Wednesday, December 31, 2014

West Zuma Opens


We had another big trail opening today. Much of West Zuma is now open for skiing and riding. That is the area below the Zuma Cornice beyond MGD. Today's opening included Schauffler and Jump. I had a nice run in Jump. This Pano function on my iphone is kind of fun. Be sure and enlarge this image to get the full picture.







West Zuma Opens

We had another big trail opening today. Much of West Zuma is now open for skiing and riding. That is the area below the Zuma Cornice beyond MGD. Today's opening included Schauffler and Jump. I had a nice run in Jump. This Pano function on my iphone is kind of fun. Be sure and enlarge this image to get the full picture.


Tuesday, December 30, 2014

A Little Cold


As great as the skiing has been the last few days, the temps have been just a wee bit chilly. Chilly enough that some of you have been staying away. Well, the next few days should be about 20 degrees warmer. Today, I enjoyed a very bundled up family ski day. The North Side and MGD were tremendous and we warmed up with food from the Crepe Station at Black Mountain Lodge. Wednesday should be a stellar day with mostly sunny skies and the temps might break out of the teens. Don't miss it.



























A Little Cold

As great as the skiing has been the last few days, the temps have been just a wee bit chilly. Chilly enough that some of you have been staying away. Well, the next few days should be about 20 degrees warmer. Today, I enjoyed a very bundled up family ski day. The North Side and MGD were tremendous and we warmed up with food from the Crepe Station at Black Mountain Lodge. Wednesday should be a stellar day with mostly sunny skies and the temps might break out of the teens. Don't miss it.







Sunday, December 28, 2014

Snowing Again


It has been snowing lightly most of the day. The forecasts say this might be a halfway decent little storm with somewhere between 4"-12" of new snow the next 2 days. The skiing was superb again today. All the lines I skied, including The Spine, Durrance, and Standard. were in very nice shape. It just keeps getting better.











Snowing Again

It has been snowing lightly most of the day. The forecasts say this might be a halfway decent little storm with somewhere between 4"-12" of new snow the next 2 days. The skiing was superb again today. All the lines I skied, including The Spine, Durrance, and Standard. were in very nice shape. It just keeps getting better.



Saturday, December 27, 2014

......And We Opened MGD


The Montezuma Bowl opening was all we hoped for. There were groomers. There were glades. There was even some steep powder. People were having a great time. About noon we opened MGD or more specifically Black Bear, Long Chute, Max, Groswold, and Durrance. That was a planned and hoped for bonus that came through. I think people were having a little fun there. It was a bit chilly to start the morning, but that did not seem to dull the excitement in any way. A whole lot of our staff put significant energy into making this opening happen today. Be sure and give your friendly, neighborhood A-Basin employee a hug. Today was one of those stunningly, brilliant A-Basin kind of days. I live for days like this.








































......And We Opened MGD

The Montezuma Bowl opening was all we hoped for. There were groomers. There were glades. There was even some steep powder. People were having a great time. About noon we opened MGD or more specifically Black Bear, Long Chute, Max, Groswold, and Durrance. That was a planned and hoped for bonus that came through. I think people were having a little fun there. It was a bit chilly to start the morning, but that did not seem to dull the excitement in any way. A whole lot of our staff put significant energy into making this opening happen today. Be sure and give your friendly, neighborhood A-Basin employee a hug. Today was one of those stunningly, brilliant A-Basin kind of days. I live for days like this.










Friday, December 26, 2014

Winching Follow Up


There was a really good winching question a couple of posts ago. Why is the winch at the top? Heads up - this is definitely Snow Nerd stuff. Most of the winching we do involves using a fixed anchor. The winch cat attaches to the anchor then lowers itself down and up below the anchor. We have dozens of fixed anchors scattered about the mountain. Sometime we do this with a mobile anchor which is another snow cat. 





What we do establishing Montezuma Bowl is different. Again, a major worry is the snowcat getting stuck down in the soft, loose snow in the Bowl with no way out. Once the snow is packed and firm, the cats can climb out with relative ease. As the cats move downhill, they go down steeper pitches and flatter pitches. So to prevent a cat getting stuck, the winch cat parks at the top of a steeper pitch and lowers a regular cat down that steeper pitch. The regular cat makes several passes on the steeper pitch. Once that is done, at the bottom of the steeper pitch the regular cat disconnects from the winch cat and makes several "FREE" passes on the flatter terrain, usually down to the top of the next steeper pitch. Once that is done the regular cat heads uphill to the end of the winch cable and reconnects. The winch then pulls the regular cat up to the top of the steep pitch. We let that snow firm up for 1/2 a day to a day before returning. Upon return the packed snow is firm and both cats can get down and climb back up the steeper pitch. The cats then move further downhill to the next steep pitch and start the process all over again and again and again.





This is a multi-day process and is why it takes us several days to get the groomed routes in Montezuma Bowl established.







Winching Follow Up

There was a really good winching question a couple of posts ago. Why is the winch at the top? Heads up - this is definitely Snow Nerd stuff. Most of the winching we do involves using a fixed anchor. The winch cat attaches to the anchor then lowers itself down and up below the anchor. We have dozens of fixed anchors scattered about the mountain. Sometime we do this with a mobile anchor which is another snow cat. 

What we do establishing Montezuma Bowl is different. Again, a major worry is the snowcat getting stuck down in the soft, loose snow in the Bowl with no way out. Once the snow is packed and firm, the cats can climb out with relative ease. As the cats move downhill, they go down steeper pitches and flatter pitches. So to prevent a cat getting stuck, the winch cat parks at the top of a steeper pitch and lowers a regular cat down that steeper pitch. The regular cat makes several passes on the steeper pitch. Once that is done, at the bottom of the steeper pitch the regular cat disconnects from the winch cat and makes several "FREE" passes on the flatter terrain, usually down to the top of the next steeper pitch. Once that is done the regular cat heads uphill to the end of the winch cable and reconnects. The winch then pulls the regular cat up to the top of the steep pitch. We let that snow firm up for 1/2 a day to a day before returning. Upon return the packed snow is firm and both cats can get down and climb back up the steeper pitch. The cats then move further downhill to the next steep pitch and start the process all over again and again and again.

This is a multi-day process and is why it takes us several days to get the groomed routes in Montezuma Bowl established.


Montezuma Bowl Opens Saturday


Montezuma Bowl will open Saturday. You can expect extraordinary conditions. One of the most frequent questions I get is "When will Montezuma Open?" My typical answer is when we have a 40ish" base. It does vary from year to year and some years it has taken us to the 45+" range to get open. Today we have a 35" base and this will be one of our best Zuma openings. The way the snow has fallen this year (amount, duration, wind direction) has been absolutely ideal for Montezuma Bowl. As I say that, it has also been ideal for Pali and pretty much the rest of the mountain.





Look to ski Miner's Glade, Independence, Shining Light, Columbine, and the 14ers. The way the snow is I expect our progression of trail openings back there to move along quickly.











Montezuma Bowl Opens Saturday

Montezuma Bowl will open Saturday. You can expect extraordinary conditions. One of the most frequent questions I get is "When will Montezuma Open?" My typical answer is when we have a 40ish" base. It does vary from year to year and some years it has taken us to the 45+" range to get open. Today we have a 35" base and this will be one of our best Zuma openings. The way the snow has fallen this year (amount, duration, wind direction) has been absolutely ideal for Montezuma Bowl. As I say that, it has also been ideal for Pali and pretty much the rest of the mountain.

Look to ski Miner's Glade, Independence, Shining Light, Columbine, and the 14ers. The way the snow is I expect our progression of trail openings back there to move along quickly.



Thursday, December 25, 2014

Winching Columbine Step


A winch cat is a specially equipped snowcat with a large mounted winch. Snowcats cannot climb every slope and still groom effectively. The winch actually helps pull the snowcat up the hill allowing the operator to move more snow and leave a better skiing surface.





These pictures, taken Wednesday, show a couple of operators winching the Columbine Step in Montezuma Bowl. This effort is the linchpin of getting Columbine (and Montezuma Bowl) open. Once this pitch is packed, it is doubtful the winch will be needed again. Having a groomed top to bottom route in Zuma boosts travel and work efficiency tremendously. 















Winching Columbine Step

A winch cat is a specially equipped snowcat with a large mounted winch. Snowcats cannot climb every slope and still groom effectively. The winch actually helps pull the snowcat up the hill allowing the operator to move more snow and leave a better skiing surface.

These pictures, taken Wednesday, show a couple of operators winching the Columbine Step in Montezuma Bowl. This effort is the linchpin of getting Columbine (and Montezuma Bowl) open. Once this pitch is packed, it is doubtful the winch will be needed again. Having a groomed top to bottom route in Zuma boosts travel and work efficiency tremendously. 




Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Christmas Eve At The Top Of Pali


Top Of Pali, not sure there is a better place to be on Christmas Eve.















Christmas Eve At The Top Of Pali

Top Of Pali, not sure there is a better place to be on Christmas Eve.