Warm again in the parking lot this Wednesday morning, but the front side was frozen solid!. Mineral Basin was good to go for first Tram and was ,certainly, the call for the first runs of the day. The grooming had been expanded significantly and was much more consistent compared with days earlier this week. The shots were crusty, but were edgeable and fun. A cadre of locals were running the back to back program, and that is always a good sign of FUN!. For myself I got up early, rode the Fortklift chair until I mounted up for another Twin Peaks extravaganza. A warmer night necessitated an earlier start to avoid hitting it late. Perfect surface softness was the reward for the extra effort, and held up until the last 200′ of vertical coming out to the exit, when the supportability went away and survival methods became necessary . If we had been later, the supportability would have been gone from the get go and a night mareish slog would have been encountered; I have been there and it is not pretty. Needless to say we avoided that handily and were treated to the sweet goodness of maize. MAZOLA!! Getting back in bounds found great spring conditions and light lift traffic. Glue spots were beginning to become an issue as the snow became saturated, so care needed to be taken to avoid disaster. I heard numerous stories of getting ejected by surprise due to the variations in glide. A word to the wise is sufficient!!. It looks like we can look forward to one more day of sun before the big change, though warmer temps. will accelerate the breaking point so plan accordingly. Based on the excellent grooming this morning, I think it is safe to hit it early and often!! Be there!!!
Dazzling Day!
4-22-09 by dave