Mont Orford - March 16, 2022
With the long range forecast anouncing warm, and wet weather for the next few days I made it out to Orford today before it gets messy. I arrived at the mountain for 8:15 and the parking lot was filling up fast. The temperature was mild already at just about freezing under partly cloudy skies. Booted up at the car, headed off to the Hybride for first runs until I saw a crowd already waiting. I turned my attention to the Alfred Desrochers Quad and headed that way. I made third chair up for first runs! I ended up making 3 laps here. The conditions were sweet with groomed loose granular over a firm base that was softening up quickly. Warm up run on the Toussiski over to the bottom of the Super then back up the new Quad for the Grande Allee.
The Toussiski and Grande Allee:
From here it was over to the Giroux North Quad for a run down the Magnum. I then headed over to the Giroux East Quad via the Passe Montagne trail which I have never skied before in all the years skiing at Orford! It's a nice easy way over to Giroux East. Coverage was great but by this time, around 10 it started to get soft kind of like mashed potatoes, spring skiing was in the air. The sun was poking in and out warming things up a bit.
The Magnum, the Passe Montagne, and a view up the Sherbrooke Trail:
The finish to the morning was a few more runs up the Giroux North Quad, on the Familiale, Magog, and the Pente Douce. A dozen runs made for a great morning of skiing. I skied a bit more aggressively today than usual being that the conditions were nice and soft. The skis were carving nicely into the spring snow. The line ups earlier on were pretty much non-existent. The Hybride was busy around 10:30 or so, and the Giroux North Quad was about 5 minutes. The singles line was a good choice. No waiting at the Giroux East Quad. Another great morning of skiing at Orford, and hoping for maybe one more before the end of the season...........weather permitting.
Here are a few more scenes from the day:
Here's a little leftover from years gone by. An old t-bar lift line that ends at the junction of the bottom pitch of the Magnum and the Passe Montagne:
