We lucked out with a bonus round of soft snow Thursday morning courtesy of a frigid air mass out of the North, preserving the goodness from yesterday.  3” of new covered the hill with just an angels breath of dust on the groomers for good measure.  This combination provided delightful runs wherever you chose to point ’em.  Single digit temps in the AM. refrigerated the product, keeping most aspects nice and soft.  The bottom crust was still in play, but had been buffered by the traffic from yesterday, making the overall ride sweet and fluffy.  Due to the soft density of the snow pack, the grooming did not hold up very long, beginning to deteriorate into a low chop that was not too difficult to slice through if you let the skis do the work.  Muscling through would just work your knees and wear you out.   Mineral Basin had been graced with some light wind, filling in some of the tracked areas with transported soft snow.  Nice touch!  Clouds moved in around 11:00 AM. creating visibility issues in some sections, but worked to mask the baking effect of the Sun’s radiant heat.  The direct exposures will have been affected, creating a crusty situation for tomorrow on those shots.  Take that into account as you plan your day.  The under laying bumps persist in the high traffic areas, however, good smooth lines are still to be had with a sharp eye and a bit of traversing to access the less traveled areas.  Take a second and scope out  the options from the Tram, chairs, or Peak to get a sense of best options.   Tomorrow look for continued groovaciousness on the prepared slopes with the North aspects still holding the softness due to the extra cold.  It looks like more snow is on the horizon for Saturday, so keep your fingers crossed for a dumper.  Ok! I’ll be resting my knees to be ready for the festivities in the AM.  I’ll see you there for the shred fest!   IBBY!!!

After the heavy valley rain yesterday I was hoping that the 3 to 4” that was predicted would exceed the expectation for Wednesday, and indeed this was the case delivering 10+” of some of the lightest snow of the season.   The light density did not cushion the crunchy sections, leaving the bottom fully in play on most aspects, though it was deep enough to easy any complaints.  Mineral Basin sported wind affected slab and seemingly smooth shots on the North faces, but left you bouncing through the bumps that had built up in previous days.  The faithful were fully represented on the Tram, leaving the chairs wide open with no waiting.  I opted to do the Peruvian- Tunnel- Mineral Basin loop for max access, bypassing the lines and getting me to the goods in short order.  The Peruvian and Gad sides were deep and very soft having been sheltered from the wind, making those shots a players choice.   Variable visibility made certain sections problematic, though the brief rays of Sun and the cold temps. kept the snow soft, resisting the damage of previous days.  By 1:00 PM walk on trams were the rule getting you back up the hill as quickly as you could get down.   Certain sheltered shots were fully knee deep providing face shots even after it got skied out.  The harbor chop did not build up as is usually the case this late in the season, letting you slice easily through the crud with no deflection. A short high pressure day is on tap for tomorrow, giving the Sun a chance to do it’s thing, so the early participants will get the best of the day before things get sticky.  The groomers should be epic first off with the fresh snow giving the crew good material to work with and deep pile shag for us to play on.  I’ll see you on the early boats!!! Ciao!!

Tuesday morning had large lacy flakes falling on the parking lot with fair visibility top to bottom.   3” of fairy dust covered the hill making the groomers perfect for the morning session.   Light traffic let back to back Trams continue throughout the day, giving those attendees the maximum access to the goods.  As the day went on the fresh snow piled up requiring a longer deliberate turn approach to average out the variations that favored the North facing  with much more consistent pack below.  As indicated yesterday, the Sun had worked the exposed shots with heat to make them crunchy and rugged underneath the  new snow.  The high North shots remained fairly smooth with the bump build up on the heavily accessed sections.  There were short periods of sunlight in the morning, spotlighting sections of the hill from time to time, but not enough to damage the pack further.  That was a welcome feature of the morning session.  I took a sojourn out the Cirque traverse to see what I could see, or in this case feel due to the diminished visibility during that period, and found the West facing a touch crunchy with the East facing still soft and smooth in most of the drop in points.  I did not get out to Mineral Basin, but attention to the aspects will pay off by looking to the North shots for the best overall consistency.  With the cloudy conditions I did not want to venture into the milk bottle out in that area, opting for the tree reference of the front side.   As I returned to the valley, it was raining vigorously promising fresh sauce for tomorrow”s festivities.  It is going to be a great morning tomorrow, so I will eat my Wheaties for added strength and stamina.  See you in the AM.  IBBY!!!

Groovelicious it was this Monday morning as I wallowed in the awsomenicity of the sumptuous groomers that were prepared especially for the early risers.   To say that it was great would be and understatement, as the recent product gave the grooming crew plenty to work with.  The wind also played it’s roll, filling in the high North aspects, eliminating the hard bumps, and returning the shots to near pristine condition.   Clouds moved in and out all morning, but they did not shield the snow from the warming effects of the Sun that began to make the direct exposures a tad thick as 1:00  PM. approached.  The North off trail areas remained cold and dry with the cold air holding the goods in check.  Walk on Trams were going off quickly and the traffic was light enough to accommodate a more lackadaisical pace.  Tomorrow, look for the North aspects to still have the winter softness, however, the Sun damaged areas will be crusty and difficult until, and if, softening occurs, so plan accordingly.  The early groomers should, again, be well worth arriving early to get the best they offer.  Most entrances and choke points are filling up ready for the next installment, which will let you charge the shot of choice with unmitigated audacity.  Pay close attention to the Sun angle and plan your approach along those lines for the best results.  It is all good to go, so I’ll see you there or at the Planetary Office.   Ciao!!

I materialized through the Time Portal this Sunday evening worn out and traumatized by my brief visit to that fantasy world which will remain nameless.   Though I had an incredible experience there, and marveled at the unreal detail of the holographs, I realized that none of those that were milling about, stunned by the virtual reality, were able to access the real world that we get to play in daily.  Too bad for them.   Oh well!   I got the inside scoop on today, so I will let you know what I found out.   Little Cloud opened with the faithful consuming the special sauce in record time. Other areas had the harbor chop build up that was difficult to penetrate.   Visibility was good despite the overcast, letting all the shots get hit without the obfuscation of the fog that can keep secrets secret.  Tomorrow, look for sumptuous groomers in the morning and, perhaps, a back off in the attendance of the faithful.  I will be more specific with a first hand accounting on my next post so stay tuned.   I will rest and try to make sure that all my atoms are arranged correctly.  I am feeling a bit distorted at present.   Peace Out!!

As anticipated the Canyon had closure issues this Friday morning, but opened promptly with the faithful backed up to the freeway in both directions.  Needless to say the long wait is over and the new installment did not disappoint the joyous throng that did not have to wait for the mountain to open, as the Patrol had things going off right on time.  The Tram sported a 4 Tram wait as I moved into the line, so I opted to take advantage of the Peruvian chair that was walk on clear.   Lower Baldy, and quickly Upper Baldy, was open right out of the chute giving me the drop on freshies all along the traverse.  I was wondering why every one was going straight as I rode the chair up, but I soon found out that the significant depth and higher density snow combined to  necessitate a full on direct approach to the hill.  The extra heft cushioned the substrate rendering it out of play on all exposures.  The wind had worked areas into deep rolls, stopping me cold several times as I cut the traverse to the steepest shot in an effort to get some turns going.  Even the folks with the reverse camber skis were wallowing in the knee deep fluffulecence.  The Gad side of the hill seemed to have a lighter feel to it as I ventured out the traverse to sample shots I have been neglecting for some time now.  I was rewarded with blower deep shots where ever I pointed  ’em.   For those that have difficulty with deep snow there was some grooming to be had, but that was in short supply as the grooming had been done last night for the most part, with only minimal packing on the Gad side.  Well, when it snows it dumps to steal an adage, and great dumpage  it was, being just the consistency that we needed to restart the powder cycle.  Tomorrow is forecast to be sunny with new snow on tap for early in the week.  The snow should stay soft and wonderful on all aspects until the Sun begins to work the obvious aspects.  North facing will be spared the brunt of the rays so look there as the day progresses.  Little Cloud will be fresh for those who missed out on today’s fun, but wont last long as the faithful are still hungry and enthused.  Who can blame them.  I will be off planet for the next two days and my communication device cannot  penetrate the static of the  fantasy world I will be visiting, but I will endeavor to attempt some kind of back door release if I can. In the mean time enjoy the snow, energy, and fun.  Ill’ Be back on deck for Monday.   IBBY

The winds of change were blowing with intent this Thursday morning signaling the beginning of a system moving in for the next few days.  There were a lot of folks arriving from everywhere just in time for the festivities.  Walk on Trams were still going off regularly, but lallygagging would leave you out of the back to back pace that was fully in play.   The wind was transporting the available product from yesterday, filling in the guts and bumps in anticipation of the next installment of special sauce.  Some of the deeper sections were a tad on the grabby side as the wind slabbed the accumulation.  The High North sections were benefiting the most from the wind direction, though the West facing was not being left out of the improvements.  West facing still has that crusty,choppy substrate to contend with,  so look for the less traveled shots for the least turn interruption.  The Groomers were much improved from yesterday with the tillers mixing the fresh with the older material.  Again, the grooming crew has been broadening the parameters of the regularly  worked sections providing blissful velvet that is only improved by the light wind buff.  I was dialing back the speed dial to take advantage of the sweetest turns I’ve gotten all week.  When you get to work the living room shag with impunity, one should take every opportunity to luxuriate in the rarity. The line up of weather reminds me of the last big instalment, which quickly covered all the blemishes and erased all memories of hard driving.  I have been fully confident that this type of cycle would arrive and here it is for us.   Got to love the storm riding.  All is good to go with no real advisories, except to check to road report in the AM. for any changes in accessibility.   See you for the fun tomorrow.  Ciao!!!

There was the patter of rain on the trailer this Thursday morning signaling the arrival of new product for the morning session.   After yesterday’s Sun fest you had to know that the exposed areas were going to take the hit and hit they were with the overnight freeze.   This combination made  for the difficult Dust On Crust problem that attends this time of year.  I paid close attention to the earlier days of the season when the snow maintained goodness all day on all exposures.   Now that the Sun angle is getting higher the morph factor is to be considered when choosing a shot. The early runs were very nice as long as I was getting untracked or slightly worked areas, but the quality started downhill as the piles built up causing the Tiles and Piles syndrome to become an issue.  The visibility was quite good despite the clouds and light snow that was falling in between the rays of sunshine that blinked in and out as the morning wore on.  Lower Primrose Path was buffed again over night with a push even further toward Adager providing great dry chalk covered by the 3 or 4 inches .  Now that was worth the repeated visitation for the entire morning as the Peruvian side had ducked the brunt of the Sun assault.  By Noon the piles had built up considerably, sending me packing to save my knees for the storm day that is predicted for tomorrow.  The wind had not done much in the way of buffage, so the bumps were fully in effect on the off trail sections.   Tomorrow should reward the faithful with some additional sauce to stir for those who make the effort to be there early and any extra cushion will help mitigate the hard pan.  Of course, we have been in this very situation several times before this year and you have to know that the soft goodness will be with us momentarily, so now worries.  Remember, it is always good somewhere on the hill, so follow your instincts  to find the treasure.   That is part of the game…. No?   Yess!!! Ciao!!

There was a huge Sun Dog around the Sun this Tuesday as the wind built up in advance of stormy weather approaching in the next few days.  The high clouds that covered the full blast of the Sun moved off as the morning progressed giving way to great visibility.   The Gad side of the hill, and no doubt the Mineral Basin,  had been worked by the Sun and warmth of yesterday making them, decidedly, more crusty and sketchy than the Peruvian side of the hill.   There were new sections of the hill that had been given the grooming nod to provide epic runs for the few who showed up for the morning session.  For whatever reason, the conditions improved with the overnight warmth and the way the snow morphed under the grooming tillers.  The runs seem to resist the deterioration that characterized yesterday’s progress.  The lower Primrose Path was , again, blessed with the buffage, moving it further toward the Adager treeline making the left side super dry, chalky, and steep.  It is always such a treat to get the lower steep sections dressed for full blast fun.  I mention this often, but the big mountain experience is the standard I look for and the big lower pitches provide the goods that you can only get if you do the hiking to get it.  MMMM good!.  The wind could be working the magic overnight with the pre- frontal South wind  filling in the North facing aspects, eliminating the bumps that now reside there.  In such a case, I will ski it until it is gone, taking advantage of the rare and treasured texture of wind deposited delight.  It looks like a cloudy day tomorrow, so traffic will be light but the goods will be there and so should you.  See you early to get the goods.   Ciao!!!

Monday Morning was sunny and bright with Mineral Basin calling with the lights on.  Great grooming had the back side good to go,though it would not last long with the soft snow and sunshine working the snow pack.  There were very few seekers on the hill with walk on Trams going off all day.  By noon the groomers were getting chopped up and the South facing aspects were getting warm and pasty, so they will be problematic in the AM.   In other well traveled areas the bumps are building up formidably with fair spacing, but they send me screaming back to the smooth for knee relief and a return to turns that I want to make.  West  facing will also be suspect tomorrow with the Sun working the sections which will have to wait for softening to occur later in the day. The day stayed fairly cold with a light wind, but it did not seem to be slowing the effects on the exposed shots.  Plenty of soft snow is still to be found in the far North aspects which can be accessed quickly with just a bit of traversing.  Some smooth lines can still be found amidst the bumpage if you look to the knolls and spines which seem to shed the heavy traffic.  The deep trees have been worked hard over the last week assuring large bumps in most of the obvious areas.  Be looking for the out of the way sections for best results.  Tomorrow is forecast to be sunny again with the grooming crew providing the goods in lots of great spots.  As anticipated, they have indeed been carving out new sections here and about, so check the grooming report and keep your eyes out for new and exciting sections.  These section don’t last too long any more, so get them while they are in the best condition for maximum fun.   See you there in the AM.  Peace Out!!