At the lower end of the South Mountain road, the group ate lunch and then began skiing up the road in about 18 inches of powder. Mary, Sybil, and Sam skied up only about one-half mile where skins would have been helpful and decided to turn around. Dave, Eric, and Carol continued up the road. Several of the photos and maps are by Eric.
On the return trip, everyone skied the tracks made by earlier skiers on the VC-02 Preserve road to the bunk house that was open and warmed by electric heat. From here the group skied down the road back to the visitor center. More snow is needed in the valles, but the deep powder on the north side of South Mountain will probably remain for some time. Sam Beard Saturday, Jan. 31, 2015Patrick Moore skied the Valles Caldera area. No grooming at all as of 4 PM Saturday, and the folks at the visitor center were unsure if they would try to groom a bit for the moonlight event tonight. There was a pretty good skier-made track on the road between the visitor center and the history grove area this morning, but unfortunately it got driven over by cars. I had a good time just making my own leisurely way across untracked meadow. The snow was heavy and wet, and not that deep, so the going was easy. It was warm and melting, but I think the meadow snow might still be OK on Sunday.
Patrick Moore
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