Well Spring has sprung all around The Trailer, and the horses in the corral are really enjoying the warm days. I even saw the cats taking advantage of the warm temps. Up on the hill the Groomers were offering the smooth lines and following the Sun is the first consideration in dialing in the day. There was a high thin veil of clouds that shrouded the full rays of the Sun, but it held in the ambient warmth and affected the pack on the lower half of the hill. The High North is still holding the cold dry chalk, but with increasing temps., we will have to keep tabs on those aspects as well as we move ahead. Some big fluffy clouds moved over the hill later in the afternoon, making the light go flat at times. Here is a shot of my friend Chris, who was one of the full time shredders on the hill when I arrived back in ’76. He is back on the hill and is getting back in the groove. Twins and Pipeline are looking mythic in the background, but it is still as it was all those years ago. Here is another archival shot of Chris in his prime getting the goods out on Restaurant Roll circa ’79. With some variations, the hill remains the same and the stoke level is still pegged!! Tomorrow, look for another sunny day with great groomers to kick things off. I will be looking for Mineral Basin to have the softest lines as the Sun works it first. There may be a bit of crispiness on the carpets, but I still think that the underlying cold snow will be worked up to the top, so there still may be some velvet to shave off. I will be back on the hill first thing after the day off. See you there for the Holiday festivities. Stay Frosty!!

It was still chilly this morning, with a light breeze that kept the temps from rising very fast with the high Sun angle. Mineral Basin was offering the goods to start out the day, with Lewis and Clark offering ground pounding fun with vacant lines to explore your inner Ligety. On the front of the hill, great Grooming had been prepared and both Peruvian Gulch and Gad Valley had smooth lines, however, Big Emma was very firm and needed till Noon to begin to break. Lower Primrose Path was offering freshly tilled lines that let you use the entire gully as a huge half pipe. Whiskey was ripping it on his board and I held back a bit just to watch. Here is Whiskey with Ann and Kate, who were offering the Sweet Treats for Customer Appreciation Day. The pack began to break on the lower mountain later in the day, but the consistency was smooth and workable. I went off trail a bit, finding nice soft snow on the High North aspects that were resisting any morphing of the pack. The traverses remain in good shape, but do use caution in the usual dodgy spots. Here is a shot of me and The Cosmic Messenger who materialized on the Plaza just in the nick of TIME. Tomorrow, look for another great day on the hill, with great Grooming on all sides of the hill. Expect the lower elevations to be a tad crisp, but you should find the upper elevations still offering smooth dailable carpets. Mineral Basin will be offering the smooth start to the day, with bright Sun, Hydro Velvet carpets and low traffic for the first hour. The hill is in great shape, have fun and make some ripping turns for me as I take the day off. As Joe Man the Snow Man says,” Don’t Skimp On The Groove Sauce”!!

The Sun was shining, the air was cold, and the carpets of AHHHHH were buffed wall to wall, making today a really nice rebound after yesterday’s visibility issues. Mineral Basin was offering full tilt fun on the Winter cold carpets that had been prepared. The Morning Crew was fully represented and took full advantage of the vacant lines that were available. On the front of the hill, the Peruvian side was holding the cold dry chalk that also had the fresh inch that fell yesterday. Here is a shot of JOMJ, who just got off the plane from Maui, just in time to get the righteous goodness at the bottom of North Chute. As the day progressed, the Sun began to warm up the air, making some of the lower aspects become a tad manky. The High North was still holding the cold and resisted morphing much at all. As I was stopped at the top of Anderson’s Hill, I ran into Perk, who was enjoying the wide open lines and was on the gas pushing into the lower half of the hill. It was fun comparing notes on the wonders of the day. Tomorrow, look for another Spring like day, with good grooming wall to wall. Look for there to be a bit of crispiness on the direct aspects, but the warming should deal with that quickly. The High North aspects will still be holding the dry chalk and the off trail is fairly smooth, with only the most heavily traveled lines developing the interference patterns. There are plenty of great lines still good to go, so just drive around and get a look at the options and go get it. Don’t Forget To SIZZLE!!

The sharp patter of rain on the skin of The Trailer signaled a shift in the weather for today. It was snowin’ and blowin’ up on the hill, with a medium density grauple that made all the groomed runs feel like driving on a vintage deep pile living room shag. Part of the Morning Crew made the descent into the abyss that was Mineral Basin as the visibility back there was Zero Zero, however, the groomed lines were covered nicely back there as well. Since I dressed for how I wanted it to be, I was immediately sent to the Peruvian Gulch to take advantage of the visual reference of the trees, and also to make a hasty retreat to the locker for a change of gear to deal with wind chill factor. The Groomers there were offering smooth velvet carpets that made the visibility issues much easier to negotiate. The big smooth lines that had been prepared yesterday were still offering the smooth, and with the added cover, pushed the stoke factor up a couple of notches. Here is a shot of the Valley, which did have some Sun shining. This is the Bingham Mine on the far side of the Valley. The Tram closed due to high winds later in the AM., so we used the chair option to access the peak, where the visibility was very difficult on the Gad side of the hill up high. I got a bit of vertigo while working my way on the road that accesses Regulator. I could not even see my skis it was blowing and snowing so hard. Here is a great shot of Team Hawkes, who are avid readers of the site and I had a great time riding the Tram with them. It was so fun to meet them. Tomorrow, look for a fairly sunny day with cool temps, great Groomers, and good off trail lines to check out. The substrate is still in play, so be sure to use caution to be able to deal with the abrupt variations. I expect smooth velvet lines to be the feature of the day. See you there for the morning hot laps. Syrup Won’t Stop ‘EM!!

It was a beautiful but quite a cold day,- with bright Sun, soft snow, and wide open Groomers that were full on Rock and Roll. Mineral Basin started off the day with velvet smooth corduroy that had been freshened by the recent installment and blended into the mat. You could explore your inner Ligety to your heart’s content. On the front of the hill, the Anderson’s Hill-Lower Primrose combination had been buffed to a smooth buffed carpet and covered with some transported dust that just put it all over the top. I had to lap that several times before breakfast. I usually take a shot of the Morning Crew, but they took one of me instead. The Exotic Trees opened after Noon today, and it offered very nice soft snow with the underlying substrate having a long rolling cadence. I lapped that line twice just to make sure it was fully explored. I worked that Primrose Path section my last Tram to find it still smooth as can be and the dust had kept building up. Here is a shot of a cornice out on a Lewis and Clark sojourn. Tomorrow, look for more great snow sport sliding on all sides of the hill. The temps. remained quite cool all day and only the very direct aspects took a hit. The High North and most other oblique aspects should be offering very good snow off trail. I did do a number of-off the beaten path- lines here and there, finding fairly smooth sections everywhere. It will be warming up, but the early Trams could have a nip in the air. See you there for the ground pounding fun. Speed Safely!

It was a sleeper powder day with only 5″ reported but it skied well deeper than that, with some isolated pockets sporting knee deep goodness. The bottom substrate was still fully in play on all sides of the hill, and even those deep spots felt the bottom layer. Visibility was variable as clouds moved in and out all day, letting some clearing happen in the higher elevations. Traffic was very light, with only the first few Trams backing up, but the Chairs were wide open and moving fast. I was looking a bit further afield for the deep pockets and found them just where I thought they would be. Still, as noted before, the bottom was in full effect and I was taking it easy as to avoid some of the underlying gnar that is still out and about. Here is a great shot of my friend Whiskey, who was charging some of the more remote lines with me this morning, where we found the
goods with no pressure, no hype. Tomorrow, look for the Grooming Crew to have worked the magic wall to wall. It should be a clear day with warming temps. It will be important to stay ahead of the Sun as it will be morphing the pack on those exposed aspects. Today, the clouds and cold temps. really kept the pack fresh and fun all day, but tomorrow it will be a different story. Mineral Basin will be offering the Sun and fun with much improved carpets as this new installment gets worked into the mat. There might be a couple of shots that were closed today that may open, so keep your eye on them as the day progresses. The hill has made a very good bounce back from the soggy weekend, and these next few days should feel like Spring. Stay Frosty!!

The Valley was socked in and it looked as if the hill was socked in as well, but there were times of clarity punctuated by periods of fog as well. The Groomers were offering the smooth lines on all sides of the hill, but there was distinct crunch as the substrate was still frozen solid. The High North aspects are still holding the smooth as the pack is so solid it is resisting getting too worked. Here is a shot of The Sunday Cliffs looking sweet. I did not make it up to the hill today as I was hit with a nasty attack of food poisoning that laid me out for the entire day. I think I lost 10 lbs, but as I write this I am feeling a tad better, however I have Zero energy. I am certain that I will be back up on the hill in the AM. Tomorrow, look for some more accumulation as it is snowing briskly here at The Trailer. I will be looking for the High North smooth lines for the steep stoke. I will be also looking at Mineral Basin for the smooth as well and the Lewis and Clark extravaganza that waits there every morning. I will have a full hands on report for tomorrow. In the mean time I am going belly up to try and rest up. See you there for the First Boat. See the Line, BE the Line!!

There was a short window of clear weather to start out the day. Mineral Basin was offering some smooth fluff covered lines that pulled the crowd back there from the start. On the front of the hill, the High North aspects were offering very smooth lines that have been absent for most of the season and it was nice to have the big drops holding the smooth. I will be looking to some lines there myself when I hit the hill in the AM. Lower on the hill, the consistency was more Spring like with a corn feel that was tantalizing. Clouds moved in after Noon and flurries began, making the visibility go flat. Here is a Sunny shot of Toad Hill with the upper tower of the Mineral Chair framing the scene. Tomorrow, look for the Groomers to be offering the smooth lines. Look for the smooth on the High North aspects as they probably will be holding the sheen. With some overnight flurries, there should be some fresh Essence to cushion the ride. I will be back on the hill dark and early. Traffic should be brisk, so look to the chairs for the uphill options. Straight Ahead!!

It was snowing on the deck as the first Tram began the day. Yesterday’s sogginess froze overnight, being covered with some medium density Essence that made the consistency quite tricky. When the Peruvian side of the hill opened it offered fairly smooth lines on the High North aspects, but the frozen static was still in play, making you pay strict attention. Lower down on the hill, there was some stickiness which made you be direct and deliberate. I hit the Forklift Chair to assess the options for the day. Here is a shot of The Twins I took a couple of days ago, when the air was clear and Hi Def. When I left the hill at Noon, it was snowing but there were breaks in the clouds that gave way to clearing and a Sunny afternoon. Tomorrow, look for a clear day, smooth Groomers, and still tricky consistency to deal with. We will just have to wait and see how it all shakes out, but I am guessing that the low angle aspects will be offering the best off trail results. The Sun will be affecting the direct aspects as the day warms up, so follow the Sun and stay ahead of the curve. I will be taking the day off as usual and will be back on the hill on Sunday. Have a great day! IBBY!!

It was a very soggy morning as I pulled into the parking lot. The Morning Crew was on deck and suiting up for the First Tram to see first hand how the hill was sliding. The top third of the hill was offering a soft grauple surface that felt very nice underfoot.
Lower down on the hill, that consistency suddenly morphed to a very sticky feeling pack that required some walking to get to the next steep pitch. The lower third of the hill was becoming quite granular and felt downright Spring like, though it was really raining and saturating most outerwear. The Crew hit the Forklift Chair after that Tram to assess the options of the day. Reports from the high elevations after an hour or so signaled continued accumulation of grauple with smooth consistency holding up. Staying with the Little Cloud Chair was the ticket, with Gad 2 offering a good alternative, however, it did get a big manky on the lower section of that lift as well. Here is a shot I took yesterday as the clouds moved off briefly around Noon. Tomorrow, look for more variable weather, but there does look like there might be a bit of clearing. Look for the Groomers to be offering the best consistency. We will just have to wait and see how the off trail shakes out. Still, I will be there for the First Tram and the Morning Crew will bring it whatever we find. Speed Safely!!