May 17, 2008: With temperatures hitting the low 90s in Seattle this weekend, the masses flooded towards the water to escape the heat. But with the lifts still spinning at Alpental at the Summit, some of us opted for H2O of the frozen variety.

In one of their longest seasons ever, Alpental will continue weekend operations through Memorial Day. And with on-hill temps topping 70 degrees this Saturday, it felt more like the beach than the mountain. The snow was slushy and the bumps bumpy but with a little traversing it was possible to drop into some fresh corn in the steeps and jump a few holes created by the melting snow pack. Rock rides and tree jibs were plentiful and live music kept the patio moving through the day.

When the lifts got a bit busier in the afternoon, a few brave souls ditched their shirts and dropped into some of the quickest setting sunburns I’ve ever seen. Choosing to keep the t-shirts on, our crew of four sessioned a fast developing hit run amongst snow skaters on the cat track then made like Andy Hetzel and ripped the bumps below.

A fine day at Alpental Beach.