A Beautiful day for snow dancing in the Sun it was this Saturday morning, with a bit of a nip in the air to start things off.   The Competition venue is in fine form, having avoided most of the Sun damage that other exposures sustained.  Great grooming could be found on the Northern shots, though the due West runs were going to be longer in the softening process.  The off trail will be problematic, until significant softening occurs, during the next few days as we move into the Spring cycle.  Close attention to aspect is critical these days, to get the best the hill has to offer.   Follow the Sun and work the sections one by one.  I still feel that early Trams will offer good skiing on the North exposures, with re-tilling efforts helping the traction on other well traveled runs.  Wide spread bumps are still in play with some larger fields on the more frequented runs.  The deep trees still have some of the cold snow, but the quality is stiffening the lower on the hill you get.  Again, these shots are subject to aspect considerations as well.  An even warmer day is forecast for tomorrow, with an accelerated softening pattern making the search for sweetness a bit easier. The fresh snow will be beginning to corn up as the freeze thaw cycle matures , so be on the look out for softening around the dial as the Sun clocks around.  See you there in the AM.  CHAHH!!!

Several new inches of freshness greeted those who made it up today.  The first several runs of untracked were good on the groomed runs where the smoothness assisted the ride.  Off trail,was another story entirely, with the crusty texture fully in play.  The North facing aspects offered the best options, with most other shots being difficult at best.  The visibility did not help matters where fog and snow showers obscured the sight lines.   Later in the morning the Sun began peaking through improving that problem with large windows of sunshine moving through.  I took advantage of a large window in Mineral Basin, that I saw open from the Tram, finding good carving on the groomer.  Again, off the beaten path was replete with very rough pack underneath the new snow, sending me back to the front of the hill where I took advantage of the light Tram line and longer runs.  The Fork lift Chair was  a welcome place to rest my knees, which had taken a beating all morning.  I must admit that I made it a short day in consideration of the conditions and the fatigue that my knees were  signaling.  Snow showers continued all day long and are still falling here in the valley this late afternoon.   This will give us a bit more for tomorrow and every little bit helps.  I am glad for the contestants participating in the Freeride  Comp. this week end, which will be held on North West Baldy.  This exposure has avoided most of the Sun, and with the new snow will be a great venue providing excellent sight lines and bright sunny definition.   Be sure to take in the runs these folks put down.  Past demonstrations have been incredible and well worth the time taken to watch.  I will be making a special effort to get up and watch the Comp., so I’ll see you there.  Ciao!!!

Bright sunshine lit the sky this Thursday morning, surprising me as I thought I would find overcast and dismal conditions.  The North facing Groomers were still splendid with soft chalky consistency courtesy of the grooming crew, who pushed the outside of the borders to bring up the winter cold snow.   There was top to bottom freshness with only 200 vertical feet of crust at the very bottom to contend with.  Mineral Basin was offering wide open groomers with great lines and very light Traffic.   A light breeze and cool temps did not stop the radiant heat of the Sun from softening the frozen crud, which became soft and carve-able by 12:30 PM.  The West facing shots were not recommended and still had not broken when the temperature began to drop with the arrival of the cold front and the associated clouds that moved in rapidly.  The Free Ride contest was being held on West Baldy and I felt for the competitors who had to deal with very crusty conditions.  I kept revisiting the Peruvian lines, that offered the best runs of the day.  Lower Primrose Path was re buffed for the coming race event, with back lit sunshine and a line of winter chalk down the spine.  MMM MMM good!!!.  Extensive re- tilling had been done to the intermediate runs to provide more traction and options from the otherwise bullet proof freeze.  That feature was a welcome relief coming out of Mark Malu Fork onto the lower Gad Valley, where access to the bottom was no problem at all, though it still required your full attention.  The Rain is sounding on the trailer as I write, bringing an indeterminate amount of snow for tomorrow.   Though the forecast is not encouraging for any significant accumulation, I am holding the vision of a surprise dump.   I think the Universe will oblige if we all get behind the concept, so think deep, think your most excellent ideas, Lets see what will happen.  OK, I am down with that!!! How about You??  REPEAT. OON-YAHLIMAN   OON- YAHLIMAN.   There that ought to do it.   END TRANSMISSION

Wednesday morning offered 360 degrees of exposures to chose from, each having its own characteristics.  The North faces held the cold with the exception of the very lowest elevations. The West, South, and adjacent shots where fully frozen solid courtesy of a hard overnight freeze.   The Groomers on the North facing were the best choice for the morning session providing crushed velvet consistency up high with crustiness beginning for the last 800′.   Chips Face had been mowed extra further to the left turning up cold dry and beautiful corduroy , causing me to throttle back to absorb the sweet rarity of the special effort.  The lower Primrose Path has been closed for race preparations.  I did get one free run before they closed it off and I can tell you it was very nice, though the crustiness was working on the lower half.  Moving out into Mineral Basin, I took advantage of the Sun and vacant runs, working the subtle shifts of exposure to get the best quality.  Just a few degrees can make all the difference, so use your inner sense to find the sweet lines.  The South and West facing did not thaw out until 12:30 – 1:00PM.  when they began to break.  Mineral went off earliest, with spring conditions on the most exposed shots.  Very nice and carve-able.   Big Emma held off the longest, resisting softening until 1:00 PM., though the Grooming crew had re-tilled the  Surface to improve the traction.  The FreeRide World Championship contest is being held this week with the best talent in the World attending, so be sure to stop and watch the runs for true amazement.  How do they do it? How is it humanly possible?   I don’t know .  Watch and learn.  Weather moving in will deliver flat light and a slim chance of any significant softening during the day, so plan on staying focused on the North exposures, which will still hold on to the cold despite the warmth of today.  The Groomers may well re-till the most popular runs, so check the grooming report.  Snow moving in is predicted, so please use your best visualization techniques to encourage a big dump.  See you dark and early.   Peace Out.!!

What a perfect day for flying the Wings it was this Tuesday morning.  Cool temps to begin the day insured that the softened exposures from yesterday afternoon were crusty and slick.  Mineral Basin offered bright Sun with nice grooming on Powder Paradise, with very light traffic giving a feeling of a private club.  The Tram traffic was light with back to back Trams a cake walk.  I took advantage of the conditions to fly my Wings on vacant runways for the first two hours of the morning, after which I parked them back in the hanger as the slopes became more crowded.  Regulator was very firm and resisted softening well past Noon.  The North exposures offered the best options until softening occurred else where.  Tomorrow will have much the same variables as today, though, the warmer temps. made further impact down the hill.  Follow the Sun in the morning for the best of the softening runs, with the  High North aspects still cold and holding off the crustage.  The event preparations are beginning for the Freeski World Tour this week end, which may close off some of the upper shots, so be aware of that.  There is plenty of great skiing from the first Tram, so holding off for softening is not required yet, but avoid the shots that are sure to be crusty until the Sun works it.  Another warm day is forecast before another storm moves in for Thursday and Friday, so take advantage of the good visibility before the lights go out.  It sure is nice to bask in the Sun, with Spring fever just itching to take over, but Winter will return and I am looking forward to lots more of the deep and fresh.  How about You. IBBY!!!

Monday morning was beautiful with light winds and a short rush for the first few trams to get the remaining areas that had yet to be opened.  The faithful were not disappointed with Powder Paradise open providing slabby untracked on the East facing and much softer product on the North facing aspects.  Little Cloud opened shortly after 10:00 AM. with very nice boot top powder on all exposures.  It seems that the wind had spared that side of the hill.  The untracked did not last long, though the remaining crud stayed soft and supple well after every inch had been tracked out.  The continued cold temp. held the quality up for the entire morning with the Groomers being very consistent due to the cold and slightly higher density.  The smoothness factor held up well into the afternoon.  The wind had worked magic, smoothing the High North aspects with transported goodness, though the hard low amplitude bumps remained, interrupting a smooth flow line.  As the Sun gained it’s zenith the air began to warm up softening the direct exposures with that sticky consistency.  The North Facing resisted this damage, though the lower mountain was affected by the higher temps.  Look for some crustiness on the West and South facing shots in the AM., so plan on that for the morning session.  Increasing Temps. are predicted for the next couple of days which will continue the morph factor, but will also increase the wonderful spring like atmosphere.  I think tomorrow might be a good day to fly the Wings with perfect grooming, clean runways, and low attendance.  Walk on Trams were going off all day.  Be there for the goods.  Ciao!!!

I had to clear off several inches of high density snow from the dish array before heading up the hill this Sunday morning.  It was great to see the new freshness, reminding me of days earlier in the season when every thing is wintry and and cold.  I am reticent to have spring time move in just yet.  Up on the hill the faithful were in full attendance, pushing the Tram line out across the Plaza in anticipation of the goods that were waiting.  Continued cold temps. along with a very stout wind worked the new medium density snow into variable depths on all exposures.  The bottom crust and bumps were fully in play, with the old crust and bumps lurking just under the freshness.  The consistency improved as the shots got skied out, averaging the overall depth and mitigating the super deep pockets, which could stop you cold in some places. The visibility and high winds conspired to render the upper mountain interesting to negotiate, though the Sun was working it’s way through the clouds, giving a bit more definition from time to time.  I could not discern the real direction of the wind as it seemed to be blowing uphill on every exposure.  Those conditions just make it that much more fun and the transportation of fresh snow kept filling in the tracks in the hollows and tree lines.  Mineral Basin closed due to the heavy loading with Little Cloud remaining closed for the duration.  Look for that area to open tomorrow with more untracked  for those that might have missed today.    Tomorrow look  for wind deposited untracked , but be aware of the underlying crust and bumps.  The choke points have been getting filled in, however, some of the popular entrances have been scraped down to the rocks making them very sketchy at best.  Check you favorite sections from the chair to get a close look and make a decision from there.  Shots I would like to get into just seem unappealing given the approach.  See for yourself.  Good winter conditions prevail wall to wall presently, though the forecast for warming will begin to affect the quality of the direct Sun exposures, so get to them quickly before they start getting thick.  See you in the AM.  Ciao!!!

It seems that when there is race scheduled that it snows just for the occasion, and Saturday was no exception.  The snow was falling briskly all day here at the Communications Trailer , much like the messages from The Big Giant Head that were down loading despite  a double layer on my tinfoil hat.  I am exhausted from that ordeal.   New snow on the hill is always welcome and can only improve the conditions that were already good.  This will be perfect for the Free Ride competition that is to be held this week end.  The weather just predicted snow through the night and into tomorrow, guaranteeing great snow for the AM.  Be sure to check the canyon status for accessibility before heading up.  The Patrol has been really quick getting sections open for us, so I anticipate all the aspects to be ready for fun.  The crunchy bottom crust should be getting less prevalent, and the entrances to those sketchy shots will be much more realistic with this added product.  All sections are good to go with the base over 1oo”, so this is the time to let fly.  I will be back with a first hand account for tomorrow.  See you in the AM.   Ta!

Friday morning was a blue bird day from the word Go with incredible groomers in every location thanks to the masterful efforts of the Cat crew.   Many thanks folks!!   Lower Primrose was once again buffed to perfection in preparation for the Snow Cup that is coming up this week end.  Perfect carve-ability was to be had  wall to wall.  They left it open for us to enjoy all day.  The cold temps were still with us, though they had moderated from yesterday’s chill zone, keeping most of the aspects dry and chalky well into the afternoon.   The direct exposures were certainly kissed with the radiant heat, so be on the look out for crustiness in those obvious areas in the AM.  The cold and dry quality of the snow let the turns throw curtains of cold smoke into the air, which hung there like glowing clouds in the bright Sun light.   The high North aspects still hold the cold and dry with low amplitude bumps in the less traveled section, though the build up is much more significant in the high traffic areas.   Upper Silver Fox is closed for and event, so that will be off limits for the next bit, but there is plenty of real estate to make up for that.   Weather moving in will bring flat light and snow tomorrow into Sunday, so I am excited about the prospect of fresh sauce on the hill.  Spring break is on right now, so I expect a fair turn out ; be looking to the empty chairs to get quicker access to the hill.   I will not be attending tomorrow with the day off mandatory for the knees and overall body fatigue.   Have a great day and rip it up for me!!!  Thanks much!   Ciao!!

We lucked out with a bonus round of soft snow Thursday morning courtesy of a frigid air mass out of the North, preserving the goodness from yesterday.  3” of new covered the hill with just an angels breath of dust on the groomers for good measure.  This combination provided delightful runs wherever you chose to point ’em.  Single digit temps in the AM. refrigerated the product, keeping most aspects nice and soft.  The bottom crust was still in play, but had been buffered by the traffic from yesterday, making the overall ride sweet and fluffy.  Due to the soft density of the snow pack, the grooming did not hold up very long, beginning to deteriorate into a low chop that was not too difficult to slice through if you let the skis do the work.  Muscling through would just work your knees and wear you out.   Mineral Basin had been graced with some light wind, filling in some of the tracked areas with transported soft snow.  Nice touch!  Clouds moved in around 11:00 AM. creating visibility issues in some sections, but worked to mask the baking effect of the Sun’s radiant heat.  The direct exposures will have been affected, creating a crusty situation for tomorrow on those shots.  Take that into account as you plan your day.  The under laying bumps persist in the high traffic areas, however, good smooth lines are still to be had with a sharp eye and a bit of traversing to access the less traveled areas.  Take a second and scope out  the options from the Tram, chairs, or Peak to get a sense of best options.   Tomorrow look for continued groovaciousness on the prepared slopes with the North aspects still holding the softness due to the extra cold.  It looks like more snow is on the horizon for Saturday, so keep your fingers crossed for a dumper.  Ok! I’ll be resting my knees to be ready for the festivities in the AM.  I’ll see you there for the shred fest!   IBBY!!!