The faithful showed up early to get in on this last installment of Essence that fell overnight, filling the Tram line out to the overflow area at 8:30 AM.  It was still snowing hard, snowed hard all day, and is pouring here at the Trailer as I write this.  There are predictions of 3′ of additional through Tuesday, so the Canyon access might be an issue.  Today saw medium density frosting building up on the hill, though the bottom was still in play, it was very easy to negotiate the depth.  The visibility was the real issue, as I ventured into Mineral Basin first thing to escape the pressure.  I new exactly where I was, but I had no idea where I was if you get my meaning.  It was like swimming in a milk bottle with no reference points to key off .  I finally made my way over to the section where the trees are more numerous, and found the reflected light a blessing.  I was near the Vertigo stage before getting there, and my equilibrium was seriously tested.  I did, however, find some wonderful depth that skied easily and consistently top to bottom.   Just this second I received word that a snow night, with associated road closure, is going into effect tonight, so plan accordingly.   The Harbor Chop began to build in earnest  on the lower mountain, making the ride very difficult, especially with the fog obscured lines.  This chop will be totally mitigated by the additional accumulation, so no worries.   I had to bail at 1:000PM to avoid tweaking my knees , which were screaming for mercy.  This is one unreal cycle, and it further confirms this year as one of the Epic seasons.  I think the full 500” is not too far off.  Yeah, we had it coming and all the good visualizations are paying off in a big way.  Check the Bird site for updates, and snow cam shots to keep track of the accumulation.  IBBY

This entry was posted on Monday, March 7th, 2011 at 3:18 pm and is filed under Snow Reports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.