I had to shovel off the parking pad and clear off the communication array at the Trailer this morning, where very light and fluffy essence had fallen overnight. The snow was falling profusely as I left for the hill, but the clouds parted revealing a blue bird day on the hill. Only 4” of delight was reported on the Bird site, which seemed to discourage the faithful from showing up in any numbers. This eventuality made the Tram line manageable, though there was a push later in the AM. I opted to take advantage of the full Sun in Mineral Basin, and made a bee line for the North facing aspects, which had been smoothed during
Morning Clearing
the last week. Today’s installment was so light in density, that it did not cushion the bottom, which was fully in play. Care needed to be taken when choosing a shot, as the underlying frozen crustulation of the direct Sun exposures made the ride dubious at best. The North facing offered the smoothest ride, which is important on a Dust On Crust morning. As the hill got worked over, the Groomers morphed into the Tiles and Piles mode, where a longer more averaged turn worked best. Quick turns were thwarted by tip grabbing piles as the tails slid around the tips. That is a tough situation for my knees, so I called it a day at 1:30 PM. and headed back down to further rest my legs after last weeks shred fest. Tomorrow, look for the grooming to be the signature place to be for the ultra buffed, with the North facing still holding the best off trail quality. The Bumps remain tricky with the light density snow obscuring the details, and makes a consistent line difficult to maintain. Remember that the South and East facing will still be crusty and bouncy, so keep that in mind for route selection. More snow is forecast for later in the week, which will heal the inconsistency markedly. See you there dark and early!!! Ciao! P.S. Here is a shot of the clouds moving off up high as it snowed hard in the valley at the same time; curious!