It was brisk and Sunny on the peak, with the Grooming offering off the charts quality on all aspects, as the cold snow did not get damaged yesterday with the afternoon warming.  The High North was still providing dry cold soft snow that was still blowing up in the Sun.   The Exotic Trees were served up three days after the storm, and the quality there was absolutely perfect.  Bottomless, recrystalized, knee deep Essence graced the smooth terrain top to bottom of that area.  Here is a shot of Gadzooks that you will rarely if ever see, let alone ski, with quality and lack of pressure.  I just could not believe the synchronicity of getting these lines 3 days after a storm.  I just does not happen anymore, but here it was.  Yikes.  The cold temps were very slow to warm, and the quality of the snow stayed dry and cold, with only a hint of heaviness at 2:00PM.   Tomorrow, look for the Groomers to be, once again, off the charts smooth and wall to wall shag silky.  The High North will still be holding the cold, but beware of the Sun soaked off trail exposures out in Mineral Basin.  The Groomers back there will be good to go for the first while, and the front of the hill will be good to go from the first Tram with no need to wait for softening.  It will be a bit warmer in the AM, but I would still dress for a brisk start.  Here is a shot of Louiser and The Beach Babe from Huntington Beach CA., who were getting the goods out in Mineral Basin.  They were highly impressed with the great quality and coverage.  They sure look happy here, and they were indeed.  Syrup won’t stop ‘EM!!

The Sun was bright, but the air was cold with a stiff breeze blowing out of the North. Mineral Basin was the prime target for the morning crew.   Perfect powder awaited any line you chose today, lap after lap.  Here is a shot of lower Silver Dipper with two runs of our tracks there on the right  with no one crossing them.  The next shot is my friend Wep, who is out for the first time this season, and he got the goods of the day on these runs.  Staying ahead of the crowd and the Sun was the order of the day, with any line feeling smooth and so consistent.  I just could not get over the quality, which the cold air and afternoon clouds help keep soft and light.  Only in the late afternoon did some of the aspects begin to show signs of Mank.  The High North escaped the Sun, so it will still be offering Winter  goodness in the AM.  Tomorrow, look for the Groomers to be off the charts perfect, with dry chalky buff top to bottom.  The off trail will still be good to go all over the hill,  but be aware that those exposures in Mineral Basin, that got direct Sun, will be a bit tricky.  With a 119” base the coverage is very good, but watch the break overs  where reefs might be lurking.   Look to the guts for the deepest accumultions.  It should be another sunny day, but I suspect a cold morning again, so be sure to dress for the cold.  What a treat to have mid Winter conditions this late in April.   Peace Out!!

It was another full Winter day, with 10” of fresh Essence covering the hill, full storm conditions, and the perfect density to make this day like it was Mid Winter.   The medium density grauple had enough heft to cushion the old layer, which only came into play very rarely.   The Faithful, once again, showed up in full force to partake of this late Spring extravaganza.  A delayed start, backed up the Tram line, but The Peruvian Express was fired up to supplement the uphill capacity.  Once things got going, everyone was getting as  much as possible as fast as possible, but the Lake Effect kicked in and began to build up the depth with very light density Fluffulecence, that made all exposures on the hill good to go.  I ventured out the traverses and found excellence, where just days before I had written those areas off for the season.  I found myself returning to the far reaches again and again to get the goods.  Even after areas got skied out, the crud was smooth and consistent with no weirdness to deal with.  What a metamorphosis today was.   I ran out of gas as at 3:00PM, but the conditions kept getting better as the Lake Effect was still engaged and dumping.  Tomorrow, look for the areas that were closed today to be in play, the off trail to still be good to go wall to wall, and the Groomers to be offering the velvet touch once again.  You will be racing the Sun in the AM. to stay ahead of the damage that is sure to occur as the day progresses.  The hill is good to go, no cautionary advisories, and there will be a full Winter feel to the morning session.  Be sure to dress for morning cold, but layer up so you can drop them as the day heats up.  A very nice Corn Cycle is in the cards for later this week.  That is the best of both worlds.  Here is a shot of the expectant crowd waiting at the Peruvian Chair.  I went to the Forklift Chair to await the opening and get fired up for the  after breakfast  session.  Stay Frosty!!

The faithful showed up in large numbers this morning to get this recent installment of the late season Essence.   It was very cold on the peak, with very high winds that made it seem like Winter all over again.  I had just gotten used to driving with the top down, and now I was all bundled up with Mid Winter gear.   The overnight accumulation had been driven by the wind into the low guts and hollows by the nuking winds, and the High North was offering the best feel.  Lower down on the hill the variations were a bit more extreme, with some very crusty conditions underneath the new snow. I stuck with the known smooth lines to avoid the frozen variations, but there were a lot of nice lines to choose from.  The Tram was backed up early, and the Peruvian Express was fired up to help with the demand.  Nice touch.  Mineral Basin was open as well, though Powder Paradise was closed, so there was plenty of terrain to keep the faithful busy.  High Baldy was opened, and there were some very encouraging reports coming back from that exposure.  Tomorrow, look for another front to move in overnight with snow during the day.  That will help keep the quality up, and add to the cushion we have been working on.  Still, expect those crusty spots to be in effect all over the hill.  The Groomers should be Winter smooth and dry, and the place to be if you are uncertain about the off trail.   Here is a shot of the expectant crowd gathering early for the festivities.  Nice to see the stoke still smoking hot.  IBBY!!

It has been very rainy here at the Trailer, with thunderous downpours from time to time, which translates to Essence on the hill.  The Bird Site has been reporting 10” with the recent accumulation of medium density product.  That is a win win for everyone, as this depth will be enough to cushion the frozen layer.  Rain continues as I write this, so we can expect some additional accumulation for the morning session.  The forecast is for continued flurries through tomorrow morning and this is what I have been waiting for, though never really expected.  Tomorrow, look for the smooth lines that you know are good to go, especially the Groomers, but the mountain is fairly smooth as the interference patterns have melted away. The temps should remain cool, so the quality should hold up for quite a while and not deteriorate with a sunny morning.  The hill is in great shape and the Peruvian Chair seems to be operating for the weekend traffic, so that is a great option if the Tram backs up.  Here is a shot of the surface of the planet Xenon which I took while in high orbit during last Summer’s hyperspace sojourn.  It is a lot further out than a Lewis and Clark!!  Syrup won’t stop ‘EM!!

It was quite warm on the peak this morning, but the front of the hill needed some time to break.  Mineral Basin was prime and ready with some very nice Grooming to greet the morning crew, who rapidly lapped the corn goodness.  It reminded me of the times of back country tours for this quality.   The front of the hill started to break around 11:00AM, when that sorbet feel came alive underfoot.  Light traffic on the Tram made the back to back pace easy to make, and it also allowed variations on a theme on both sides of the hill.  Regulator broke around Noon, offering that steep section drive line that begged for deep carving turns.  The cover is still holding up nicely and no real melt off problems exist at all.  Tomorrow, look for the approaching weather system to be an all day feature that promises to extend into Sunday, so dress for storm riding and cold temps as it looks like another cold one.  Remember, it was 10 Degrees on the peak last Wednesday.   Depending on the overnight accumulation, you will have to discern the best lines to take.  The Groomers will offer the know constant of consistent smooth.  Off trail will present some other issues, but if there is enough cushion to the ride, it will allow a much broader  choice menu.  Here is a shot of an old Lodge Pole Pine that is now returning to the big cycle as well as is the snow pack.  Just a metaphor for this late Spring extravaganza.  Here today, gone tomorrow.  See you on Sunday.  Peace Out!!

The Cat Crew was hard at work to prepare today’s stellar grooming offering.  The high contrast variations of yesterday had been worked into the mat, with the cold dry feel of the new installment making the lines feel almost Mid Winteresque.   The warmer temps made that ice lens morph into a light glaze that crumbled easily beneath the edge.  Mineral Basin was very nice  for the first run, but I was anxious to try the Peruvian lines to take advantage of the awesome Groomed lines there.  Those lines were perfect and let you dial in a full contact turn that was as consistent as anything we had just a few weeks ago when perfection reined after that last cycle.  What a difference a day makes and a huge shout out to the Cat Crew for making today such a special day of ground pounding fun.  It was not until 2:00PM that the lower mountain began to get too sticky for me, but the corn sorbet was calling me to keep lapping.   Here is a shot of the high contrast of the rain stained surface covered by the new bright white installment.  Tomorrow, look for another great morning on the Groomers with the off trail breaking later in the morning.  The off trail is quite smooth with the interference patterns well melted down into insignificance.  Despite the melt off, the  hill is still well covered with no areas to avoid, with the exception of the edges near the rock bands and trees.   See you there for the morning fun.  Peace Out!!

At 8:30PM last night the front moved through the Valley, with thunder, lightning, and torrential rain that was cacophonous as it pounded on the Trailer.  Up on the hill, it rained hard on the peak before the temps dropped, when 4” of high density snow fell on the hill.  It was 10 Degrees on the peak when the first Tram docked, with high winds and the Sun trying to make an appearance.   This was one of the most difficult days that I can remember, with the high sheen of the Ice Lens interspersed with patches of accumulated snow.  The Groomers were the most consistent lines, with the off trail very difficult dust on highly polished glaze that held the old crud pattern solidly in place.  The new snow had a nice consistency, and the low angle aspects were the best ride on the hill.  After a lap in Mineral Basin and a struggle down Peruvian Gulch, I made a hasty retreat to the Forklift Chair to assess the options.  I chose to call it a day and re align the Hyper link to the Andromeda Galaxy that was knocked out by the heavy wind.  I got it up and running with the extra time I had today.   Here is a shot looking out the mouth of the Canyon as I made my way back to the Plaza.  Tomorrow, look for the Ice Lens to be still in play, though the Groomers will be the call to start things off.  As today was very cold, there was not much of a break up high, but I will be looking for much more consistent lines after all this gets stirred up a bit. I will be looking to Mineral Basin first to take advantage of the early Sun and low traffic.  See you on the first Boat.  Ciao!!

It was very warm on the peak this morning as the South Wind started winding up ahead of the approaching Front.  As I write this, the Trailer is rocking hard as the wind is pumping through the valley with some thunder to go with it.  Here it comes.  Mineral Basin was soft and smooth on the prepared lines and had a bit of Sun shining through the high cloud deck.  The front side of the hill was crispy only on the very highest elevations, but the pack softened just as you got down a bit, offering some sumptuous sorbet for the rest of the run.  I kept hitting those smooth lines to get as much as I could before it got too tracked out.  Over all the break was quick and ready to go in the first hour, and light traffic made the back to back pace easy to make.  After the last warm stretch, the hill is now beginning to show the signs of melt off, especially next to rock outcroppings, trees and South facing banks next to the Cat Tracks.  The Cat Tracks are still fully fat and do not have any areas to avoid, but off trail there are some spots that might be problematic if you get too close to the edges of things.  The Lower Primrose Path has just a few shrubberies beginning to show through, but they are obvious and easy to get around.  It is sad to see the pack begin it’s return to the Big Cycle, but time marches on.  Tomorrow, look for weather to have moved into the area.  Remember the smooth lines from the past few days if there is much in the way of accumulation, and remember the frozen crust that is sure to be significant as this system moves through.   Here is a shot of the meeting of the MINDS, as we discussed the direction to take on a Lewis and Clark sojourn.  IBBY!!

It was very warm on the peak as the First Tram docked, with soft corn underfoot as we mounted up.  Mineral Basin was offering soft corn goodness with no waiting at all.  The Grooming Crew had prepared some very nice drops that reminded me of smooth back country lines you have to hike to get at.  We used to dream of skiing these lines long before the lift was installed there, and now it is good to go.  What a treat.  On the Front Side, the warmth was slow to break with the morning Sun, but did break quickly after breakfast, making the Peruvian lines fun top to bottom.  While Upper Primrose did not get the fresh till, the lower two sections had been prepared and were fast fun and smooth.  By Noon, Regulator had broken and was a delight especially on the right hand side of the main line.  Off trail became good to go around 1:30PM where the sorbet feel was ubiquitous. Tomorrow, it looks like there might be some high clouds moving in ahead of the front that is moving into the area in the next few days.  They are predicting heavy winds with some significant velocity associated with the system, so plan on dressing for the wind.  The Gad Zoom Chair is also closed for the season, though Wilbre is still operating if you plan on dropping below the  Bass Highway.   We’ll have to see how the freeze develops, and go from there in the AM.  Here is a shot of The Bliss Brothers, who were working the Little Cloud Chair hard.  These two have more fun than anyone I know. See you for the morning corn fest.  Syrup won’t stop ‘ EM!!