It was the first day of Spring and the much warmer temps. were happening right on cue.  Mineral Basin was offering the smooth goods, with White Diamonds, Lone Star, and beautifully worked Lewis and Clark lines that kept me lapping the steep smooth carpets all morning.   I ran into Brenda, who was also exploring the far reaches and finding the corduroy just what she was looking to see for the morning foray.  On the front of the hill, the Big Smooth was finally prepared for the first time of the season.  The Big Smooth consists of Upper, Middle, and Lower Primrose Path, which was offering smooth, dry, chalky excellence top to bottom. I had to pound out several of those lines, making me a bit late for the breakfast debrief.  The balmy temps. began to work the pack, which was beginning to break nicely around Noon.  I was finding some lines beginning to feel velvety smooth as the Sun broke the pack.  It was nice to have Spring begin to bring that feel.  The High North is still holding the cold, with the dry chalk building up the pile as it got worked.  That feature was especially good on the Upper Cirque.  Tomorrow, look for a refreeze as the residual cold in the pack sets it up.  There may be some overcast skies, as the weather is beginning to change with a storm moving in during the next few days.  Winds will be building out ahead of the system, so look for transported snow to be filling in the lines.  Just keep your eyes open for the goods as they develop.  The hill is in great shape for the next installment, with most of the big lines still smooth and reliable.  Watch those due South and West lines first thing in the AM. until softening occurs.  IBBY!!

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 20th, 2016 at 4:28 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.