From The Cornice Run

The view from the Cornice Run is certainly one of my favorites.

 

Taos Update

The Arapahoe Basin / Taos Ski Valley partnership is alive and well. Taos, like A-Basin, is working closely with its state and local authorities to develop an operating plan consistent with COVID-19 guidelines. Again, like A-Basin, Taos has to reduce skier visits on peak days. Because of that, we have to make some changes.

Pending New Mexico State Health Orders, your A-Basin season pass will still get you three, free days at Taos to ski or ride. For the 2020-21 season, those days will be limited to Monday thru Thursday with the following blackout days: December 19-January 3 and March 13-28. Pre-reservations will be required and tickets will be limited each day. Taos and A-Basin are ideal partners and we look forward to getting beyond these COVID-19 challenges. Thank you for your understanding.

Please call 888.262.8398 to book your reservation. For skiing, riding and opening day information, go to Skitaos.com.

Molly Hogan, Snowmaking, Snowsports School

The current snowmaking push is on Molly Hogan. We plan to open the new quad chair and the Pika Magic Carpet Saturday. This allows the Snowsports School to kick into a much higher gear offering lessons for anyone interested. More work for our employees and more chances to get people hooked on skiing and riding.

Tomorrow the Snowmakers move to Sundance. We managed to get that trail open with natural snow. It was good fun for a while, but right now, it needs a little love from the Snowmakers and Cat Drivers.

Loafer

With a ski down Loafer Saturday, I took my first my first spin of the season in The Beavers. Below timberline, there was a very consistent 20 inches of snow on the ground. The skiing was quite good. Above timberline still needs a few storms and a lot of snowcat work. The fences near the ridge have caught a decent amount of snow. The two steep pitches need the most work.  Folowing future storms, the snowcat drivers will push the drifts on to those steep pitches. We have a ways to go, but this is a great start.

All these steps that our Patrollers, Snowmakers, Cat Drivers and Lifters take in the fall become the foundation for great skiing throughout the season.

 

Directed Skiing

Over the last few days, the Ski Patrol has led some Directed Skiing on Slalom Slope, West Wall and Lenawee Parks. This really helps the snow set up nicely. They start by doing ski cutting and foot packing with some of the earliest snow. After more snow they let a few people ski it up and pack it down. Following subsequent storms this is repeated until there is enough snow to handle a full opening. We don't want to just open it up and ski it to ground. Each time it is skied or disturbed, the snow gets a little more packed. Patiently packing in those first few storms of snow makes for a really good ski surface.

 

Lenawee Opens Thursday

Lenawee Lift will open Thursday. I took a couple of runs on Lenawee Face and Dercum's Gulch this morning. It is fantastic. The staff spent the entire day getting the trails ready. The snowmakers moved their equipment out of the way. The snow cat operators dozed and manicured the snow. The lift team prepped their terminals. The ski patrol deployed their ropes, pads and signs. With the added lift and terrain, we can host a few more people. This is good.

We just spent the last 24 hours dealing with a royal pain in the $%&. Our internet provider wasn't providing the last 24 hours. That means the website, e-store and lots of other stuff doesn't work so well - or at all. For that time period, even though we added more tickets to the e-store inventory, no one could buy tickets. That is all fixed. If you were unable to buy a ticket, go check the store again. There are more tickets now and the store is working.

And the skiing is great.

 

Thanksgiving Surprise

We may have an Upper Mountain surprise on Thanksgiving.

 

Lenawee Face Snowmaking

Slowly, but surely, we are getting there.