It was a cold clear morning with a light turn out for the morning session, but the folks finally started showing up around 10:00AM.  The Grooming Crew had been busy, with big sections prepared on all sides of the hill.  Mineral Basin was going off first with bright Sun and an open dance floor on which to rock out;  Lower Primrose Path was once again sporting a wide and smooth buff that made that giant gully a carving festival.  I was hitting it back to back after I dealt sternly with the back side magic.  Off trail is still variable, depending on aspect and traffic patterns.  Those who are looking for the interference patterns will find them without any problem, but circumventing the features is easy and rewarding with a bit of looking around.  Steer clear of the South aspects until they have had a chance to soften, and with a warm South wind predicted for tomorrow, they should get good fairly quickly.  Tomorrow, expect that wind and look for the wind to transport product if it gets stout enough, which will begin to buff out some big lines, as there is enough loose snow to move around.  The Cirque Traverse is getting tricky, so use caution as you move out there, though any additional accumulation in the next few days will help this quickly.  I expect to see some early Sun in the AM, but the light might go out if an early cloud deck moves in.  Only time will tell.  It should be a bit warmer before this storm.   There was a very well defined Sun Dog around the Sun later in the day, which often times indicates snow in the forecast and indeed there is. Here is a shot of Twins the other day with the clouds moving through.  See you for the morning rock scene.  IBBY!!

When I left the Trailer this morning it was looking kind of grim up on the hill, but as first Tram left the dock the sky had cleared off and Mineral Basin was offering bright Sun and big smooth Groomers.  The weekend traffic was a bit late in arriving , so there was a nice morning lull before the traffic began to build.  After yesterday’s warm up, which had affected many of the exposures, the overall feel was quite a bit firmer than just a day before.  Nice Grooming work on all side of the hill were worth hitting hard before things got chopped up with the added traffic. The Tram line kept pace with the arrivals, making back to back Trams possible, but left no time to dawdle.  At 10:30 AM the cold front moved in with clouds and wind, which sent the visibility down hill fast.  The folks out in Mineral Basin, who had been enjoying the sunshine, left the area for the front side of the hill where the reflected light from the trees helped with visual reference.  Precipitation began in a big way as I was leaving at 1:00 PM to get Sunday dinner on, but the clouds cleared off rapidly and it looked as if the visibility had improved up high.  Tomorrow, look for the hill to be worked over by the stellar Cat Crew, and look for new and exciting lines to be punched out, offering smooth arc inducing carpets.  The off trail is still holding the soft, but those sections that saw the Sun yesterday will still be crunchy and a bit difficult, so look for the High North and West facing aspects to still be holding the soft and smooth.  Here is a shot of the Tram cables shining in the morning Sun as the clouds moved in this morning.  See you in the AM.  Stay Frosty!!

Today was a picture Postcard day with bright unobstructed Sun, soft snow of recent application, perfect Groomers to rip on, and a full pallet of hill to work as you color your day with turns.  The Groomers were off the chart carvacious, with the consistency getting better with each till of the slope.  Off trail has become better in the ride department as the last installment was denser and cushioned the ride. There is still some serious crunch on the South facing aspects as the Sun is beginning to bring some of that heat to the product, so the crunch is a given. Everything else is still soft, but the worked base features are still reflecting though, so dial in your best averaging turns to smooth the line.  More weather is in the forecast, though it does not seem like it is going to bring much accumulation until later next week.  Still use some caution on the Cirque traverse as there has been quite a bit of traffic, and the washboard has built back in.  There might be a bit of overcast tomorrow to throw off the visibility a bit, but the hill remains in great shape. Here is another shot of perfection waiting for the opening.  Nice!!!  IBBY!!

It was a clear and cold morning with awesome Groomers prepared on both sides of the hill.  Lower Primrose Path was buffed out wide and all the  way to the tree line, which is as far left as I have ever seen it.  The new section was a fresh till, which offered dry chalky excellence as it had not been worked over several times.  Mineral Basin was also beautiful, offering bright Sun and nice lines on and off  trail.  Traffic was brisk, but there was no  back up, and I was able to get back to back Trams with no extra push. The Grooming Crew has been really making the big sections consistent and velvet smooth, which is a big plus when you put the hammer down and are blinded by tearing eyes.  You just know it is going to get you there.  Tomorrow, look for a pretty day, more great sliding wall to wall, early morning Groomers to let you throw down big arcers, and nice soft off trail for your exploratories.   Here is a shot of the Powder Bird Ship landing on the Peak.  I never get tired of seeing this flying thing up close and personal.  My day off is tomorrow, so make the turns for me.  See you Sunday!  Don’t forget to SIZZLE!!

Another morning of the stormy front side and sunny backside micro climate rarity was happening, with 4 to 5” of high density Essence covering the hill.  The high density cushioned the ride significantly, which made some of the lines I have been avoiding due to rumble much smoother and luxurious.  What a difference a day makes.  The low attendance made back to back Trams no problem to get, and Mineral Basin had no waiting with bright Sun again for the morning session.  Clouds did build in later in the day, making the visibility a bit challenging from time to time as the clouds moved through.  I did a recon mission to the far reaches of the Exotic Trees where I found moderate interference patterns to be widespread, the choke points are still very tight with trees that have yet to be covered, but the fresh installment went a long way to mitigate those features.  I have not been out that far all season, so I took this opportunity to take a close look.  Here is a shot of perfection waiting for further stabilization.   Tomorrow, look for another great morning, though the traffic should be a bit more brisk as the Holiday weekend begins, so take advantage of the early hours to beat the crowd and get the goods before the traffic gets heavy. The Groomers will be going off once again, so check the report for new and exciting drops to be ready for fun.  It will be a great day, so luxuriate in the goodness.  Ciao!!!

It was another Two World morning with a storm on the front side of the hill, with wind blowing and a light precipitation was falling, while on the Mineral Basin side of the hill, the Sun was shining and illuminating the dance floor for the early risers.  It did not take long for the storm clouds to fill the back bowl and make the visibility back there tricky.  On the front side of the hill the Groomers were covered with the overnight accumulation that just dusted over the mat, making the ride quiet and smooth.  The Smooth was still holding up on Lower Primrose Path after the royal treatment yesterday, as it was covered with several inches of fluff to make that section a real undiscovered treat. While the visibility was a touch problematic, the Big Smooth can be trusted to get you through the sections, with consistent goodness that you can dial in.  It is nice to know that there is smooth when things get a bit vertiginous.  Tomorrow, look for some more light accumulation to happen overnight, with more predicted during the day.  Storm riding is one of the best times to get the goods if you can deal with the uncertainty issues.   Stick with the known smooth lines in the tough times and look for the trees for reference and reflected light.  The off trail is still bouncy and variable, but as we get these continued small accumulations, lines should be getting a bit more cushion.  Check out the lines from the Tram or Chairs as you go up so you get a better sense of what to expect, though there is not telling until you get there.  Here is a shot today on our way to do a Lewis and Clarke loop to see what was out in the great beyond.  Notice the profusion of ORBS floating around in the middle of the Tunnel.  High vibrations are happening in these higher  elevations.  Nice!!!   See you for the fun on first Tram.  IBBY!!

There were perfect, large flakes falling from the sky this morning as we staged for first Boat.  A strange phenomena happened this morning where the front of the hill was shrouded in clouds, but Mineral Basin was offering a Blue Bird day back there.  If you had gone through the tunnel you would have entered in a snow storm and you would have exited in full morning Sun.  Like two different dimensions.    Trippy.   The Grooming crew, once again, had worked some of the big steep sections of the hill, which were feeling as good as it gets.  I lapped Mineral Basin for the morning session to take advantage of the Sun and fun, but the front was excellent as well, with Lower Primrose Path being off the charts sweet.  Got to love those big smooth sections of the hill.  The clouds filled in everywhere as the day progressed and started to build up some extra plush for the afternoon.  Tomorrow, look for some additional accumulation, some continued overcast, and still great lines to explore for the morning crew.  The off trail is still a bit lumpy and bumpy, but there are lines to find a bit further afield.  Here is a shot of Lower Primrose Path shining in the morning Sun.  See you for first Boat.  Peace Out. 

Another brisk clear morning greeted the morning crew, who were on hand for the trace that had fallen overnight.  The off trail was still sporting the rumble chop from the past few days, and the fresh did nothing to cushion the ride.  The Groomers were offering some really excellent lines on all sides of the hill.  It was a take your choice of perfection kind of morning.  The Cat Crew had rebuffed lower Primrose Path, which was so smooth and silky it needed to be visited repeatedly to get the imprint of goodness firmly etched in the memory banks. There were clouds moving in and out of the area, leaving the air filled with snowflakes as the Sun filtered through, creating a heavenly glow.  Here is a shot of Mineral Basin  with the light glowing in the expanse of the bowl.  Tomorrow, look for another great day of hard driving Groomers that will test the upper limit of the perfection scale.  Off trail will still be a bit tricky, though some of the lines are worth looking into as there is always a soft smooth line out there.  The traffic should still be moderate, so back to back Trams will be on tap for the early risers.  See you there for another picture perfect day of Snowbird magic.  IBBY!!

Curiously, there was  more accumulation here at the Trailer than there was up on the hill.  The light density Essence did not cushion the rumble over yesterday’s chop, which required that you pay attention to the details.  The visibility started out with some Sun out in Mineral Basin, where everyone was going for the untracked, but the big smooth had been provided courtesy of the Cat Crew.  I just love those lines that we all used to dream about before the chair was put in.  Now we get to hit it daily.  Yum!  Visibility continued to be intermittent all day, but there was adequate reference on most sections.  Tomorrow, look for more overnight accumulation, a bit  mellower crowd, and some very nice lines to check out.  The snow density was fairly high as I was leaving, so perhaps we will get a bit of cushion  for a better ride overall.  The hill is in great shape wall to wall, with some of the sections offering some rare velvet.  Here is a shot of some rare Mountain Shrooms I happened across way out in the far reaches during the Lewis and Clarke sojourns.  See you for the first Boat.  Ciao!!

It seemed as if the storm was over before it got started, as the skies this morning seemed to be clearing off.  This was only a fake out, with the continuation of the installment later in the day.  The visibility was intermittent as the day continued, and the accumulation built up nicely.  This installment is now predicted to continue into tomorrow, so there will be more goods to be had for faithful that did not get to share today.  It has been nice to watch the storm from the Trailer, and take the time to catch up on the details that get lost in the shuffle, as well as enjoy the snow falling outside the window.  Tomorrow, look for more accumulation to be lavished on the hill.  All exposures are in very good shape, and the interference patters , though stout in places, will begin to mellow as they get filled in.  Still be careful on the High North entrances, where there had been very tricky lines to negotiate in places.  Though this pattern is not supposed to be big, there might be some Canyon restrictions in the AM., so check it out before heading up.  Here is another  flash from the past at the Beach.  This was the crew that instituted this ongoing tradition.  I am so glad that these traditions still hold the spirit. Thanks you T and B for these windows into the past.  See you there for the early Trams.  IBBY!!