The Sun was shining brightly this morning and there was a building breeze out of the South as the next storm cycle moves in over the next few days. Nicely prepared lines were on tap on all sides of the hill, with Mineral Basin offering the Sun, but after yesterday’s warm temps. White Diamonds was a tad crispy but had enough traction to make good turns. The West facing aspects were frozen solid and would take until 2PM to soften. There were some dry chalky treats in Peruvian Gulch which let you shave cold nap off the corduroy lines. Just perfection. With light traffic, back to back walk on Trams were going off and hot laps were easy to make.

Tomorrow, look for increasing clouds as the next system works it’s way into The Front. Expect very crispy lines where the Sun was working today, but the High North and shaded lines will still be holding the cold chalk. Traffic should be light again and the front side will be offering those top to bottom prepared lines that pay big dividends with no traffic and consistent quality. IBBY

As anticipated, it was a full on smooth cruzin’ day, with amazing prepared lines on all sides of the hill, warm temps, and bright Sun to light the dance floor for the day’s festivities. White Diamonds and lower Silver dipper were offering smooth firm lines that were easy to get an edge into, and The Baldy Chair offered ground pounding fun on the buffed lines that let you dial in the high angle turns.

The front side of the hill was offering those long steep drops that were prepped with care and offered full on back to back, top to bottom, non stop laps. That pace was easy with the walk on Trams and light traffic on the hill. Tomorrow, look for more nicely prepared lines, with the aspects that saw a lot of Sun today being crispy and difficult till softening occurs. Coverage remains excellent, and there are lots of lines that have potential so keep your eyes peeled for a far out line just waiting for you. Enjoy these nice warm days, as weather will be moving in later in the week so get your wide open ground pounding in before the vis goes South. Remain Standing.

With the High Pressure firmly ensconced over The Front, the temps warmed up quickly, working the pack where the Sun was pounding and getting it a tad damp. Great prepared lines were on tap on all sides of the hill, with Mineral Basin offering the bright Sun and buffed steep sections that let you uncork it and warp out. Those front side lines were still smokin’ buffed and, with walk on Trams, let you dial in back to back blasters all morning long.

Tomorrow looks like a carbon copy of today’s Sun drenched festivities. With all those aspects taking on a lot of the Sun’s energy, I expect some serious crispiness for the morning’s offerings, even those sections that get buffed. The North facing aspects still are holding the cold and the dry chalk, but expect those direct South and West aspects to be problematic. Traffic was quite light, so maximum vertical is on tap, with back to back laps good to go all day long. Look to Mineral for the Sun, and, perhaps, there may be some early softening back there. The Front side should still be holding tough. Enjoy these next couple of days, the storms are lined up. Don’t forget to SIZZLE!!

It was a beautiful morning with plenty of Funshine on the hill, great visibility and nicely prepared corduroy on all sides of the hill. Mineral Basin was offering some deluxe carpets that let you dial in your inner Ligety and really feel the carve in the snow.

The front of the hill was offering those big dialable lines that have been holding strong all week and really test your stamina for a top to bottom non stop Hullabaloo!! The Freeride Competition was being held on upper Silverfox, which was fun to watch the kids throw down on that well worked line. The bar just keeps getting higher every year. Tomorrow, look for more great industrial smoothing on all sides of the hill, which will offer that dry chalky consistency that makes each turn a delight. Traffic should be a tad lighter, but expect a push for the goods first thing. I’ll be looking for the sunshine in Mineral Basin to start. Great hot laps back there till it gets busy. Stay Frosty!!

Sun and clouds were all a mixed bag today, but visibility was good and the prepared lines were great for the early risers. That early morning untracked corduroy has been amazing and worth the effort. Big shout out to the Cat Crew for making such ultimate carpets of Ahhhhh for us every day. Temps were warmer, making it much more comfortable to ride the chairs.

Tomorrow, look for more great lines on all sides of the hill. The off trail is still offering a lot of smooth sections to find, so keep an eagle eye out for the possibilities. Snow quality is really excellent and has wonderful carving consistency. See you there for the morning explorations. Straight Ahead!!

It was a tale of two worlds today as there were flurries and clouds on the front of the hill, and if you went through the Tunnel, you emerged out into a beautiful blue bird day. Who would have thought, but it does happen sometimes and today was one of those days. Fresh Essence had fallen, though not with as much depth as predicted, but it sure was soft and fluffy. Those smooth lines I was looking for were right where I left them and were offering amazing turns top to bottom.

With the Sun in Mineral Basin, it drew the crowd and the front of the hill mellowed out, which offered those smooth prepared lines there without much clutter. Full platform engagement was the theme for today as the conditions are quite consistent.

Tomorrow, look for a nice day as the high pressure builds in. I expect a brisk morning, but temps should warm quickly. There will be some great freshly prepared lines in Mineral Basin with the Sun shining first thing, but the front of the hill will be offering great smoothly prepared lines as well, so don’t forget to move fast and stay out ahead of the crowd. Great conditions prevail wall to wall, with lots of fresh light powder pockets still to find. Syrup Won’t Stop ‘EM!!

With some overnight accumulation, continuing stormage all day long, and fairly light traffic made for a great day to play in the soft goodness. The old layer was still in play, however the new product cushioned the ride and made for some nice turning. The prepared lines were amazing and I took advantage of those for the first track advantage. Love that full platform engagement in each turn.

The storm continues as I write this and I expect some additional accumulation overnight. I’ll be looking for the smooth again, and just love those long steep lines with no one around. Conditions are great, the prepared lines are buffed and smooth, so find those dynamic arcs. Lay it over like Ligety!!!

There was some slight clearing today, but plenty of cloud cover on the hill that really made some descents a challenge to find reference by which to navigate. The Peruvian Gulch was offering Anderson’s Hill and lower Primrose Path machine worked to perfection, which was covered by a light dusting of overnight accumulation. The turning was amazing with full platform engagement with each turn. I had to slow down to extract as much goodness from each turn as I could. Rare top to bottom perfection. Out in Mineral Basin, the clearing was most evidenced, with some views down into the bowl that looked inviting, but I was working the front side carve fest all morning.

After lunch, the clearing began to expand, however, as I began to choose lines, the clouds lowered and I went looking for alternatives. I stuck with the smooth and the known lines for ease and a break on the vertigo I was fighting. Tomorrow, look for a storm day as there is a significant accumulation expected. Be sure to dress for weather and go with what you knew to be smooth to make the variations easier to navigate. Great cover continues, and more is on the way. See you there for the fresh installment. IBBY!!!

That same cloud formation persisted today and hung on the peak with very gnarly visibility issues. Visibility improved markedly as you descended off the upper section, but that cloud just hung there until I left. Once again, there were deluxe prepared lines, offering dry chalky perfection that demanded numerous repeats to extract as much goodness from the rarity as possible. Nothing like perfectly smooth dry buff. Like frosting a cake with a paper knife!!

Tomorrow, look for accumulation overnight, great prepared lines on the front of the hill, and some sweet lines in Mineral Basin, but I’ll be watching the visibility issue for the call. Fairly light traffic can be expected as it was walk on’s today. See you there for the morning’s explorations. Speed safely!!

The clouds were hanging low on the upper third of the hill this morning, making for a serious white out, with extremely difficult visibility. While there were some lines in Mineral Basin I was thinking about, I worked the Peruvian Gulch to get the best references from the trees. Freshly prepared lines had been worked, making Anderson’s Hill, and lower Primrose path the perfect velvet carpet ride on the lower mountain. The lower elevations were below the cloud deck, so visibility was much improved, but the upper third of the hill remained shrouded in the fog.

After Noon, the cloud deck began to move off, but the visibility remained variable. Tomorrow, look for more prepared lines to be offering deluxe velvet carpets, which will let you dial in full platform engagement with every turn. After that long stretch of hard pack, it is a real treat to be able to trust a turn with no question. I am hoping for better visibility and will look forward to getting some of the Mineral Basin lines that are waiting for some love. Coverage is excellent and a wide open, full fall line drive approach is welcome. Nothing like power blasting the still point. Stay Frosty!!