NUKING WINDS

12-22-20 by dave

The winds were nuking this morning, blowing close to 100 MPH in the early hours, putting the Tram on delay with the chairs on hold. The Gad side of the hill opened on time with a big crowd waiting for the opening bell. The Peruvian Chair opened shortly after that, which began to pull the crowd to that chair and spreading the pressure out. The Tram opened around 10 AM, with the winds having backed off a tad, but the peak was really getting hit as we docked. The front was coming fast and you could feel the static in the air on the peak. Here’s a shot of a wall of voodoo coming across the range, heading for the peak.

The prevailing conditions on the hill were about to get interesting as this impulse pushed up the Canyon.

That impulse let loose around 11AM as predicted, bringing very heavy grauple that was piling up quickly. With the visibility going South, I took the opportunity to leave the Canyon before the road got bad. The density of the new product was sure to stick to the old layer, cushioning the old pack, so I am confident the quality was going to improve quickly. Tomorrow, look for new accumulation, prepared lines on both sides of the hill and much improved cover off trail. There was not enough to fill in the high traffic interference patterns, so stick with the side lines for the smoothest lines off trail. I was working some tree lines and found very workable turns where the snow had been pushed up out of the gut. Precipitation will continue into the morning, so dress for weather and cold temps. See you there for the fresh product. Watch your six!!

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