It was a beautiful morning, with a chill in the air, bright Sun bathing the hill, and leftover cold Winter snow pack from the last few days. The High North was still holding the cold and was exploding as you passed through it. Full on grooming effort in Mineral Basin offered smooth cold carpets of goodness that held up for the first 2 hours before the Sun began to heat it up and degrade the quality. The front of the hill was offering a variety of consistency as you changed aspect and elevation. The early hours saw the lower third of the hill frozen solid as the high density snow from yesterday morphed into a paste
that set up solid, so it took until Noon for it to begin to break. Tenderizing efforts helped with the traction, but you had to look for it closely. Mineral Basin was the call for the morning session, giving away to softening of the front as the Sun and ambient temps softened up the dance floor. The conditions are really great for this time of the year and there are many aspects to explore that will give you the off trail goods, but watch the aspect and time of day for best results. The West facing is still problematic until late in the day, so watch out for that if you travel out the traverses. Tomorrow, look for another great day, but after today’s heat, the snow pack will be a bit more Spring like, though the High North aspects will still hold the cold, but you will have to wait for the Sun on the other lines. Mineral Basin will go off first, and follow the arc and clock to hit the softening. Be sure to catch the Freeride Championship, where the talent level is World Class and you will see performances that will be mind blowing. Here is a shot of the patrol guys getting the Ava-launcher ready for the next installment here at the cross roads where all roads lead to FUN!! Have a great day and see you Sunday. Peace Out!!