Hello and Welcome to An Altitude Problem, where there is no time for writing, just enough time to post few pictures to help sustain any of my faithful few who might still be powder-starved. My friend and I spent the morning at Keystone, in the newly opened Windows. It was deep, after we had gone far enough in to lose everyone's tracks...but I found myself on a bit of a promontory, peering down at cliffs on three sides of me and hip-deep uphill above me when the powder rush subsided and I was able to think clearly again.

I thought this chute looked a little sketchy, hard to fit between the rock and the hard place, a.k.a. the tree trunk, at cliff- riding speeds, so I gambled on the other side, which turned out to be more open, but much more rocky.

So I committed to this side, took a deep breath and a picture, and plunged in...only to plow into a rock under the snow and come to an abrupt stop. Several more stops against buried rocks, and I took my board off and very carefully eased my way side-hill until I was off the rocks...by which time my riding partner was a bit hysterical and asking ski patrol about missing persons protocal.
It was a lot of fun. We buried ourselves several more times, got snow down our backs and snowpants, and came home exhausted and exhilerated from all the pouf and softies and freshies. What a wonderful day.