After the recent past accumulation, the freeze thaw cycle is beginning to corn up the pack. With that corning up, the consistency has improved top to bottom, with some very nice granular feeling lines. The Grooming Crew has done a fine job of tilling the mat to provide the tenderized lines that get you by the frozen sections. Mineral Basin was offering wide open lines, with the Lupine Loop section softening a bit behind the Powder Paradise lines. That was a positive feature, making the goods back there lasting longer into the morning. Regulator softened fairly early, but tenderizing efforts had been performed there as well, and the soft granular feel was luxurious and smooth. I dialed back the roll to take advantage of the deep feeling pack that was a real treat. Mark Malu was offering smooth Cat prepared lines that were firm to start out the day, but softened nicely around Noon. Here is a shot of a dead tree at high elevation that had a beautiful patina. The sticky factor cropped up around 1 PM and I bailed to save my knees from the extreme variability. Tomorrow, look for another fast break as the temps. are expected to be warmer than today. I still expect a freeze in the pack, so be looking for the usual break pattern to be in play, but keep an eye on the options to stay on top of the break. Coverage remains very good top to bottom, with only the very lowest cat tracks showing some discoloration. See you there for the morning session and the Powder Mafia’s Running of the ELVI who will be on the hill celebrating the Crusty Fest. Keep an eye out for the fun!! Straight Ahead!

This entry was posted on Friday, May 4th, 2018 at 3:48 pm and is filed under Snow Reports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.