It was a clear cold morning and not at all like the warm Spring days that we have been enjoying. 5 to 8″ of fresh Essence fell overnight, making the entire mountain bright white and fresh looking. The Faithful were on deck and ready to get after more of the goods. With the very cold temps during the last two days, the pack had a really deep freeze, making the substrate super icy and difficult. The new accumulation was medium density and was very cold, so it did not bond well to the old layer, making very inconsistent variations turn to turn. Staying with the known smooth lines helped keep as much consistency as possible, but as the new snow got worked the tiles and piles condition began to happen, making a longer averaging turn a solid choice to avoid the torque of the variations.
The crowd got spread out on the hill and there was fast turn around times on all lifts. Finding those smooth sections was key for the best ride. The cold temps really helped maintain the quality as the day progressed, but the substrate was not going to soften at all.
Tomorrow, look for the machine worked lines to be offering very nice lines as the new product gets worked into the mat. Use caution on the lower mountain as the exit lines are variable with some narrow sections that require a much slower approach. Traffic should be moderate with fast turnaround times as the crowd gets spread out. Expect cold temps in the AM, with warming as the Sun gets higher in the sky. Watch for the Sun to make the direct aspects sticky before it begins it’s morph into the corn cycle. There is a lot of fun music and activities on the Plaza deck with bright Sun to bask in when you get off the hill. Remain Standing.