The Faithful were lined up early this morning in anticipation of a great day, and they looked on the fresh lines above them with ideas of great turns. They were not disappointed. There was a DJ spinning music to stoke the atmosphere and there was SWAG available to commemorate the event. The Peruvian lift opened on time and, over on the Gad side of the hill, the scene was similar and filled with happy sliders. The cover on the hill was amazing, with the early storms delivering high density Spackle, which had really set up and was bomber. Soft granular fresh deposits were being added by the Snow Making efforts that were in effect top to bottom.

I was scoping out the coverage as I worked my way down the first run and there was plenty of cover on all the spots that are usually thin. The Faithful were having a blast, and the line thinned out quickly, offering hot laps as the folks got spread out on the hill.

Tomorrow, look for more fresh Essence to find as there was plenty left and there are lots of pockets to find. Expect great coverage to still be on tap as the base is just amazingly set up and not getting worked down at all. I was very cold today, and I expect it to be quite cold again tomorrow, so dress for the chairs. Watch for frost bite for sure. My fingers were frozen solid from taking them out of the gloves while taking my shots for the day. What a great opener and is the best one in many years. Straight Ahead!!

With a big installment added to the first snow of the season, there has been 90″ delivered YTD. I went up to the hill today to get a fresh look at the pack and it was stellar. The opening date has been moved up to Nov. 18, and it is going to be one of the best openings in recent memory. The snow making is going on around the clock on both sides of the hill, and the Red Tram car has been installed, so it is looking like it is good to go.

The Grooming crew has been busy getting the hill in shape and the lines down the Gad side of the hill have plenty of snow, so the opening day will be excellent with well worked lines to start things off. I am so stoked with the cold temps that have kept the snow making efforts constant and the snow back more stable. Looking forward to a great season. Get ready for fun. IBBY!!!

I returned a couple of weeks ago from my sojourn in the High Desert, where I was able to explore some of the fine points of stillness that I will be using in my approach to the fall line this season. I was able to get together with the gang to touch base and catch up with the happenings and get a look at the hill.

There have been a couple of new installments of Essence since this shot was taken and the hill is in good shape to take on the series of storms that is lined up for the next week.

I am excited to ride the new Tram cars as they seem a bit bigger, but that is just an illusion with all the glass and streamlined contours.

It is going to be a great season, with an excellent start, as the impulses keep coming on a regular basis and the temps are remaining cold. I’ll be posting now more as the opener gets closer. Stay Frosty!!!

Temps were quite warm to start the day and getting warmer by the minute. The Front side of the hill was really crispy despite the warm temps and it was going to take a bit for the pack to break. Mineral Basin was way ahead of the rest of the hill, offering some very nice corn lines if you went out of the prepared sections to get them. It was a very festive atmosphere, with costumes, wild vintage ski wear, high spirits to end the season, and great music on The Plaza.

The front of the hill began to break, with some really fun corn feeling pack on the prepared lines. The Grooming Crew had exposed the pond at the bottom of Think Young and the Faithful were getting wet and wild. Regulator finally broke and was offering smooth corn for a while before it got worked over too much..

Tomorrow, look to get going with vigor into whatever stoke you choose for your Summer activities. It has been an amazing season and I want to thank all those who work on the hill and make The Bird Turn everyday for us. Everyone did an exemplary job keeping the quality up to a very high standard. I will be taking The Trailer up to the High Desert quite soon to continue the deep investigations!! Have a great Summer season and as Joe Man The Snowman say’s, “Don’t Skimp On The Groove Sauce!!” Remain Standing!!!

It was a perfect blue sky day with warm temps to start. The pack is very smooth overall, which is a really nice treat with that big mountain back country feel.

A great band was playing on the Plaza, rockin’ the tunes and keeping the party going. Tomorrow, look for another great day of Spring sliding. This will be the last day of the Season, so dial in to the pulse of the hill and let it propel you into the Day’s ahead. Syrup Won’t Stop ‘EM!!

It seemed warm in the parking lot, but up on the hill there was a stout cold wind blowing out of the North. The snow was pluming off the ridge lines and the snow was smooth and cold with just a bit of wind crust in places, just to make it interesting. There were fresh lines to find on all sides of the hill to start the day and it was going to take quite a while for some of the aspects to morph with the direct Sun.

The upper two thirds of the hill was soft and fun, but the lower aspects were quite firm and needed some Sun time to soften those crispy lines on the lower third of the hill. Traffic was moderate, but the lifts were keeping up with the flow and the waits were short or non existent, with turn around time quick and fun,.

The hill is in great shape on all sides and there are really no cautions to mention. Tomorrow, look for some still soft cold snow on the High North aspects with good grooming efforts to let you choose your favorite lines. Mineral Basin will offer the best conditions to start out the day and there should be a break much earlier than what was happening today. Speed Safely!!

There was a fair freeze overnight which set the Front side of the hill up solid. Mineral Basin was breaking early, offering beautiful corn lines that were flawless and as they softened even more became a perfect sorbet that demanded you extract as much goodness from each turn you could. Lap after lap was fast and fun, and doing some of those far out traverses with friends was a real treat.

After 11AM the front side of the hill began to break, but the surface was still quite firm, but there was more and more traction with each lap as the pack softened. Regulator began to soften after Noon, and Mark Malu was resisting all softening until almost closing. Coverage was excellent top to bottom, and I think the pack will survive in pretty good shape going into next weekend. Stay Frosty!!

A cloud hung over the peaks this morning to start things off. The Valley was clear and the clearing was not long in coming. The freeze was not too hard, so the pack softened fairly quickly in the usual pattern. Attention to aspect was still key for the early laps.

Great music was on tap on The Plaza with Lake Effect filling the air with great tunes. Tomorrow, look for another great day. The Mineral Basin will have the first of the softening, and I expect the hill to break in the usual pattern, so staying with the break should be an easy call. See you there for some soft Spring turns. Straight Ahead!!!

There was a light freeze overnight and the front of the hill was pretty crisp to start out the morning, but Mineral Basin was breaking right for the opening bell. The corn goodness on the smooth sections was amazing and perfect.

The high traverse out toward The Bookends and beyond was offering big mountain smooth lines that were carvalicious and really rare.

The front of the hill was still needing a bit more time, but really came alive around 10AM, with the groomers offering smooth consistent lines that let you get jiggy with your turns.

Tomorrow, look for another early break as the pack really absorbed a lot of heat down deep and will get soft much quicker with the warm overnight temps due to the high clouds that have been flowing through. There will still be great lines to find and smooth sections of the hill to dial in. Follow the Sun and hit those North and West faces last. That was the ticket today and it really made the day. Keep it tight!!!

There was a very hard freeze overnight, and the pack was extremely solid and well beyond firm for the opening bell at 8AM. I took the hints and retired to the Forklift to let softening occur up on the hill. Peruvian was the only lift servicing the hill today and the terrain off trail was very punchy with a gnarly zipper crust that made you really pay attention. The break began around 10AM and worked it’s way back up the hill with the rising of the Sun over the ridge.

Tomorrow, look for a partly cloudy day, with Mineral Basin added to the party, offering a wider choice of aspects to start the day. Still, a bit later start is advised to avoid the seriously firm morning conditions. The break should be a bit earlier in Mineral as the Sun bakes the pack and will get softer more quickly. I am going to take my time. Remember, that the West facing and North facing aspects will take considerably longer to break in the AM. The coverage is excellent after the long stretch of precipitation we have had. The air temp rose quickly as the Sun came up over the ridge and you can dress down a bit. See you there for the fun. Watch your Six!!!