A storm is blowing in, and with it comes the wind as the front moves into the area.  High clouds and pre frontal storm clouds shrouded the Sun off and on all day.   The wind began transporting the loose snow to the upper reaches as it began to remove it from the windward areas, resulting in some very scratchy sections here and there, and some sweet deposits in other sections.  Big Grooming efforts continue to restore some of the lower big shots to pre traffic smoothness.  The mountain is still maintaining the overall smooth, as I have been saying all week, so the arrival of new snow will just build on the good foundation that has been established.  There had been no development of high amplitude bumps to act as a template.  Just be sure to remember where your favorite smooth shot is and avoid those bumpy areas that are difficult with a small coverage.  There is still no telling how much we might get out of this next installment, but any additional essence is always welcome.  Visibility will also be an issue during the storm day with the tree sections providing  some reflected light to be guided by.  The high entrances have been getting scraped off  recently, necessitating some alternate approaches to get in without dealing with the rocky outcroppings that are now exposed.  A nod to these same entrances will avoid edge damage if you drop in with tomorrow’s thin coverage.  The South and West facing did not thaw out today, and still are very crusty and rasty.  These shots will be covered by the new product, making those shots very difficult, so use that awareness when choosing a line.   I will be sticking with the tried and true to keep my knees from taking too much of a beating.   See you on first Bucket!  Ciao!

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 30th, 2011 at 4:15 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.