We all sprung forward today making yet another Time Shift in the Fun Zone. It seems that a lot of folks missed the memo, as there were very few showing up for the morning session. 
This was a the scene as I hit the locker room at the usual time adjusted moment. It was mighty lonely getting ready for the day. Up on the hill, there was a stout wind blowing over most of the hill, and I was woefully under dressed as I had anticipated a balmy opening bell. I had to beat a hasty retreat back to the locker to dress up and get goggles. The pack was quite crispy with the cold morning temps., so I stayed with the Groomers to assure the smoothest ride. The lower mountain had not frozen solid, and the prepared lines had a soft velvet feel for the first few runs. It was going to have to wait until Noon for the pack to really begin to soften, after which there were some very nice sorbet lines that felt delightful under foot. 
There were some clouds hugging the high peaks, so there were some interesting lighting effects. Here is a shot of the Valley well lit with Sun, while the hill had fast moving clouds moving across out of the Northwest. Regulator took some time to soften, but it was delightful when it hit the stride. The Lower Chips Face and Lower Lower had been nicely prepared and had wind blown dust covering the corduroy, making those drops the place to find the steep, dry, chalky, ride that I crave. The hill did soften later in the day, but it did not get gooey and was still very nice when I called it at 3:00PM. Tomorrow, look for another crispy morning, with cold early temps. The Groomers will be offering the best ride, as the off trail is very stiff and difficult when frozen. Sun is in the forecast, so we can look forward to a nice softening of the pack as the day warms up. Regulator will be long in the softening, so plan accordingly. IBBY!!
TIME SHIFT
3-12-17 by dave