Warmth had finally filled the air with a balmy feel right to the top of the hill.  Still, the front of the hill was quite crispy, but nice tenderized lines had been provided to the bottom.  Out in Mineral Basin, the Corn Goodness was a sorbet delight on the prepared lines of White Diamonds and Lower Silver Dipper.  Low traffic and no waiting made back to back laps to the goods a real treat to kick off the day.  The consistency was off the charts creamy and dreamy with full arc turns fully reliable and loaded with delicious.  Around 10:30 AM. the front of the hill began to break, so I took advantage of the Peruvian Chair to pound out those top to bottom lines that felt back country smooth and velvety.  These are special days that, to me, are as good as any powder day of the season.  While waiting for the First Chair, I ran into the other half of Team Bro Bro, who were back to get these great Spring conditions before Summer starts.  After Noon, Regulator broke, offering ultra buffed corduroy corn goodness that made the Little Cloud Chair a fast ride to more of the goods lap after lap.  The bright Sun was deluxe, though, surprisingly, did not seem to bother the quality on the upper elevations.  Lower down on the hill, the sticky factor began to crop up, so staying up on the high elevations was the best way to extend the goodness.   Tomorrow, look for another great day of Spring conditions.  The hill remains in great shape on all aspects top to bottom.  Look for there to be a light freeze on the front of the hill, but Mineral will be offering the goods to start the day.   Expect the sticky factor to be happening after Noon on the lower elevations.   As a parting shot, here is one of the folks who shows up every Spring to get the last of the Season’s offerings. He is sporting a very bold fashion statement that screams Cruise Wear.  Gots to Love it.  Syrup Won’t Stop ‘EM!!

A light freeze had set up the dance floor overnight, but with just enough set to give the turns a nice feeling give underfoot.  Out in Mineral Basin, the White Diamonds and Lower Silver Dipper line had been given a very nice buff, which was feeling perfectly broken for the first runs of the morning.  The Sun was in and out as clouds moved high over the hill, but visibility was quite good with good definition on all sides of the hill.  Very light traffic was a nice feature, with ski on chairs on every lap, making the vertical pace fun and fast.  Here is a shot of an interesting cloud that was hovering at the mouth of the Canyon.  The rest of the sky was filled with lenticular formations that were very cool looking as well.  That Northerly flow is still hanging in there, keeping the temps. a bit cooler than they would otherwise be.  The pack did break fully around 11:00AM. where top to bottom sorbet was being offered on all aspects.  The Groomers were offering the smoothest feel, but off trail was becoming soft and workable as the pack broke.  Tomorrow, look for another cool morning, with a light freeze once again.  It may not take as long for the hill to break, as warmer air is predicted to be moving in to the Front. Be sure to follow the Sun, and take advantage of those big smooth drops that are freshly prepared for the morning session.  See you there for the morning corn festival that is another version of perfect.  More Cowbell!!

The Sun was shining, and the temps. were very cold once again this morning as the Morning Crew made it’s way up the Peruvian Chair to access Mineral Basin.  The hill was covered in 2 to 3 inches of uber light Essence that was so light it really can’t be measured.  I checked.  It was more like Fairy Dust, and it made those first lines on White Diamonds and Lower Silver Dipper a taste sensation.  With Lewis and Clark closed for the season, we worked a more truncated variation of it just to keep the energy going and get those fresh lines that were not going to be visited.   The clarity of the air was stunning after the storm had scrubbed the atmosphere of all haze.  Here is a shot of the Twins, featuring Pipeline which had some fresh tracks perfectly executed top to bottom.  That is how you ski that Chute; Non Stop!!  Temps. remained cold and the pack took a long time to break, but there were some aspects that saw the direct Sun and were offering the Sorbet you look for in the Spring. What a great combination of Powder and Corn all in one run.  The High Speed Quads make zooming around the hill fast and fun with no delay on loading.  It felt like a private resort.  The pack did break on the lower mountain later in the day, and those West facing aspects were just deluxe.   Tomorrow, look for more excellent Grooming to be available on all sides of the hill, but follow the Sun for the best quality.  Mineral Basin can be counted on for the first breaks of the day, and later breaks will begin around 11:00AM.  The High North aspects  should hold up all day as that Northerly flow persists.  See you there for the fast chair chase as we follow the Sun.  Speed Safely!!

The temps. were still quite cold this morning, even though the Sun was shining brightly and there was little wind.  Mineral Basin was the call for the opening bell, with White Diamonds and Lower Silver Dipper offering ground pounding perfection top to bottom, as the consistency of the corduroy was mid Winter cold and buffed.  A huge turn out by the Morning Crew plied the lines on Lewis and Clark for the last time of the season as the chair will now be closed.  Here is a shot of the full assembly at the top of the Corner looking up at Hidden Peak.  On the front of the hill, it was going to be some time until the break, as the cold temps. made it tough for the pack to gather much momentum, but that also stretched the quality of the pack to be great well into the late afternoon.  I went out to the far Exotic Trees today, as they have not been opened for quite some time, where we found some perfect powder 3 days after the storm. Lower down on that run, the consistency became quite challenging, but a line choice in the deep trees helped pull that one out just fine.  The annual Jake and Sully Bypass Road Extravaganza was held once again, with great food, drinks and friends, all of whom have been together now for 40 years. How time flies when  you are having fun.  This shot was taken just as the festivities were just getting started.  Later on it was a scene of full party attendance, with great weather and lots of laughs.  Here is a shot of The Tramrat, who was cooking up the burgers, dogs, and Brauts as fast as he could to keep up with the pace of the hungry arrivals.  Tomorrow, the Tram will be down for Track Cable Replacement, so it will be the Peruvian Chair for the next week, Gad Valley, and Mineral Basin for the terrain access.  Look for great Grooming to be the ticket for the opening bell.  Mineral Basin will be the call with the bright Sun working the pack.  The front of the hill will be breaking later, but I suspect not much melt until around 11:00AM on the front.  The off trail will be a bit tricky, so look around and see what might look good.  See you there for the morning fun.  IBBY!!

The Northwesterly flow kept the temps. cold this morning, though the Sun was out for the opening hour or so.  The Groomers were Winter buffed dry and cold, which was a treat for dialing the deep carved turns.  The sections that had not opened yesterday were opened today, which offered high quality Essence for a second day in a row.  Clouds moved back in a bit later in the morning and hung in all day, but that helped keep the quality nicely refrigerated. Even the temp. at the base never got warm, so the goods were good to go all day. Here is a shot I took yesterday of the freshly fallen dust hanging on the trees down on the lower mountain.  Tomorrow, look for the Groomers to, once again, be offering Winter like smooth, with plenty of play to get your edges in all the way through the turn.  The reverberations from the last storm may still be hanging on the hill, so expect continued cold temps. for the morning session.  Off trail will continue to be good, but the old layer is becoming more a factor as the hill gets worked.  Look for the High North to be still holding the best quality, but I don’t think the Sun had much chance to hit the pack too hard today.  It will be the last day of the Tram operation, so be sure to get there for the festivities.  I will see you dark and early for the ground pounding fun.  Stay Frosty!!

The conditions were great this morning, as the overnight accumulation was much lighter and added depth to the higher density product from yesterday.   The Faithful were in full attendance to start out the day, and wasted no time working the lines as they came available. I chose to look to the far reaches to stay away from the fray and got some very nice Fluffulescent Essence that was a delight.  The higher elevations offered much deeper lines, and as the clouds moved off the Sun revealed the fantastic coating that was delivered with this installment.  Mineral Basin was opened when the control work was completed, but the consistency there was a bit thicker, however, it was great to get those long pitches all dressed out in deep white. Here is a shot of the Basinjust before the opening, looking as stellar as it was.  Around Noon, lake effect flurries moved in, which began delivering some ultra light Essence to add to the fun, though the visibility did suffer a bit.  Tomorrow, look for the Groomers to be offering Winter buffed lines as the new product is worked into the mat.  There are still some areas that were not opened today waiting in the wings.  The Northwesterly flow will keep the temps. a bit cooler, so the higher elevations will stay softer longer, though those aspects that see the direct Sun will get hit quickly. Stay ahead of the Sun.  The off trail is much improved, but after today’s traffic, the old layer will be in play much more than it was today.  I will be taking the day off tomorrow, to dial in the Array after the wind knocked the alignment out of whack.  I need to get the Andromeda feed back up and running so I can keep up on the Cosmic Chatter.  See the Line, Be the Line!!

It was storming on the hill this morning, with rain on the Plaza, but a change to snow just a few hundred feet up the cables.  On the Peak, visibility was marginal, but easily discernible with snow falling briskly.   Out in Mineral Basin the Groomers were lightly covered with new product, but were quite firm, though with plenty of traction with the new snow.  On the front of the hill, the Peruvian Gulch lines were good as well, however, the off trail was very tricky with the frozen underlying pack that was difficult.  At the bottom of the hill, the last couple of hundred feet were moving between snow and rain, but up high it was coming down in a fury.  As the Cold Front moved in, the storm got wild with wind, heavy graupel, and static in the air that shut the lifts down for a bit while the Front moved through.  I took that opportunity to head down the Canyon to avoid the very slick roads that were becoming problematic.  Later, more snow began to build in and the lifts opened again, with a fast increase in depth that made free refills a bonus.  The high density product was sticking to the old layer, which was the perfect scenario for this installment.  Tomorrow, look for additional accumulation to have been added overnight as the Low is still incoming from the West.  Remember your smooth lines from this week and try out those off trail lines that will be improving as the pack builds up. Since today offered no opportunities for photos, I offer this shot I got with my good friend Lilly.  This was a nice warm day with lots of Sun, which is in sharp contrast with today’s Winter like conditions.  See you there for the morning freshness.  Speed Safely!!

The sky did not look too encouraging from the Valley this morning, and most folks just turned over in bed and did not make the effort.  Up on the hill however, the visibility was quite good, though the light was a bit flat, but the Groomers were just perfect wall to wall on all aspects from the word GO.  Mineral Basin was offering White Diamonds and Lower Silver dipper, with the Lewis and Clark area completing the lap.  The feel was the Powder version of Spring time perfect, where each turn was consistent and sumptuous.  On the front of the hill, both sides of the hill were happening as well, with no time lag in the break, as it had never frozen at all.  What a treat it was to get perfect lines top to bottom with no one there.  Here is a shot I took just before I walked in to the Tram to get the First Boat.  Traffic did pick up as the morning moved forward, but those empty runs were just a delight that was a rare gift for those who made the effort.  By Noon, the pack got tracked out a bit and piled up, and the off trail was getting the break that made venturing out off the Groomers a fun exploration.  Clouds did move in and out all day, but the visibility remained good.   Tomorrow, look for some accumulation to have been delivered, as it is raining hard here at the Trailer as I write this.  This first accumulation should be quite high density, so it will stick to the old layer and begin the cushioning feature.  The storm is predicted to get colder as it moves into the Front, so we can expect increasingly lighter density with the drop in the temps..  Expect weather all day, with marginal visibility, storm riding conditions, and improving consistency as the accumulation builds.  See you there for the morning session.   Syrup Won’t Stop ‘EM!!!

It was a perfect start to the day, with Mineral Basin offering delightful Sorbet right off the bat on White Diamonds and the Lower Silver dipper combination.  The addition of the Lewis and Clark lap topped off the cycle, which the Morning Crew kept hitting until the folks started showing up.  Here is a close up shot of the perfect corduroy that had a fine dusting on top.  This perfect example was wall to wall for the early risers and it felt like heaven.  On the front of the hill, the Peruvian Gulch was firm, but nicely prepared tenderized lines offered soft granular traction top to bottom.  The Gad side of the hill would break around 11:30 AM., when  the Regulator window opened.  We were doing Little Cloud Chairs lap after lap to dial in that perfect rarity.  A big tip of the hat to the Cat Crew, who have been working magic on the hill.  I was slowing way down to extract as much juiciness from each turn on those perfect shag carpets that were waiting just for all of the folks who showed up.  Tomorrow, weather is predicted to move in, but the timing is iffy.  I suspect the morning session will be well worth the early rise before the clouds and precipitation moves in later.  Look for the Groomers to be offering the best lines in the AM. as the off trail will be very difficult.  Temps. should still be mild, so a hard freeze may not materialize, however, the Gad side of the hill will remain very firm.  Coverage remains excellent wall to wall, so get ready for a Winter pattern to move in for the next few days.  Stay Frosty!!

The temps. still had a nip to them for the first Boat, but Mineral Basin was offering hot laps with a soft granular consistency that kept the pace fast and fun.  Lewis and Clark was also offering the goods, with that last pitch to the Mineral Chair feeling back country steep and smooth.  Here is a shot of the Morning Crew all assembled during the first exploration lap of the morning. The Sun was a great feature as the visibility was full technicolor bright, and the turns were carvaliciously deep.  On the Peruvian side of the hill, tenderizing efforts made the main line to the bottom feel granular and soft while the Gad side was still holding the firmness until the softening went off.  Regulator finally broke around Noon, with that sorbet feel that made it a lap after lap sensation.  I always pretend I am hitting the North West aspect of  Red Baldy that has the exact same characteristics that Regulator offers, but without the serious approach issues involved in getting to that back country drop.  It was not until around 1:30 PM. when the lower elevations began to become thick and slushy, but the higher elevations held up for the better part of the day as clouds moved in and out, keeping the quality from degrading with the burning Sun.  Tomorrow, look for another great day of Spring conditions, with the usual around the clock approach that will keep you in the Sorbet Zone for the better part of the day.  Coverage remains excellent, and when the hill finally does break, the off trail is worth exploring for those out of the way lines that you may be spying.  Don’t forget to SIZZLE!!