After a long week of melt off, the high elevations still have a lot of snow, but Mineral Basin was hit hard and did not open for this weekend.  The Little Cloud Chair was the main access for the goods that were offering that corn feeling.  I made the 9 AM Tram and stayed up high working the aspects that were looking at the Sun first. Lines I have avoided for the most part all season, were now offering steep smooth terrain that kept me turning and holding the line with dialable consistency that felt back country good.  Here is a shot of The Hanging Chute with the cornice hanging strong on the highest ridge on Twins.   There were a lot of folks on the hill, but they just did not seem to be looking too far afield, leaving those outside lines untouched and vacant.  There was a nice GS course set up for training and this shot give an interesting perspective on just how steep upper Mark Malu really is.  Lower on the mountain, the exit is getting very thin, and the Bass Highway requires a bit of walking to traverse the melted off sections.  The sticky factor was really hitting the lower sections hard, and you need to keep that in mind if you don’t want to go over the handle bars.  It is best to stay up high, but both sides of the hill are considered back country and there is marginal grooming.  On the Peruvian side of the hill there are quite long walks required, however there are still lines that make the effort worth while.  Tomorrow, look for a similar timing on the break.  I expect the early hour to be a tad crispy, but softening will be quick to occur.  There is great fun to be had, and look for some of those off the beaten path lines that will reward you with some real treasure turns if you are paying attention.  In closing, here is a great shot of The BLISS BROTHERS getting ready for another lap just as the band was getting started on the Plaza.  These two get more out of a day than most anyone I know, and it is fun to share the stoke.  See you there for more great Spring festivities.  Dial it up, Dial it IN!!

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 3rd, 2017 at 6:08 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.