Checking in on the Lake

From the Haines House, it's a short snort up the driveway to where the Lower School House Road intersects Mosquito Lake Road. Take a right, and then another quarter mile down the road puts you just above Mosquito Lake- a quick five minute jaunt.

A good sized body of water that stretches a couple of miles in total length, Mosquito Lake features a series of sections and dogleg bends that make you feel like you are entering new, secluded sub lakes everytime you pass a new kink in the topography.

With the snow piling up, we used the lake to practice our powder skills. The flat, consequence free, open expanses were great for dialing in our new machines.

Sled skills remain the weakest part of our mountain repertoire, and every bit of practice helps and pays off in the big mountains where blowing a certain move can end up ruining your day.

The sleds are ultimately utilitarian devices. They are machines that take us through big mountains and over long distances with the end goal of a ski descent. They are intended as transport, not toys. But, sometimes, they can be fun in the own right- really fun. There's no denying that the "skill" sessions- carving endless weightless powder turns through four feet of 5% density snow- were one of the highlights of the fifty year storm.

The powder sled turn is a a pure carve. It requires precision balance and weighting of the machine, so it comes with the reward of challenge, but is iced by the cool buzz garnered from g-loads, weightless sensations, and face shots.

As we waited out the weather, it was not uncommon for us to say to each other, "I am just going to go down to lake and check up on it.. you know make sure everything is alright down there..." We were having a hard admitting it at first, but deep powder sledding on Mosquito Lake was a total blast.