There was an quick blast overnight that delivered a few inches of fresh dry Essence on the dance floor for the morning crew. The Sun was bright, the air was cold, and the snow was fast with no real cushion underfoot, but still gave the turns a bit more buffering. I was still going for the freshly prepared corduroy carpets that were insanely smooth, with just the right amount of nap to make the skis sing as they carved through it. Mineral Basin was offering excellent lines with those previously wind blown lines holding the best shot at some consistent off trail feel. There were a lot of folks out charging the off trail and they were doing a good job of dealing with the old substrate.

Tomorrow, look for more wide open cruisin’, with great cover, plenty of options for some adventure, and top to bottom, back to back laps going off. I expect the Sun to be keeping the visibility crisp and clear. The morning’s machine prepared offerings will be worth being first to leave some lacerations in the mat. These are some amazing days with light traffic on the hill, and a wide range of paths to follow with every run. Stay Frosty!!!

There was a high cloud deck this morning, with weather approaching later in the afternoon. The Sun burned through the deck and shed some light on the situation, but got covered again later. The prepared lines were holding up nicely, though the details were hard to discern from time to time. Top to bottom lines were fast and fun, but with the variable light, a certain cushion paid off.

Tomorrow, I’ll be sticking with the solid lines that have been holding up all week. They made so much snow and there are some great shaped sections that really add some fun interest. Perhaps the Sun will come back again, with maybe some added accumulation overnight. We’ll see. See you there for the fresh turns. Dial it up, Dial it in!!!

The wall to wall was calling with delightfully soft and creamy corduroy goodness that let you lock and load with full confidence in the consistency of the mat. Traffic was light and the Sun called most folks to Mineral Basin where the Sun really illuminated the details. On the front side of the hill, shaving the nap off the corduroy texture was perfectly consistent top to bottom. The snow guns had been working in a big way, providing some ultra Gun Powder that had wafted long down slope that felt like confectioners sugar underfoot. Sublime. With walk on trams and fast turnarounds, slamming out back to back Trams was a stoke building pace. Temps were a bit warmer this morning, making the comfort level much nicer.

I spent quite a bit of time today looking around at the pack now that it has been fully worked over and all the obvious features are visible. With some snow coming in tomorrow on a fast moving front, many of those surface features will get buried and it is good to know where the fat lines live. Traffic should be light once again, but with the front coming through, the temps might be heading South again. Dress for weather. The prepared lines will be offering ground pounding fun with walk on Trams going off once again. Conditions are fast and fun with plenty of lines to keep you working the fall line. IBBY!!!

After a couple of days of over cast and some insistent flurries, the Sun returned with full force illuminating the dance floor and revealing the subtle changes that that dusting brought to the hill. That little bit of fresh Essence had been tilled into the machine worked lines making those early runs amazing with corduroy that felt like flannel, which felt so good underfoot that it was worth throwing down hot laps to squeeze as much of the goodness before it was found. With the low Sun angle and still cold temps. the quality was holding up nicely and it wasn’t till after 1PM that the slick spots started working into the mix.

Tomorrow, look for more ground pounding fun from the first Tram onward. Freshly machine worked lines will be happening on all sides of the hill, so take your pick and throw down some arcing juicy turns. Coverage remains excellent on the main runs, however the traverses and approaches are thin. Use caution. Temps were cold this morning, but I think the warmth will be building with the High Pressure. See you there for the morning festivities. Stay Frosty!!!

It looked like the weather was moving off with clearing in the Valley, but up on the hill the clouds were hanging low on the peaks and an insistent snow fall was happening with high ridge top winds that were short of closing the Tram down. Between and one and three inches of fresh Essence was beginning to accumulate, with the wind piling up loose snow that, with the marginal visibility, made the variations hard to discern. The IFSA Junior National Regionals was taking place, so there was a lot of traffic, but they were all dealing with the comp, which left the lines wide open and fun with the new accumulation. As the pack got worked the old layer began to emerge making for some slick spots.

Tomorrow, look for the machine worked lines to have incorporated today’s accumulation into the mat, which will provide some amazing carving lines for the early risers. It was quite cold today and I expect the temps to remain fairly cold again, so dress with layers and an eye out for frost bite. Wind may also be in the mix, so we’ll have to see how that shakes out. Look for some wind accumulation around the hill for some sweet lines. See you there dark and early for the morning goods. Keep it tight!!!

There was sparkle dust floating in the air after the overnight flurry that was delivered with the cold front overnight. The air was still down at the base, and the Sun was shining through the flakes floating still in the air looking like sequence. It was magical. Traffic was moderate, but was spread out quickly leaving walk on Trams for most of the day. Those buffed machine worked lines were offering that fast, smooth consistency that let you stretch out and dial in those turns without inhibition. I’ve been groovin’ on that feel all last week. Mineral Basin was offering some very nice lines as well, with those North facing aspects looking smooth and dialable.

Sunshine will be on tap in the AM, with fully prepared lines to be waiting and ready for a full on smooth attack to the fall line. Look for those snow guns to have built up some sweet accumulation, and take advantage of the velvety feel with some extra articulated turns. Traffic should be light again, so take advantage of these days of wide open top to bottom fun. IBBY!!!

After all the overcast predictions the past couple of days, this morning offered some extra Sun that was not in that forecast. There were high clouds and clouds off to the North that were not moving too much, which left plenty of visibility and reflected light from across the Canyon to illuminate the fine details. The machine worked lines were a bit more crispy this morning, and Gun Powder deposits were lovely points of goodness top to bottom. The guns on Who Dunnit were offering some tasty carpets that made each turn an event. Chips face was offering some really nice fresh gun accumulation that let you dial in some deep feeling juice underfoot. Got to love the little niceties as you find them.

The Tunnel was fun today and it was the first time of the season that I had passed through it to get over to Lupine Loop on my way to a Lewis and Clark exploration. Mineral Basin was offering very nice prepared lines and no waiting for fast laps. Still, the vacant lines and fresh corduroy called me back to the front side to keep the hot laps going. Clouds did move in around 1PM making the light go flat, but the turning was still holding up nicely. Tomorrow, look for still fairly light traffic for a Saturday, variable visibility as the system moves through. The air quality in the Valley will improve greatly, and the fresh air will help lift the spirit. Look for continued smooth cruisin’ on the machine worked lines and fast turnarounds for vertical accumulation. Straight Ahead!!

With clouds in the forecast for today, it was great to see clear skies with only a very high thin cloud deck that did not filter much of the rays, making the visibility much better than expected. The snow guns had been working hard overnight, delivering some sweet lines of gun powder that kept me going back for more run after run. With the Sun, out all the traffic was pulled back into Mineral Basin leaving the front of the hill vacant and perfect for ground pounding fun on those smooth velvet lines that held up all morning. Traffic was light once again, and back to back Trams was easy to make with plenty of space to spare.

These very special and obscure pins have been very coveted since they made a brief appearance. The flow state is all part of the experience and those that know….. know.

Tomorrow, expect clouds to really be in the mix, so visibility will be wonky in the AM. With luck, there may be a hold off on the density of the overcast, but we’ll have to wait and see. The continued cold overnight temps will support a full snow making effort where the different targeted areas are addressed. Look for some very delightful turns under the outfall down slope. I expect continued light traffic and super fast turnarounds. Take advantage of these days of low traffic, uncrowded lines, and full on ground pounding fun top to bottom Dial it up, Dial it in!!!

Another chilly morning with good visibility as those high clouds were holding off for most of the day, making the details crisp and sharp. The snow guns had been blazing all night, and had laid some amazing carpets of fresh Gun Powder long downslope that felt delightful underfoot. Very nice machine worked line had been prepared as well on all sides of the hill, with the Baldy Chair area offering very rippable lines all morning long. It was nice having Mineral Basin opened right off the bat, leaving the front side just waiting for some love.

Today was a great day to let the flow line work for you when the hill is prime for maximum fun, and there is zero traffic. I was finally feeling like I could still make the turns unfold like I new they would. These are the days we will look back on with appreciation for the quiet yet rockin’ pace the hill invites. I look for more light traffic in the AM, perhaps some clouds in the mix, we’ll see, and some freshly prepared rock and roll lines to start out the day. Lay it over like Ligety!!!

It was another cool morning, but wind was light, and the visibility was great with lots of reflected light on the dark side of the hill helping with the details. The pack was dry and chalky, offering some very nice early morning corduroy to dial, with some steep sections feeling like back country quality as the light wind smoothed the machine worked lines with some very delightful dust. I kept lapping the dark side to take advantage of the vacant smooth lines that were wide open and rippin’. Mineral Basin was closed due to a technical issue, but the front of the hill had plenty of room to spread out the Faithful and keep the lines from getting too worked over.

Tomorrow, look for more light traffic to be happening, with wide open lines, Mineral Basin back in the mix, and more ground pounding fun to dial up with the dry chalky feel that is happening. The off trail is still very firm, with quite a bit of medium amplitude interference patters running in a wide spread manner. Lots of folks are making good use of that feature as the rhythm is good and the cadence is fairly relaxed. There may be some clouds moving in as there is a slight change in the weather in the offing. Keep it tight!!