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Pico Mountain
Pico Mountain
Saturday, March 16, 2024
Submitted on March 17, 2024 by snowphoenix (131 Rating131)
Session SessionFull Day
Lift Ticket Ticket TypeDiscount from Third Party
Lift Lines Lift Lines0 minutes
Snow Trail Conditions99% open; Spring Snow, Variable Conditions
Glades GladesAll were open with good coverage overall but a few exposed obstacles. It was sometimes difficult to turn with the heavy snow. Sunset Woods was my favorite of the ones I did.
Moguls MogulsSkied the moguls on Exhibition, Upper Pike, Sunset 71, Summit Glades, Upper Giant Killer and Sidewinder. As with other ungroomed terrain, they were very firm to begin with but much softer and more fun in the afternoon.
Terrain Park Terrain Park(s)Features on Prospector and at the very bottom of Exhibition
Run of the Day Run of the DaySidewinder
Food and Beverage Food and BeverageDidn’t buy any food at the mountain, but I had a complimentary piece of Cabot cheese from an employee who was handing them out as I was leaving
Comments CommentsWhat started as a morning with difficult conditions and visibility turned into an awesome day of spring skiing at Pico! They received over 2 feet of snow last weekend and have retained it well thanks to their northern exposure, despite the warmer weather and rain over the last few days. The snow report showed 100% open, which was not entirely accurate as the headwall of A Slope and a few short crossovers near the summit were closed, but there was still more than enough terrain to explore.

The snow started out as a firm hardpack that was edgeable (more so on the groomed trails) but not exactly icy, making for loud and choppy skiing. The clouds hanging over the mountain gradually receded as the day went on, greatly improving the visibility while also making it warmer and turning the snow into fun, soft spring snow/wet packed powder. It did get a little sticky on the lower mountain, but I didn't mind. Base depths were still deep on many of the main routes although a few trails had avoidable bare spots, thin spots, rocks and/or snowcat ruts. The views from the summit were very nice once the clouds lifted.

Around midday I tried a run down Sidewinder, which had very nice snow and was particularly fun to ski, well worth the skate up That-a-Way. B Slope and Forty Niner were some other standout trails that come to mind. I honestly can’t think of any trails I took yesterday that I didn’t enjoy.

All lifts were running except the rope tow and the Outpost Double. I never waited more than a few chairs for a lift all day, apart from when the Golden Express had a wait of around 4 minutes just before it closed at 11:00 for a mechanical issue (it reopened after half an hour). There was youth racing on A Slope in the morning and on B Slope in the afternoon, as well as the Vertical Challenge race on Lower Pike.

It was a fantastic first visit to Pico and I thoroughly enjoyed exploring the assortment of wide open cruisers, bump runs, glades, and narrow winding runs through the forest that the mountain offers. Spring may have come on the early side this year, but there’s still good skiing to be had if you can be in the right place at the right time!
Link URLhttps://snowjournal.com/discussion/4257/pico-mountain-3-16-24/
Rating Report Rating4 Rating4

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