Tuesday morning presented no problems as the wind, and cold temps. kept the snow cold and dry.  The opening of Baldy and Mineral basin gave the faithful further reason to boogie.  The wind had affected the high areas, but lower aspects were very soft and blastable.  The grooming, as usual, was fantastic and had a buttery vibe.  The significant West wind, which continued throughout the day, has been smoothing out the playing field In the high North and West aspects making every thing ski great.  Wall to wall goodness could be counted on so you could take your pick.  Mineral had been affected  by the sun and had a bit of zipper crust on the East facing, but clocking around to the North brought a much better ride.  The complexion over all is smooth and the bumps gone for the time being so tomorrow will be set for your choice of shots, which can be hit with unmitigated audacity.  The next instalment is slated for later tonight so there may be canyon issues in the AM so be sure to check.. The temps stayed cold all day and the sun only poked out a few times, so no damage to the snow quality.  Look for another epic day, get plenty of rest!!!

Monday was like most Mondays, problematic.  The canyon closure held the faithful off for an extended period.  Not only the faithful but the deacons could not access the hill for the slides covering the road.  A big swell indeed!!!  The crew worked miracles and got the Tram and Regulator open with the riders scratching for the outside before the clean up set caught them inside. Those that got outside were blessed with double overhead shots and unreal quality. The Cirque traverse opened and the white room was found with every turn. This could, arguably, be the best snow of the season with many cognoscenti feeling truly blessed. The upper West facing took a hit from the strong West wind , but only made it ski less explosively. Lower on the mountain the snow just got deeper; fully waist deep in sections and some folks seemed to be tunneling. That’s getting SHACKED!!!. What else can one say about perfection except, perhaps, lets have more tomorrow when more of the mountain opens and the next storm rolls in to keep the momentum going. KOWABUNGA!!!

Sunday morning broke sunny and clear, but to the North, over the Lake, a black front line marched relentlessly toward the Front seemingly swallowing the valley in it’s wake.  An awesome sight as I made haste up the canyon.  Pounding wind, through out the night, did not abate with the approach of the front, and over the top ridge top winds had the the Tram shut down for the opening. The chairs opened on time as the high North was good down to the last 500′, where yesterday’s sun and warmth had melted and refroze the groomage.  Not too bad to start,but the front moved in by 9:15 AM with groppel hammering down at 3 to 4” per hour.  Visibility went to the milk bottle zone and the winds shifted giving the Tram a shot at going off, which it did at 10:30 AM.  The shear volume of wetter snow stuck nicely to the hard pack and created a soft velvet feel.  Things were going to get good fast and they did.  The Gad 2 trees were probably the best place to be during the white out ,with the trees giving definition and what reflected light could provide. The large bumps there have been tamed by the snow in recent days and is skiing well.  Continued  Lake effect snow tonight will put the nice to nicer and epic conditions will be greeting us tomorrow.  The big swell is here.  OUTSIDE!!!

A beautiful sunny Saturday greeted us this morning with still a touch of cold air, but a rapid rise to more seasonal temps is sure to work the product in the predictable ways.  Fortunately, the forecast is for a solid week of continued storminess to add wonder to wonderful.  As I have mentioned oft times, with every extreme brings a swing to the other extreme, so we will be rewarded with the instalments that went undelivered in March; oh yeah, it’s not over yet.  Still, I am excited at the prospects as this will push my fade to “BLACK”  – the dreaded Asphalt- off a bit longer.  I much prefer the powder side of life but… balance in all things.  Tomorrow is predicted to be increasingly stormy as the day moves on ,but look for sweet groomers to start and check out the obvious high North sections on your first Tram for groovability.  The South and West is going to get crusty, lets say crispy, but not nearly as tough as the last corn cycle.  I am looking to sip as much essence as I can from these remaining weeks and will be posting every day that I can so stay tuned!!

Friday  morning dawned clear and cold with a brisk North Westerly breeze keeping the temps. cold;  truly a blue bird day.  Temp. on the peak in single digits to start out which slowly moved up to the teens.  Overnight the wind pounded the existing snow, moving some and compacting everything else.  The high North aspects were carvable and fairly smooth.  The East facing was the fluffiest.  Other aspects were variable and had been kissed by the sun late yesterday afternoon adding just enough moisture to thicken the playing field overall.  Mineral Basin, Little Cloud, Baldy, and Thunder Bowl opened later in the morning displacing the Tram line and rendering it Walk on by 12:00 Noon.  The groomers were buffed and creamy but could be a touch punchable if you stuck the edge too hard so a ligh approach was best.  The temps began to climb and the direct exposures will take the heat.  Tomorrow will sport a larger grooming field and North facing will remain dry and cold.  Crust on the South and West facing will be there, but not too tough to negotiate.  A sunny forecast will ensure a great day for all.  How could it not?  The powder may be gone for now, but the greatness is not; be there!!!

As anticipated, the canyon was closed Thursday morning holding the faithful at bay until the 10:00AM  opening.  They, again, were not disappointed as they were treated to the finest that the snow gods could provide.  Heavier density material to start provided a perfect foundation for the ever lighter dust which finished off the structure providing the most buoyant and luxurious product of the season; in my humble opinion.  The faithful were in full effect, charging with impunity, and demonstrating some serious chops!! Quite a sight, if you took the time to notice.  All aspects were amazing with nary a bump off the still frozen bottom, but no matter, full blastability was the rule.  After 1:00PM the high traffic areas began developing the ratchet chop which is typical of higher density.  Mineral, Little Cloud, and Baldy remained closed as I left with heavy lake effect fully in play, continuing to add to the, already, studio fluff.  By  the late afternoon the clouds moved off, but the cold temps and late appearance of the sun did not set up the snow as it normally would.  Tomorrow will be spectacular and will, no doubt, be well attended so reap the rewards of the big dance!!!

Wednesday morning began with a bang; control shots rang out with the early arrival of the predicted precip.  Very high winds had the Tram shut down and chair starts held off.  Road closing was scheduled for 10:00 AM.  After riding the Forklift chairs, in hopes for a start time, I took the window and bailed.  The best guess, from those in the know, was lower Gad Valley to open at an indeterminate time.  The faithful, getting up the greasy road, were pumping up the hill until the last minute.  The snowfall rate was epic and I can only imagine the depth to be deeper, by far, than reported.  The wind was sure to have affected the higher elevations making the skiability a toss up.  Needless to say, the continued snow fall will only make the overall conditions better, but there may be issues with wind affected areas so count on that.   I will be checking the road status in the morning to avoid the big crunch.  Looking good for the week!!!

Tuesday brought more of the goods to the faithful, who attended with high anticipation; they were not disappointed  The depths had remained consistent and had not been beaten down, so the fresh snow just added to the delight.  All aspects were skiing nicely, however, Little Cloud and Mineral had not held up to the wind as well as other areas.  All areas did open in a timely fashion reducing the Tram line.   The sun made an appearance in between the clouds, which kept the snow from setting up in the usual manner at this time of year.  The underlying crust is still there in spots, though it does not present any problems to overall enjoyment.  The bumps are still underneath and are buffered by the new snow.  More snow is in the forecast so the mountain is prepped to be epic.  The previous melt off did expose some of the reefs, which are now submerged so use a touch of caution on the approach to your favorite line.  The Middle Cirque traverse, being one of the most exposed sections , requires some gentle stepping to get over, but no trouble unless you hit the rocks going fast so be aware in that spot.  The groomers were just spectacular as well with flawless carve-ability.  All your snow dancing is paying off so keep up the good work!!!

Heavy snow ,Monday morning, brought out the faithful in full force.  The web reported 10” new, but there was so much more when the gun went off.  The 7% content with groppel made the powder feel a bit heavier and cushier.  The West exposure had been hammered by the wind and proved a tad inconsistent , but other aspects were sweet, skiable, and blower!!!  The bottom was in play but the depth and density mitigated the ride beautifully.  The high North exposures were especially deep and full on face shots were the rule.  The wind increased as the day progressed and visibility deteriorated and the heavy snow continued to pile up.  Mineral and Little Cloud remained closed and the depth kept increasing .  Gad 2 closed due to the high winds so these areas will be prime for the morning.  The forecast is for another storm this week so better conditions are sure to build the overall consistency and fully mitigate the crustage.  All aspects were skiing well, but those bumpy areas were knocking those bumpmiesters around soundly.  The deep trees have been protected from the wind and will ski well tomorrow.   The goods are back  and the fix is in!!!

Sunday morning seemed warm in the parking lot so I went with light wear and that was a mistake.  Winds were brisk and cold.  The sun was up and shining with the cold front just a few hours out.  Mineral Basin was the first choice and it had nice carvable corn on the groomed runs.  I made a hasty retreat back to the front side and found Peruvian’s groomers edge-able and consistant, though the light was flat as the high clouds moved in quickly.  The cat crew had prepared two big lower mountain shots, which were good to go, but the falling temps were not going to soften up the playing field.  The lowering clouds moving in sent me headed for the Forklift chair promptly.  The overall complexion of the hill remains unchanged so use the Saturday’s overview for the game plan.  It rained heavily in the valley so the frosting is being added as we await the fresh instalment.  Cool runnings for the morning so enjoy!!!