Rabbit Ears – 12/26/17

We rode out of Dumont parking lot on rabbit ears today with 2 sleds and 2 snow bikes. When we arrived, the parking lot was not plowed yet but the frontend loader showed up shortly after we arrived.

From the parking lot, we headed north with the intent of going to the Tower on Buff Pass. When we departed it looked like the trail had been groomed within the last week or so but there were not trail markers out yet.  Although the trail was groomed recently, the new snow had blown in the trail so it was somewhat difficult to follow without the markers but still possible.

This storm seemed to have been very wind driven so a common theme throughout the day was 12” to 18” in the meadows then epic snow 48”+ deep in the trees. From the parking lot, the new snow was deep but it was clear there wasn’t much of a base. The base didn’t start to get deep enough to trust until we got through the “twisty’s” in the trail.

After this point we cut off trail and found great conditions. Meadow hoping and climbing what hills we could was a great time. Fuel consumption was high today with how deep the snow was, I burned about ½ tank in 30 miles.

We cut into the trees which was great riding in epically deep conditions but quickly found out it was difficult to stop and get started again, even in the flats. The snow had no bottom, so when we would start to get stuck, the sled would dig down 4 to 5 feet. The “pin & wiggle” proved ineffective today. After to many stucks to count, we decided to keep to the edges of the meadows near the trees as the snow was very deep, but not so deep we risked constantly getting stuck. At about this point, we decided to abandon heading to the tower and just ride where we were.

In summary – after this last storm, Rabbit Ears has good riding conditions. Still the occasional open blow holes, lakes were mostly frozen. I suggest staying North of the “twistys” and being careful in the trees until this new snow settles into more of a consistent base. Conditions are still thinner than the snowy’s but very much rideable. After this storm settles and another good storm rolls through, Rabbit Ears will be fully open.

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