Snowing and Blowing

Snowing and blowing and absolutely beautiful this morning.  Can't get enough of this stuff.

What Is Next?

What are the next trails to open?  HMMMM.  Actually, I think Pali Main Street and The Lower Face are getting pretty close.  Montezuma Bowl is much improved.  The fencing back there is really good.  The snowcats have been about halfway down Columbine and on much of Larkspur.  Look for Zuma when the base gets above 35".

Snowy Day

We have actually had a mixed day.  The sun popped out from time to time.  A bit of snow fell.  Right now it is snowing and there is a favorable NW wind blowing.  The forecast the next 48 hours looks good for us.  I did ski this morning and the 5" we received from the storm has been a big improvement.

A Night in Spain

Chef Rybak pulled off another great one.  It snowed a couple of inches during the chairlift ride up and during the dinner.  The walk down was really special.  I wish I had the camera equipment and skills to capture the images that night.  While still snowing lightly, the clouds broke up and the moon was nearly fully.  The images of  The East Wall, Black Mountain, The Professor, and Loveland Pass  were just beyond description.  A VERY, VERY COOL night.  And the food and music was pretty darn good.

It's Snowing

Snow

The light is fading and it just started snowing.

Unsettled Weather

This afternoon a few scattered flurries are falling from the sky.  The forecast for the week looks a bit unsettled.  Snow is mentioned every day now through Wednesday.  My fingers are crossed.  I am looking forward to tonight's Dinner in Spain at Black Mountain Lodge.

A-Basin Reusable Bag

Wouldn't you love to have an Arapahoe Basin reusable bag?  That is quite a status symbol when shopping in City Market.  And think of all plastic bags you won't use.

More Avy Dog Cards

The Avy Dog Cards go on sale in Arapahoe Sports tomorrow, Thursday.  The full set is $3.

Companion Rescue Workshop

The Beacon Bowl, an avalanche awareness event,  will be held Saturday February 9.  The event offers many things including beacon clinics, beacon competitions, raffles, a party and more.  All proceeds are donated to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC).

This year in conjunction with the Beacon Bowl, we will be hosting a "Companion Rescue Workshop" Friday, February 8.  Staff from the CAIC and several ski patrols will provide classroom and hands-on instruction for solo and group avalanche rescue.  This can be a great way to improve your personal skills.  It also makes a great gift for your backcountry partner.  (You really want him/her to be good at this).  And of course we will finish the day with a 5PM Pasta and beer dinner.

You can sign up for the Companion Rescue Workshop, spaghetti dinner, Beacon Bowl, and lift tickets on the special events page of our website, 

http://shop.arapahoebasin.com/estore/Content/Commerce/Products/DisplayProducts.aspx?ProductGroupCode=1041&ProductCategoryCode=85

Randonee Series

Tuesday, January 22 will be the fourth and final event in the Rise and Shine Rando Race Series.  Competitors will start their climb at 7 AM.  They will skin up High Noon, ski down Ramrod, and then skin up High Noon, Grizzly Ridge, and the Cornice Run finishing on the Summit.  The top guy did that in 42 minutes last time. This has turned out to be a very successful series with 30-40 people skiing each race.

NSAA Safety Week

This week is NSAA (National Ski Areas Association) Ski Safety Week.  Saturday and Sunday we had a "Safety Village" set up in the base area.  We gave out chocolate cake, Avalanche Dog Trading Cards, and other goodies.  We are really pushing a message about kids and lift safety.  Whenever you ride a lift with a youngster encourage them to scoot all the way back in the chair.  "Kids Sit Butts to Back" is the mantra.

MLK Saturday

What a beautiful Martin Luther King holiday weekend.  It was very nice to see so many smiling faces and so many people having fun skiing and riding.  There were BBQ's going on the Beach.  The decks were all full.  Kid's Club was in top form.  When Kid's Club is happening I notice a lot of parents out there having fun.  I even drove a few laps in the shuttle van.  This was just a spectacular Colorado winter day.  Thanks to everyone that came and enjoyed the Basin today.

Not A Bad Afternoon View

I think I can end my day looking out the window at that view.

No Disappointment

There was nothing to be disappointed about today.  She was a beauty.  I snuck out for five runs in the afternoon.  The new snow was still very soft and loose.  The temperature was somewhere in the 20's and just perfect for skiing.  The ski patrol did some directed skiing in Main Street and The Spine again.  That continues to improve.  Additionally, they opened Lower Powerline and a few spots in Lenawee Parks.  The Cornice Run is wider.  Just beautiful out there.

The sky is really that blue.

Nice Surprise - 3" New

That fine light snow I talked about yesterday turned into 3" of the fluffy stuff overnight.  I went out for my dog walk this morning and it was 25 degrees warmer than yesterday.  The forecast says sunny skies.  This is going to be one of those perfect A-Basin days.

Warming Trend`

No secret, it has been a little bit chilly around here.  I sometimes have trouble convincing people to go skiing when the temperature is below zero.  Well, I think the bitter cold is coming to an end.  I just looked at the forecasts from NOAA and the CAIC.  While the forecasts vary a bit, both are showing a warm-up of 20+ degrees F.  Today we had very interesting, very light snow falling for much of the day.  It created a nice sliding surface.  I know I am looking forward to several days of sunny skies and much warmer temperatures.

Lift Ticket - Bacon Bloody Mary Package

A really important message for this year regarding lift ticket purchase is, "The best price for a lift ticket on any given day will be found by making an advance purchase on our website."  So if you are a bargain shopper, go no further than Arapahoebasin.com.  It only made sense that we should combine a lift ticket with one of our most popular products, the Bacon Bloody Mary.  So you can enjoy a day of skiing and then relax with your favorite beverage for a discounted price.  You can only get this package on the website.

Kid's Club

Kid's Club Arapahoe was in top form Saturday.  This has to be one of my favortie programs at The Basin.  I helped take kids up the Molly Hogan chair for a couple of hours that morning.  Watching kids embrace and connect with skiing and riding really makes my day.  It is especially fun to watch kids start as wee ones and be ripping hot skiers by the time they are teenagers.  I like this part of the Arapahoe experience.

T-Shirts Are In

The much requested "Beer Run" shirts are in.  We cannot keep these on the shelves and people are constantly asking for them.  I hung out in the store and watched people find the shirts and just bust a gut.  In certain cultures these shirts are highly regarded.

Zuma

I did another Zuma Bowl tour Saturday.  The crew has done a lot of snow management work back there.  The main corridors have been heavily snowfenced, ski packed, and/or footpacked.  Avalanche mitigation work has been done on the West side.  The lift is ready to roll.  As always, the images back there are dramatic.  It is well primed. Just add snow.

Directed Skiing - Pali

The Ski Patrol did some directed skiing on Pali today.  For an hour today about 100 people skied Pali Main Street and The Spine.  From the earlier avalanche, the lower 60% is in great shape.  The upper portion is healing nicely.  Considering we only have a 23" base today, this is a terrific start.  Thanks to those thankless 100 people who volunteered to help us "manage" the snow.  This terrain is normally open when the base is in the 30-40" range.  I suspect that once we get to a 30" base the skiing on Pali is going to be really good. We will see additional directed skiing soon.