April 1, 2023

Mother Nature decided it was a great day to play a joke on everyone. She gave Big White Ski Resort a final day of awesome powder skiing.

It was no joke though. It was real, and it was really good. It may not have been a joke but laughs filled the mountains.

Barrman, Kaydee caught up with Cookster and Crispie on the third chair in the morning. And they rode the Ridge Rocket with powder turns in their sights. A blanket of fresh snow covered the ice and hardpacked conditions that had taken over with the recent spring temps. This morning it was winter again. And it was awesome.

Ski season 2022-2023 was coming to an end. But before it ended, the snow riders got to enjoy one more day of pow. Big Boarder showed up a few minutes late but got to ski the pow as well. Braffster was there as well. The website claimed ten centimetres of snow, but in some places, the wind had blown it to double that amount.

Barrman led the charge down Perfection with Cookster hot on his tail. Barrman had no idea his ski buddy was behind him, Cookster always takes Exhibition on the first run. This time Exhibition had five or six tracks in it so Barrman veered left and took the first line down Perfection. It was like floating on a vast pillow of butter. It was creamy and smooth. And he was carving the very first lines in untouched snow. 

Howls of powder joy filled the air as the group of snow riders traversed the mountain. Surprise was so creamy and fresh Barrman couldn’t stop howling in joy. He laughed when he got to the bottom and the people standing there cheered and celebrated with him. 

“Sounds like you enjoyed that run!” The young lady called out as Barrman slid into the loading area for the Powder Chair. On this morning The Powder Chair lived up to its name.

Barrman, Crispy, and Big Boarder set off on their own when Kaydee and Cookster tired out. Their injured knees played out, they had to ski back to the village.

But the three snow-riders kept going.

Barrman sat between the two snowboarders and smiled in pure powder joy. If this was the last powder day of the year it sure was a good one. 

And they felt like they had the hill to themselves. They covered the whole mountain. After the first tracks on the runs, they explored the trees. The Easter Chutes were skied out a bit more than expected but the LCM trees at the bottom were spectacular, deep and fresh lines through the trees led to a long ride out. Crispy kept slowing down but Barrman was there to help push her along. He teased her about being a slow-boarder, but it was all good fun.

The whole morning was such good fun.

They rode every big chair, from the Blackforest to The Bullet, The T-Bar, Cliff, Gem, and Falcon. They covered the mountain and explored the steepest terrain. 

April Fool’s Day? They were certainly a trio of snow-bound fools. Playing in the snow for one final time in what was Barrman’s best year ever.