It was a much warmer morning, but the wind on the higher elevations kept the wind chill down in the single digits. The first Tram pulled the faithful toward Mineral Basin where some nice Grooming had been done, which offered total carve confidence. I opted to try and get the last remaining area for freshies and was rewarded for the patience by getting the rope drop to the Deep Exotic Trees. Here is a shot of the open area that The Tramrat and I punched out on the first run there. The quality on this upper pitch was very nice, but got progressively denser as you got down to the lower elevations. Here is a shot of The Tramrat getting the goods and making it look easy. On the front of the hill, wind had worked some of the High North lines overnight, which left some very steep, dry, chalky lines that really kept you turning. All the old features are now buried and a full on fall line approach is good to go almost anywhere you choose. There are still some very stiff lines on some of the off trail aspects, but it is well worth the effort to explore and find those gems that seem to get ignored. Tomorrow, look for clear skies as the system has moved East and the High Pressure is building in. I was able to dress in much lighter gear for the afternoon session as the day did warm up. I think I can dress for a warm day from the first Tram. I will be looking for the Groomers to be offering more Hydro Velvet goodness, and I will be looking for those wind lines to still be offering some very challenging turns. Keep It Tight!!
SLOW CLEARING
3-08-17 by dave