It was a gloomy morning as first Tram left the dock with a light rain falling on the Plaza deck.   500′ up the cables had snow falling and the wind whipping, improving the situation.    Regulator was frozen solid, but the Peruvian side of the hill offered slight accumulation which provided traction and a sense of velvet.  Lower Primrose path had been given the Grooming treatment, and with the 46 degree temp. on the lower mountain,  it offered a perfect carpet, which felt like satin and skied great.  I did some fast laps, but the rain on the lower mountain sent me to the Forklift Chair to get a head start on breakfast.  By 12:00 Noon, the rain backed off as the Sun began to make it’s presence known, warming the dance floor and salvaging the day from the gloom.  There is weather in the forecast, with some snow as a promise, but the elevation may be in question.  I am thinking it will be snow, so once again, the off trail will be problematic, as the crud will have frozen up making it very difficult.  This is the beginning of a very wet trend, so I hope we will be looking at some additional Winter quality despite the date.  There will be not rush for first Tram, so you can arrive just in time to make the first one of the day.  I will see you there!!! Ciao!!

There is no stopping TIME, this I know, but I am trying my darnedest to hold off the inevitable.  Yesterday, I was rewarded with some memorable Winter powder.  Today, the clouds hung on the hill for the better part of the day, with the Sun burning off the majority by 1:30 PM..  Now, today was my day off, so I can not give you a first hand account, but I think that the visibility was an issue for the morning session, with the Sun giving some break in the struggle to see.  Continued softening, associated with the increasing temps. were working the hill a bit more.  The Weather forecast is for showers to begin sometime over night and into the morning, so we might see a bit off accumulation for tomorrow morning.  The forecast for this week looks wet, and it remains to be seen weather it is snow or rain.  I am thinking snow, in keeping with the general trend we have been seeing this season, but it also might bring rain in a big way.  But then…… it might bring a

BOOKENDS

huge dump reminiscent of that late April, early May installment we had last year.  Great things happen here, and this year will continue to push the limits of awesomenicity.  Here is a shot I took Friday of the Bookends as I was traversing by on my way out to the far reaches under the Sunday Cliffs, where I found untracked very late in the day.  See you for first Boat.  Peace Out!!

After yesterday’s powder panic, today offered a much more relaxed approach to the hill.  The Groomers were exquisite, with two lower big mountain drops buffed to perfection that stayed great all day long.  The High North was still holding the cold deep Essence, making the powder seekers giddy like a kid who got all the candy!  I still found untracked lines at 2:30 PM., which had been preserved by the cold air temps. that held on all day, despite the high Sun angle.  The exotic trees were opened from the first Tram, which delivered no pressure, no hype goodness which rewarded the patient folks who missed out on the goods yesterday.  The Sun, and afternoon air temps. finally began to soften the lower mountain to the consistency of sherbet, so the quality was good from first to last Tram.  Tomorrow, look for the Groomers to again be offering serious ground pounding fun, though there may be some crunchiness on the lower third of the hill.  The high North will still be good to go, but there will be a significant deterioration in the off trail as you move down the hill.  The PSIA is conducting testing all over the hill, so they will greatly appreciate a wide margin in order for them to do the proper demonstrations.  I made a couple sojourns out to the exotic trees first thing this morning, and here is a shot of boundary bowl looking as good as it was.  I can’t remember skiing perfect winter powder this late in the season with no competition for the lines.   These runs were some of the best I have experienced all season.  I will be taking the day off tomorrow, so make some turns for me.  IBBY!!!

TAX DAY

The Canyon road was greasy this morning, with cars off the side, in the ditch, and even 4 wheel drives turning around and headed back down.  The storm was raging, delivering higher density snow to the hill, with visibility that was marginal at best.  The faithful were in full attendance, as the spring fever has been held off by the continued deliverance of Winter Essence.  The higher density product cushioned the ride, keeping the bottom from being too much of an issue, though it was certainly in play.  Mineral Basin opened, drawing the traffic away from the Tram, however, the line was still pushing the back of the coral, as the Peruvian Chair was not open.  The buoyant quality of the snow created a beach sand kind of feel to the turns, with some tip sucking instances that could send you over the handle bars.  Really, the scenario could not have been better in providing a rebound from the crustiness that was left over from the past few days.  The Sun was peaking out from time to time, but the quality held up throughout the day.   Tomorrow, look for the High North to still be holding some great lines, and the Groomers to be velvet smooth and carvelicious.  The Sun did come out late in the day, so there may have been some deterioration on some aspects.  The cover is really unbelievable with all the snow we have had, making all the entrances as good as they get.  Even the rarely filled sections are full and all reef hazards are covered.  Very nice indeed.  Here is a shot that was contributed by Nick, who caught this rainbow arch over Mineral Basin, that was a sure sign of things to come!!!  Ciao!!

SKY SIGNS

HEAVENLY GATEWAY

It was supposed to be a stormy day today, but the Sun was out and looking fine for the first Tram.  The upper mountain had been slightly dusted by the small impulse that came through overnight, making the Groomers very consistent and shredtastic.  Only the lower 1000′ were on the crunchy side, with Big Emma offering no chance to grab an edge, especially with my edges.  Mineral Basin was sunny and nice, but the off trail was not recommended.  As the morning wore on, clouds began to drift over the dance floor, reducing the detail markedly.  By Noon, the lower mountain began to break, making the Groomers soft and tasty.  The forecast is for snow tonight through tomorrow morning, but they said that about last night too, so I am cautiously optimistic. The High North aspects are still fairly smooth, though there is a high frequency, low amplitude rumble to deal with, so with marginal accumulation you will be feeling the static.  On the Sun exposed shots the frozen crud will present serious issues, so be aware of that and choose lines that will mitigate that little variation.  Here is a shot of the “Gate To Heaven” – the Canyon Mouth-, which I always marvel at it’s majesty as I drive up every day.  Next time you turn that corner, take a second and check out the immensity of that piece of rock!!!  Peace Out!!!

There were few takers for the first Tam of the day, but for the few who did make it, there was some very nice and surprising Groomers to work with.  The upper mountain had  a silky corduroy creme like consistency, that just spoke speed.  Only the very lower part of the hill was frozen solid and required a bit of caution.  A bit of Sun was illuminating the dance floor, so the stage was set for back to back, ground pounding.  At 10:30 AM. the lower mountain began to break, and the satin softness offered solid traction for the remainder of the morning.  After Noon the clouds began to creep up the Canyon, reducing the visibility on certain segments of the hill.  The ambient temperature rose high enough to begin softening all the exposures, though the High North seemed to be holding the cold.  Tomorrow, look for, perhaps, some overnight accumulation, and a stormy day.  I think the new snow will begin filling in the low spots, providing increasingly improved conditions as the day progresses.  Be sure to keep the crustiness of the East, South , and West aspects in mind, as they are sure to be very tricky indeed.  More is on the way, and the Winter blast is going to keep the spring at bay for a bit longer.   Ciao!!!

Before the drop

After all the excitement from the last stretch of Essence, the hill still had gifts to give the light turnout of faithful who reaped the rewards of making the effort to be there.   Little Cloud, and Powder Paradise remained to be opened, but the High North faces were smooth, soft and good to go.  The Sun was out in force, though there was a distinct nip in the air, the direct exposures were  not going to last long.  Mineral Basin was calling, but the opening of Paradise was delayed, so I took advantage of the ignored shots while the crowd stood at the gate.  The snow was delightful, forgiving, and felt like heaven.  Little Cloud opened with a full on La Mans start as the rope dropped, but by letting the initial push go past the pressure was off, and the lines were still wide open with opulent Essence top to bottom.  The Sun did indeed begin deteriorating the snow pack, but even late in the day it had a consistent feel that invited forays into the crud.  Tomorrow, the next weather installment will be pushing in, and with the  cold temps. the off trail will be problematic, except on the High North faces, which did not get worked by the Sun.  The Groomers will be a touch on the crunchy side for the most part, but they will still be great for working up the vertical average.  Here is a shot of Little Cloud before the rope was dropped.  It was such a treat to still have the full Winter feel to the snow pack this late in the season.  More snow is on the way for the next stretch of time, so it is not over yet.  IBBY!!!

More snow overnight sweetened the dance floor for the faithful, who arrived quickly after the Canyon closure was lifted.  The medium density Essence had an opulent quality, not light- not heavy, but felt delicious under, and around, foot.  The tracked out snow from yesterday could be felt just slightly, though it did not detract from the ride to any extent.  The snow continued to fall during the day, with some pockets of Sun light poking through from time to time, but not enough to reduce the pack to paste.  The energy was high, and while the Tram was backed up the chairs were walk on quick, so once again I took that angle to access the hill with out delay.  While putting through a short traverse, I got caught by a wind wave, stopped cold,and flopped upside down in a tree well.  45 minutes later, and exhausted from my drowning experience, I beat a hasty retreat to the Forklift chair to assess the ligament strain I uncured during my struggle in the bottomless trap.  Having nothing left to take to the hill I bailed to rest up for tomorrow, which should provide some still soft lines in the AM., though if the Sun comes out in force, the quality will go South rapidly.  Look for some rippingly smooth Groomers on which to do some ground pounding, though they might prove to be a tad punchable with the amount of soft snow we have received.  There is also some more weather upstream for later in the week, so we have that to look forward to.  I will be there for first boat, so I will see you then.  Ciao!!

The snow continues to fall outside the Trailer this afternoon, and of course, the Essence is being delivered to the hill above for tomorrow’s festivities.  Now, today was my day off, but you had to know that the faithful were present in full force after a brief morning Canyon closure.  With over night accumulation, it was a replay of Friday’s wonderful return to Winter, and today and tonight’s continued accumulation will have buried the old crusty layer well below the freshness.  There will be a Canyon closure in the morning for control work, but the estimated opening is 8:00 AM, so that will not be putting too much of a crimp in the foil.  With 615” of year to date accumulation, this next addition will be going down in the legendary column for sure.  With the continued snow fall, and overcast skies, the Essence has maintained its winter like quality, so all aspects are offering Good To Go lines, with the recent hazards well cushioned.  Be sure to check the Canyon access in the AM. for restrictions, and have a great day.  I will be there to partake of the Essence as we keep the winter time rolling!!! Peace Out!

After the last two days, I never thought that the hill could rebound in such an amazing fashion.  The overnight snow started out quite wet, which bonded nicely to the crusty layer, and built up in increasingly lighter stages to provide a near flawless powder extravaganza. The old crust layer was barely noticeable, except where the fresh slid off the steep aspects.  The faithful were on hand early to partake of the fresh Essence, and who could blame them.  The Tram line backed up fully, but the chairs were vacant, walk on quick, and accessed the same terrain, so I was working the stashes from that angle.  The Tram line did dissipate at 12:00 Noon, leaving walk on Trams, all thanks to the Tram crew, who grabbed an extra gear and put the hammer down. 10 Meter Trams will suck down the most persistent line due strictly to a relentless pace that few can keep up with.  The snow kept falling all day, preserving the quality, though the temperature did start climbing ,which began to thicken the product.  Tomorrow, Gad 2 is scheduled to reopen for the weekend, so  the freshies there will be massive and worth the visit.  More snow is expected overnight, which will keep the ball rolling, and keep the snow from setting up.  Check the road access tomorrow morning for restrictions, as they closed the road briefly this afternoon for control, so the build up is beginning to gather momentum.  It is my day off tomorrow, so have a great time. How could you not!!!?  IBBY!!!!