Fog filled the valley, and residual clouds were rapidly leaving the hill as the First Tram hit the peak. A delightful coating of fresh frosting greeted the faithful who were well represented, stoked, and ready to go. This installment came in quite wet and seemed to bond well with the old layer, making the consistency very nice indeed. I was expecting dust on crust, but I encountered very predictable high density sugar that felt soft and silky under foot. Of course, there were those slick spots here and there, but I was pleasantly surprised at the marked improvement in the conditions. I was able to dial in some full on locked and loaded turns that I have been missing for quite a while. Here is a shot from the Peak looking East into Mineral Basin. Looks like a quintessential scene of Heaven, and it sure seemed like it this morning. Despite the morning push, the crowd thinned right out and it was back to back Trams all morning long. It was not until 11:30AM. until folks started showing up. Due to the higher moisture content and the low accumulation, harbor chop did not build up at all and the turns remained predictable and smooth. Those high traffic areas still are sporting the well defined interference patterns. It will take quite a bit of cover, and some solid wind to fill them back in. Tomorrow, look for another nice day with Sun in the morning and clouds moving in later as a few days of precipitation are in the forecast. The Groomed lines will be offering much improved consistency as this new installment is worked into the mat. Traffic should be quite light, so a max vertical situation is good to go. More off trail areas have been opened lately, but I am holding off on any further explorations off the beaten path for a bit yet. See you there for the corduroy extravaganza. Straight Ahead!!

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 7th, 2018 at 6:29 pm and is filed under Snow Reports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.