Spring is here by the date on the calender, but you could not tell by the happenings on the hill, where the South wind had filled in the North faces, which featured perfect carvation top to bottom, with just the overnight snowfall.  The faithful did not respond to the 2” report, so the back to back Tram pace let the folks who made the appearance wrap the goods run after run.  At 12:30 PM. the front rolled through bringing heavy snow fall and very limited visibility, but that did not seem to matter, as the mountain smooth made the lines good to go despite the line of sight.  The Essence piled up very rapidly, making some of the far out reaches almost knee deep before long.  This was my kind of powder day, where the untracked stays untracked, and the walk on Tram pace rewards the patient. The forecast is for just a small amount of accumulation, but the way the snow was dumping, who knows how much will it will bring.  I am holding out for some serious accumulation. Another nice feature is the disappearance of the crusty layer, which was going away rapidly, and only occasionally felt under foot.  How nice is that?  The conditions will be just keep getting better as we move through this cycle.  Mineral Basin and Little Cloud remained closed again today, due to the high wind and slide danger, so we have those areas to look forward to going into tomorrow.  Additional big mountain shots were Groomed for this morning, providing some full on power charging lines to finish out the bottom of the hill.  I just got the call about the Snow Night, so the Canyon will be closed in the AM.  Be sure to check the access in the AM.  Hope to see you there for the push well past the 500” mark!!! IBBY

A very nice accumulation of medium density Essence fell overnight, to which the faithful responded with exuberant energy.  Who could blame them, after the wind had smoothed the North facing aspects for the occasion.  The higher density quality helped cushion the ride, providing a buoyant and explosive charge that made the attendees quite vocal, with shouts and exclamations of delight.  The wind was still hitting the hill hard, setting up the windward sections with a bit of extra density, while the  leeward shots were filling in with extra depth.  The wind kept filling in some of the ignored sections, making them untracked run after run, as no one could actually see them.  Score for those who had dialed those areas in.  Lower Silver Fox had been given the Grooming treatment, which featured big mountain smooth and a steep charging line.  Tomorrow, look for the Groomers to have really shaped up into special treats, as the fresh accumulation gets re tilled into the mat.  The off trail will still be offering soft and fairly smooth lines, as the cold overcast preserved the quality all day, keeping the Harbor Chop from building up.  Mineral Basin  and Little Cloud will also be in play, as I don’t think they opened today, though I may be wrong after I bailed at 1:00PM to get a bit more rest for the coming week. There is more good vibrations coming upstream, so the party is not over yet.  The hill is prime for the next installment, and will be pushing well over the 500” mark, as the overnight total hit 499” for the season.  It is big and getting bigger, so wax up for some overhead thunder!!! IBBY!!

The Trailer was rocking all night long with the South wind blowing the Array totally out of whack.  I spent the better part of the morning re establishing contact with the Home Planet.  Meanwhile, on the hill, the wind continued to work the surface, though most of the transportable snow had been moved yesterday, so those folks, who were on hand for the blast, were rewarded with some ridiculous buffage.  The High North remains smooth, though the hard surface is exposed and will still be a factor, unless we receive some adequate accumulation, which does not seem to be in the cards overnight.   Tomorrow,  look for some accumulation to help improve the dance floor, and take advantage of the grooming efforts, which always provide the fun factor to get you up to speed.  Since the Sun did not really work the product, the serious crunch should not be as much of an issue as it was earlier this week.  Still, use your eye and inner sense to choose the lines for best results.  I chose poorly several times last week and had to deal with the technical issues that raised.  Ouch!   Sometimes you can’t just traverse out to a better line, and must survival turn your way out of things.  More snow is on the way earlier this next week, so the hill is set up to bring it once again.  Just a few more inches till 500”!!!   Here is another interesting sighting I captured last week, just as I was thinking that I had enough aluminum foil inside my hat.   I was wrong!!!  Muldar was right!!   Peace Out!!

Yet another sighting

The snow was pluming off the peak this morning, as the South wind blew hard ahead of the next system that is going to move in later this weekend.  The High North facing aspects were beginning to benefit from the deposition, and continued to develop a carpet like consistency as the day progressed.  These are my kind of ” NO Powder- Powder Days”, where the faithful do not show up and there are fresh tracks to catch every run.  The wind just kept filling in the sections as fast as the tracks could be placed.  Even though the Sun was up, there was a distinct chill to the air, which kept the surface from becoming gloppy.  The Groomers were also benefiting from this transport, offering  a real treat top to bottom, with a living room shag opulence that just kept getting smoother  with the traffic and wind.  Tomorrow, look for the High North to continue  getting filled and buffed, so be sure to take advantage of the rarity of a such special conditions.  The Groomers will also be off the chart smooth, for the morning vertical charge.  Look for some additional lower mountain shots to, perhaps, be given the extra care, as they will be well worth the laps before they get discovered.  Here is a shot I took of Fields of Glory, that was getting the ultra wind buff.  It is a rare day that you get to continuously lap this exposure and get it perfect every time. I needed a cigarette after this run, and I don’t smoke!!! I mean, REALLY!!!   See you Sunday!!

Perfect is Perfect

The overnight storm moved through like a freight train, after the Weather Dude predicted a slow mover.  Instead of 18”, we received barely 8” of medium density essence, which drew the the faithful in a full court press for the goods.  The high density stuck to the old layer, cushioning the ride, though the bottom was always in play no matter where you went.  Some aspects were deeper than others, so it was a toss up as to line choice.  I took the Mineral Basin option from the peak to avoid the large line at the Tram.  Mineral had experienced a bit more wind, leaving some lines wind slabbed and grabby, but a little aspect adjustment eased that issue. The High North aspects were offering the smoothest, most consistent lines of the day.  These shots will continue to hold up, as this product is resisting the harbor chop effect on the open runs.  That does not hold true on the highly traveled sections, which were getting a touch rasty toward 1:30 PM., however, it was fairly simple to circumvent that pesky problem.  Tomorrow, look for the Groomers to be really exceptional, with the new freshness being tilled into the mat for carpet like perfection.  The shrouded Sun light did not seem to be affecting the hill too much, with the help of the cooler temps. that were holding  off the glopping problem, which is usually associated with storms this late in the season.  This last installment significantly improved the conditions, and has set the stage for the next weather push predicted for later this week.  See you in the AM for ripping good fun and entertainment!!! IBBY!!

The Trailer was rocking all night long, and the wind was still hauling out of the South as I drove up the Canyon.  I checked the Tram situation, only to find that it was down due to the wind.  I beat a hasty retreat to the Forklift Chair to commiserate with the other daily attendees, to see if there might be a break in the trend for the day.   The snow line was just at the top of the Wilbre Chair, so the rain at the Plaza was not too much of a concern.  As the morning wore on the precipitation backed off, but the reports coming off the hill were less than enthusiastic, so I just wrote this day off as a day off.  This next system looks to be fairly wet and persistent , promising to heal the hill of the current marginal condition.  The mountain smooth is still holding up well under low traffic, which will deliver smooth lines with any accumulation.  The warm air ahead of the front should provide wetter snow to begin the application, but the Westerly flow may be just the prescription for getting us back to a Winter feel.  The prediction is for 8 to 18” for this first installment, with more on the way  upstream.   The stage is set for another of those cycles that we enjoyed just recently.  Check the road for access in the AM. as it might be greasy at best and closed at worst.  See  you there tomorrow.  Peace Out!!!

This morning’s offering had a significantly freshened feel to it, as the new snow had been tilled into the Groomers, giving them a very carvelicous quality.  I started out in Mineral Basin, where White Diamonds had been buffed, and had a nice velvety winter snow traction that got my motor running .  I took that stoke to the front of the hill, getting Regulator and Chips with a full throttle assault, while the dance floor remained uncrowded.  The high North facing shots are still holding the smooth softness, though there is a decided solidity to the substrate that does not lend itself to full tilt boogie, but it is still good to go taking whatever drive line you choose.   The Sun broke out in a big way after the Planetary Office meeting, driving up the temps., and affecting the snow pack.  Tomorrow, look for the lower mountain to have crusted up a bit, though new Essence is in the forecast, so the conditions will be improving by the minute.  The high North will continue holding the smooth, so any accumulation will bless those shots with blastability.  Over all, the hill is holding up the smoothness factor fairly well, and is not getting the heavy traffic that raises the interference patterns.  For those folks who look for those patterns,  the lower mountain is offering some fairly high amplitude formations for your consideration.   West facing aspects are a bit variable, with the crunch factor not lending itself well to an unleashed attack, so if we get some accumulation, expect to find the bottom reflecting some serious rumble.  This new snow will put the hill back into the winter mode, moving it away from this Spring like moment.  I am NOT ready for the transition yet; NOT EVEN!!!  They were working on the Towers today, riding the carriage to access the work zone.  That must be some ride!!!   IBBY!!!

RIDING HIGH

VIEW FROM THE EDGE

After yesterday’s Sun, today’s overcast skies did not ramp up the enthusiasm factor for me, but I got to the hill to try and get the morning Sun before the cloud deck moved in for the day.   Mineral basin offered a sweet till of White Diamonds, which was very nice, though the light was so flat that I could not really make any detail out on the surface. The light on the front of the hill was not much better, so I made the most of the smooth and headed for the Forklift Chair, where it is always good.  The snow began to fall at 10:00 AM, which made a huge difference in a very short time.  The visibility seemed to improve with the snow fall, somehow adding definition to the surface.  Upper Silver Fox and the Upper Cirque are still very smooth as well as Baldy, all of which have escaped the heavy traffic due to the recent Competition.  These aspects, and all of the high North facing shots will be benefiting the most from any accumulations, as we move through this unsettled weather pattern for the next stretch of time.  The hard frozen surface will be getting covered, and the initial snow fall was rather wet and sticky, which will stick to that layer, and also cushion the ride as well.  This flow of storminess will be coming in waves, so while the visibility will be intermittent, the overall conditions will be improving markedly.   I have to admit that my enthusiasm level was very low today, so I bailed right after my stay at the Forklift.  But that was just me.  If I don’t have it in me, it is best that I just call it good and try again tomorrow.  Since the visibility was so marginal today, I thought that I would include this  shot I took of the Phifferhorn, from the boundary line above Gad 2.  Most folks don’t get to see this vantage point, so I thought I would share it. IBBY!!!

Last Friday was warmer than I had thought, as the hill had been affected by the ambient temperature on all aspects.  Of course, the direct exposures took the brunt of the rays, but the crustifcation of the pack was ubiquitous.  That feature was most evident today, when I went in search of the softest lines, but was only able to find just a few consistently soft shots despite the 2 or 3” of fresh that had fallen over night.  The Groomers were the best bet, after I took several sojourns off trail, but made a hasty retreat back to the prepared surface to keep my knees from rebelling.  Mark Malu offered the best early morning fun, but the Upper Cirque was being frequented, and seemed to provide the smoothest off trail that I was able to observe.  The Crunch Factor was very tricky, with no respite from the hard rumble of the frozen crud underneath the new snow.  The morning was fairly brisk, with a 16Degree peak temperature at 9:00am, so the softening of the pack was going to be slow at best.  Tomorrow,  keep the crust factor in mind as I don’t see any immediate relief until we get more snow.  This time of year is notorious for not holding the quality for long, but look and be patient, as there are always places to find redeeming lines.  The Groomers will be at least smooth and consistent, though the crustiness is resident there as well.  The fresh working of Upper Primrose path stirred up some very nice winter softness, and was a really

Strange Sky

fun feature of the morning, so look for the fresh tills for the still existing winter soft.   Here is a shot I took with some wild rainbow colors and strange cloud formations, very trippy!!  See you in the AM   Ciao!!!

Rain sounded on the skin of the Trailer all  night long.  I love the sound of the rain on the roof, it helps me sleep.  The next best thing is being in a tent when it rains, I don’t know why, but it is soothing.  With that rain, there had to be snow up on the hill to add to the fun for the morning.  The clouds moved though all day long, with the range catching some intermittent visibility.  As I write this, there is a seriously dark impulse moving through the Valley, and the forecast is for an unsettled flow to keep bringing fresh Essence for tomorrow.  Since I was fully Belly Up on the couch today, I can’t give you the first hand account, but there is goodness to be found overall due to the recent wind and low traffic.  Silver Fox had been freed up with the move of the competition venue, so that aspect was smooth, carvelicious, and a great place to drop a full fall line assault.   Tomorrow, look for more accumulation to have been deposited, so be there early to get the best of the freshness.  I will be there early to get the goods, and get a handle on the hill for a first hand account.  Peace Out!!!