The wind was busy over night,  blowing the high North aspects smooth with perfect carve-ability with every turn.  The Sun was out for the first bit this Sunday morning,  but as the morning progressed clouds moved in and hung on the hill making the visibility a challenge.  There were pockets of sunlight to be sure, however it did not hold up top to bottom.  The traffic was light on the lifts , though the runs were quite crowded with groups standing around or a frenzy of activity confusing the lines.  I opted to let the folks have the day and bailed to watch the Olympic hockey game.   I have not been watching the weather as of late due to the focus going South.  I figure that if I just ignore it something wonderful will come this way.   Tomorrow I will be looking for continued wind buffing on the North facing and will be taking advantage of the excellent grooming efforts, letting me dial in deep turns to feel as much of the dry chalky pack that covers those shots as possible.  One of the features of today’s fog is that the snow will stay soft, resisting the deterioration the direct Sun brings to those aspects.  I think it will be a quiet week unless we get hammered, then all bets are off as the faithful will be there in force.   Conditions are great and all the new snow will make all aspects good to go, so you can just Go!!!.   Be there!!!  I will.   IBBY!!!

I was surprised and delighted to see the Sun this morning, thinking that it would be over cast.  Clouds did move in later , creating flat light, but the over all visibility was good.  Watch those aspects exposed to the sun as the we go into the next few days.   Conditions overall are quite good with very nice cold chalky  goodness wall to wall.  What a treat it is to have that consistency.  I am also quite excited about any continuing grooming efforts.  Watch closely, those folks will buff out just a little different line from time to time and it is a treat to get them first and fresh.   Mineral Basin  has great lines left all over with soft crud in the North sections .   See you early!   Ciao!!

Left overs are still great the next day when it is served up cold and dry with all the flavors working together.  Little Cloud opened shortly after the first Tram crowd had left the peak.  It was a secret for about one minute when the faithful got wind of the goods and took no more than 15 short minutes to trash it totally.  I happened to be one of the fortunate ones to get the drop, but I was not able to get back up the chair before it was toast.  I was very glad to be there for that.  The wind had distributed  beautiful lines of fresh out in Mineral Basin drawing a large crowd out to that area of the hill taking some of the pressure off the Tram line.  The front side chairs were walk on clear making the Tram wait unappealing, so I opted to take advantage of the empty chairs and get the most out of the day.   I will be off  tomorrow after a big week , so look for the usual excellent buffage which has been getting more aggressive as the base increases.   Lower Primrose was especially sweet for the first 2 hours after which the chop rose up with the soft snow not holding up to the heavy traffic.  By 100 PM.  all of the groomers were getting tough to negotiate with the ratchet bumps keeping me dialing in the low and slow turns.  The cold morning temps. kept the product soft and cold with the Sun only warming up the day later in the afternoon.  Look for some of the most exposed aspects to have taken a hit by the direct Sun, rendering them less than stellar for the AM. session.  More weather going South will leave us out of the loop again this time with clouds and dubious visibility for the morning session.  Perhaps the wind will  work some magic overnight, so be on the look out for that bit of delight.  See you Sunday!! IBBY!!!

The snow on the trailer this Thursday morning had thick written all over it indicating substantial density up high.  This is the snow we need to cover the scratchy sections and some of those rocky chokes.  I dropped into the Upper Cirque for the first time in quite a while to find it smooth and consistent under the entire area.  There was some low level chop still hiding here and there, but certainly nothing to hold back the full charge.  The West facing did not get quite the depth some other aspects collected, but did provide some excellent results if you took the time to travel the traverse. Visibility remained problematic after the Sun  made a few attempts at breaking through creating beautiful islands of sunshine to illuminate an otherwise foggy situation.  The density also created a sumptuous feeling, though it built into harbor chop rather rapidly.  I dialed back the speed knob to let the skis slice through the chop instead of busting  through at high speed.  Tomorrow looks to sport some Sun and fresh lines with the  unopened areas waiting in the wings for those who show up.  The faithful were certainly in full attendance for this offering due to the depth report, and who can blame them.  We have been starved this season and any addition to the pack will be welcome.    A lot of great lines remain every where, so you can chose any line and be rewarded.  Any thing more will be icing on the cake, so see you in the AM. IBBY!!!!

Wednesday morning began with a subtle MM of fresh on top of the fresh groom job, making the untracked buffage absolutely STUDIO.  Both sides of the  hill were in fine form with visibility an issue from the word Go.  The snow fall increased and began building up as impulses moved through.  I was aiming for the piles and drawing long turns out to average he variability as the low traffic piled it up.  I found the Peruvian side to be favored with the accumulation making the hill better as the day progressed.  Lower Primrose path was buffed out again sealing that lower section as the place to be for the Big Mountain experience.   A bold new approach to the lower section made this grooming pattern reminiscent of the pre Pro Down Hill  preparation some years ago.  It was great then and it is great now. The off trail continues to be a tad choppy with the  high North sections beginning to smooth out with the low traffic.  Mineral Basin was socked in today and I did not venture there, but the smooth sections were still in good shape no doubt.  It is raining in the valley as I write promising freshness for the AM.  How much?  Only showing up will answer that question.  I plan to be there for the first Boat.   How about you?   Peace Out!!!

Crystal clear skies greeted us Tuesday morning with really special snow quality on all the groomers and soft snow covering the off trail that still sports the low amplitude chop.  The new soft snow has really made that issue inconsequential letting you find good lines just about every where.  The very heavily traveled shots are getting a bump build up that requires your full attention.  I, for one, circumvent those areas until they get filled in by the wind and new snow.  That new snow is in the immediate forecast, so no worries.  I did go out to the far West facing today to check out things first hand out there.  I found the snow to be soft and sugary, though the high traffic there has built the bumps up there as well.  I dialed the focus in to deal with the mandatory fall line sections, feeling tested to keep the turns going no matter what.  Mineral Basin was my choice on first Tram to take advantage of the Sun and perfect buff job that is a given out in Powder Paradise.  I did jump off and get White Diamond again to sample the steep and fairly smooth section that still holds up after 3 days.  Yikes!!!  Very light traffic kept the Tram in walk on mode all day offering mega vertical for those so inclined.  Top to bottom smokers were happening all day long, making me think that I should have pulled out the Wings and got super sonic, but…. No.   Tomorrow look for increasing clouds and snow beginning at some point.  Visibility may be an issue tomorrow as well, but the trees will help that eventuality.  Keep your visualizations going for max dumpage and watch the magic unfold.  Yea, That’s the ticket!!!  IBBY!!!

Some one turned the thermostat down to cold with Monday morning’s start.  Bright sun did  not warm things up much at all all day.  Mineral basin offered overnight snow in addition to wind deposited freshness making White Diamond a real treat with accumulated deep sections caught by the low chop that had built up after yesterdays groom job.  I had to hit it 4 times before heading back to the front of the hill with Regulator buffed to the Nth degree providing  cold dry velvet  for what ever you had in mind.  I dialed back the speed dial to take advantage of the soft accumulation on the right side of the groom job.  Again, you just have to keep on hitting the good stuff,…. so I did until the Forklift chair called my name.  It wasn’t until after breakfast that I hit the Peruvian side finding  great buffage there as well.  The cold air held up all day with clouds moving up the canyon in the afternoon reducing the visibility in sections of the hill with the Sun peaking through in many areas.  Light snow began falling adding to the soft factor as the day continued.  The clouds were hanging tough after closing,  indicating some fresh product for the morning session.  Look for continued cold with a low fluff factor for the hill in the AM.  Clear skies should be on tap again with Mineral Basin a great call for the morning by taking advantage of the low traffic and sunny visibility.  After all those days of low vis, it is nice to get the full effect of pristine detail.  Dress for a cold morning.  I am glad I did this morning.  See you then.  Ciao!!!

You would think that it would be sunny on Sunday, but….No!  Variable visibility was the deal today with just a hint of frost on the hill to offer just an extra bit of softness.  The Groomers were epic again with Mineral Basin sporting sunshine on the first Tram and quickly filling in for second.  If you did not get it right off you missed it.  The carve-ability was, off the charts, smooth and consistent making me think I was dreaming…and in no hurry to wake up any time soon.  The “Chef” called today edgetastic and I believe he was correct in his assessment.    The off trail still sports the low amplitude chop which I avoid to save the knees for better times.  There was quite a representation by the faithful, pushing the Tram line up to a 2 Tram wait.  The line moved quickly and it gave every one a chance to get spread out over the hill.  The runs themselves were crowded as well with the Quads doing the heavy lifting. I opted to work the Gad side of the hill to avoid all the clutter.  Tomorrow will be much quieter, though there is a large contingent of folks from the East visiting this week.  The high North aspects are holding fairly smooth lines with soft snow where ever you look.  I would watch out for the choke points where the snow has been scraped down to the rocks in many places.  The lower Primrose Path was buffed once again for this morning giving the bottom of the hill the added stoke factor that that piece of real estate commands when it is served up like that.  I think that it will hold the smooth through the day and be good to go first thing in the AM.  See you tomorrow.  IBBY!!

I had a great day off. Looking up at the hill early in the AM.  it looked like it was going to be a bluebird day and I was thinking twice of taking the day as overnight snow was on tap for the early risers.  Clouds rolled in as the weather system, that was tracking South, migrated north giving us flurries and quite cold temps even here in the valley.  The overall conditions have not changed today, so I think we can go with what I have posted in the past few days without having to be redundant.  The weather report is on as I write this and it looks as if we might get a few inches in the next while, although anything can happen.  Look for any wind transported snow that might have been spread overnight for the off trail seekers.  The off trail still maintains that low chop factor that just hammers my knees, so I avoid it.  Lots of friends have been taken out with injuries this season, more percentage wise than I can remember.  This fact is another reason for just a touch more caution as the season progresses into the variable stages of late season.  I will be using just a bit more thought before I let it all hang out.  Just a thought.  See you in the AM. Ciao!!

One silly MM covered the hill this Friday morning  frosting the Groomers with a fluffulecent sweetness that defied anyone from having a bad turn.  The off trail continues to sport a short chop to negotiate, though it’s low amplitude kept it realistic over all if you were to check out the more exotic sections.  The majority of the passing storm looks like it is going South, so light snow can be anticipated this weekend with visibility playing a role in the stoke factor.   You never know what can happen here, making any prognostications a risky endeavor.  I would not be surprised to find that any over night snow supplies a morning worth showing up for.  If  a silly MM makes for great skiing, just think of what more would do.  Of course, we all know what that is like or we would be talking about somewhere else. Mineral Basin did not get much traffic today, with the visibility being so problematic, indicating a smoother overall complexion  on the shot of your choice.  Sun affected snow is getting covered on the South and South West exposures giving them a reprieve from the crunch factor.  The High North sections continue to be great with only the lower elevations getting a bump build up.  The Gad 2 area still provides the best tree reference light for those foggy conditions and the access to the exotic sections are quick and easy.  Tomorrow is my day off , so I will let the goods build up for Sunday.   See you then.  IBBY!!!