halfpipe competition was hardly visible.

A few groomers were attempting to clear the fresh from the pipe, but within a few hours, the decision was made to delay the event until Monday morning. What was I to do!?

"After what seemed like an eternity, we slid off the chair and found ourselves in the trees, wiping snow from our goggles with every turn..."

Within minutes, Brian, fellow freshies fiend, and I were on the lift, eating blueberry bagels and picking our first lines of the day. Okay, I'll admit it, we were giddy — the place was all ours. Most of the public was still on the side of the treacherous roads, pulling on their chains in the whiteout conditions. If we looked down from the chair really hard, we could see ski patrol's tracks on the runs below the lift. But we could see little else.

	Soft Landings

After what seemed like an eternity, we slid off the chair and found ourselves in the trees, wiping snow from our goggles with every turn. Any other lucky soul who was out there was giggling right along with us.

Eventually, the lifts were packed with powderchasers and there was plenty-a-powder to be had. Everyone did their bestest, but there were still untracked trees as I made my final run of the day. That's tomorrow's assignment.

The snow had been falling since I awoke early in the morning and wasn't showing any sign of letting up. The highway back into town was being closed at 5pm, to allow for a good shoveling. As the city plows took care of business, skiers and boarders alike returned home for the evening. After a day of faceshots under a canopy of old-growth firs, I couldn't stop smiling — and I wasn't alone.

But the snow is supposed to stop on Monday, and the halfpipe will go off. Stay tuned.

— Lucas Kane, Thigh-deep for MountainZone.com