There was a well needed delivery of fresh Essence over night, treating the Faithful to some very nice turns. The cold temperatures of the air and snow helped the new product to stick to the hard foundation, though the cold dense snow made some of the deeper spots a touch on the grabby side. As the untracked got chopped up, the consistency improved quite a bit, however, Big Emma was still plagued by the dreaded tiles and piles syndrome. And, with the added traffic on the slope, trying to deal with the variations was very tricky. Gad 2 opened today, expanding the available terrain, drawing some of the crowd over to that side of the hill, which relieved the pressure on the Tram. This was really the first day that there was a back up on the Tram. The Peruvian chair was operating, helping spread the traffic out a bit keeping the wait to a minimum. The Cirque is accessible from the top of the Peruvian chair via the traverse though Silver Fox, but use caution traversing under the cliff bands, as there are some very abrupt terrain changes. It looked to me as if there were some good turns to found there. The off trail was getting worked over, so that will help mitigate some of the hazard with the low snow pack. Tomorrow, look for the machine worked runs to offer some very smooth and velvety lines after the new freshness gets tilled into the mat. The off trail will still be providing some improved variety, but the interference patterns are ubiquitous there. The cold air may be hanging around for another day, so dress for the cold. The overall temps. are predicted to improve as the systems change the flow of cold air into the area. Be aware of the high traffic on the hill, though who could miss it, and keep an eye on your surroundings for close encounters. See you there for first Tram. Ciao!!!
COLD FRESHNESS
12-22-11 by dave