COLD FRONT

4-14-16 by dave

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. IMG_5169Since 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!!

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