There was a significant turnout for first Tram this morning , where the energy level and anticipation of a rare occurrence brought the faithful out to partake of the waning vestiges of the ESSENCE. Mineral Basin was fully ready for the first push of eager fun seekers, with soft carvey untracked Grooming that was nicely consistent, but well on it’s way to saturation. 9:00 AM saw Little Cloud breaking into a perfect granular feel, which once again, made me slow down to pretend I was getting the Red Baldy drainage after a long hike to get to that stair step treat. Regulator went off at 9:45 AM with nice dry corn crystals building up as each turn added to the material to grab hold with my dull edges. The open, melted off area on the upper Cat Track had been filled and was fully good to go. On some of the lower Cat Tracks there is some fine rocks mixed into the snow that might seem to be problematic, but at this stage of the season does it really matter? Tomorrow, look for a similar timing for the breaks, so getting an early start will pay off with a much longer window. Many folks exited the hill by going to the bottom, but there were precious few lines to get close.
FIRST TRAM
BULLWINKLE J MOOSE
Both sides required walking to some degree. The lower bottom area, under the Tram, got you the farthest down the hill, but the ultra thin cover made that line tricky and tough to negotiate. I chose to take the Tram to the bottom to avoid the situation all together. Still folks were having fun with the adventure. Here is a shot of the full First Tram that kicked things off, as well as a shot of a Moose that was hanging out by the pond across from the parking area. Fun stuff!!! Ciao!!