It was bright and brisk this morning, with a cold wind blowing, which made Mineral Basin a very attractive draw. The Groomers were just like butter on the backside, with the 2” of accumulation covering all the off trail with a wind buffed smoothness. The South facing aspects were a bit slabbed by the wind, but it did not present any problems. The crowd built up in the back, so I went back to the front, where there were full tilt boogie groomers, which included a fresh mow on Lower Primrose Path for the second time this season. The dry chalky carvaceous texture of that steep gullied shot made the new novelty a treat. It stayed good all day, though it did begin to get a bit worked later in the day, but the overall smooth was preserved. The Cirque is looking pretty well covered, but the Traverse out at the edge is very ledgy and requires a bit of care, as there are rocks in each of the troughs, so use caution. The exotic trees have pretty good cover, but the interference patterns out there are quite well defined. The lower aspects out on that far traverse are
PIPELINE
very difficult to navigate through the vegetation that has yet to be covered, so be warned going out. There is snow in the forecast again tonight, but I will take what I find and like it. The high relief features are still quite acute, with the popular runs lacking much in the way of escape, but a short traverse can find you a smoother line. Tomorrow, look for some new accumulation to greet the morning crew, but that under current rumble is ubiquitous, so keep that in mind. Here is a shot of the top of Pipeline peaking out behind the first ridge. See you for the first runs for fun. IBBY!!!