[NMCCSC] DBR for Sandia Crest

[Ron Beauchamp]

Here’s your Dirtbag Report for Tuesday, March 26 at Sandia Crest.
Day 40 on skis.
Temperature 22F, with cloudy skies and a brisk wind.
I drove up to the Crest today just after noon and found that the Crest Highway was mostly dry, until about a mile below the 10k trailhead, where it became snow packed to the Ellis Trailhead, where I parked.
I skied up the Switchback trail to the Kiwanis Road, and then as is my custom, I continued up to the Crest, with heavy snow/graupel falling, to the overlook just south of the La Luz trail. My view was clouds, wind and snow. So I headed back down to the Kiwanis Road  and continued south to Kiwanis cabin, where I had another view into the clouds, with gusty winds on the rim. I turned around and skittered back down from the cabin to the soft, friendly snow on the Kiwanis Road, which I followed back up to the Switchback trail, then skied back down the Switchback to Ellis. I found the skiing to be excellent. As others have noted, there are a couple of fallen trees on the Switchback, but they are easily skied over/through. After returning to the Ellis Trailhead, I visited with one of the only other skiers I saw (Scott Sunday), then headed south on the Klaus trail over to the tram, with very controllable snow conditions. I finally got a view over to the west side when I climbed to the rim at the tram. I returned to my car on the Service Road, which is imminently skiable. Throughout my little ski adventure I found 1-3” of new snow/graupel, with a rather sticky texture, making for very controllable descents. It was snowing hard when I left at 3:15, and the temperature remained at 22.
Those who can motivate to get to the Crest tomorrow morning will be rewarded with excellent conditions, especially for late March. 

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