Dave Camara Images

This is what it has been like around here. Excellent photos from Dave Camara.

The Routine

I can get into this routine. 12" new today. Scattered showers throughout the day. 29" of snow for the week and 77" for the month of January. The skiing and riding are as good as those snowfall numbers. Checked on the "guest deliverables" this morning. Very satisfied with the product.

12 + 10 + 7 = 29

12" this morning + 10" yesterday + 7" earlier this week = 29" for the week.

You Know.....

You know it is still dumping up there.

Ski The Storm

I don't even know what to say. The weather forecasters nailed this one. 10" new at 5 AM and the storm has not let up yet. The skiing this morning is absolutely "AS GOOD AS IT GETS". Skiing a foot plus down The Face mostly un-tracked - well that was first run. You couldn't feel the old snow surface under the new snow. Follow that with the same conditions on Slalom Slope. Follow that with four runs with the same conditions in the Long Chute / Max area of Zuma Bowl. Patio said, "Skiing Zuma this morning is like heli skiing." Ski the storm.

Snow Day Begins Like This

10" new at report time and still snowing heavily. The crew is hard at it already. Snowplows are going. Snowcats are going. Snowblowers are going. People are shoveling. Ski Patrol is about to load the lifts (just waiting for enough light to do their thing). Lift crew is digging out. This is going to be a good one.

It Has Begun

Very nice day. Just after dawn we had a few snow flurries coming down. Most of the morning was sunny. In the afternoon, clouds start rolling in. Around dusk it started snowing. When I took the last 3 photos at 6:30 PM, snow was falling steadily. Looks like about an inch so far. Forecast still looks good. Keep your fingers crossed through the night. Don't be late tomorrow.

Denver Post Article

Chryss Cada wrote a very nice A-Basin article in the Denver Post last Sunday. Check out the link below.

http://www.denverpost.com/travel/ci_24979750/arapahoe-basin-ski-area-ideal-all-ages-skill?IADID=Search-www.denverpost.com-www.denverpost.com&IADID=Search-www.denverpost.com-www.denverpost.com

Morning Ski

Attached are some images from yesterday morning's ski.

Snow Forecast

OK, I don't want to jinx this thing, but the forecasts for snow are starting to look pretty good. NOAA, Opensnow.com, CAIC, and a few others are all lining up with good news. Before leaving work today, I swung through The 6th Alley. One of my favorite avanlanche forecaster / weather forecaster / PhD / snow nerd kind of guys was enjoying a beverage there. He had a pretty big smile on his face talking about the coming storm. This one could be special. I suggest clearing your schedule.

Really, Really, Really Good Today

Dropped in for the last couple hours of the day this afternoon. We reported 2" new in the morning and it snowed lightly most of the day and then came down heavily for the last couple of runs. Conditions were excellent, each run better than the previous run. I skied with my daughter, Whitney, and a couple of her friends. Skiing Pali, it is a little embarrassing being that 50 something Dad trying to keep up with three 20 something kids. At least they had a lot of time to chat while they were waiting on me.

The forecast looks great. Tomorrow we might get a shower or two with lots of sunshine. Wednesday through Friday looks very good for snow. My advice, Tuesday morning, be there at 9 AM for 1st chair. The rest of the week, look for some extraordinary skiing.

Blue Skies Coming To An End

It was another stellar day, but I think these days are coming to end. We should start seeing snowfall this evening. While the forecasted snow total numbers are not huge, there is snow mentioned in the forecast almost everyday for the next week. Our base and snow cover is ideal for this time of year. The new snow will literally be frosting on the cake. And the East Wall is next up in the queue.

Basin Blue

It is hard to describe how vivid the sky is on a day like today. It seems like everyone here was loving it. It certainly was not a spring day, but it was an almost warm winter day. Again, found great skiing everywhere I went, Lenawee Parks, The Spine, Sundance. All good. We are getting a hint of the days being longer. Also rumbles in the forecast of snow tomorrow night and Monday. We are setting up for another great week.

West Zuma Open

West Zuma is open. This morning I took a ski right down the center of Jump and it was nice. As I got low, there were a few rocks to watch out for and there was a need to traverse either left or right. I heard both Gentling's Glade and Elephant's Trunk were quite good. It looks like we are in store for a couple more sunny days and some snow may be moving in Sunday night. And yes, JEZWCGGMRET is open.

Beacon Bowl - February 8

Attention snow nerds, wanna be snow nerds, people that like to play in the snow, and people that like to play with people that like to play in the snow, Arapahoe Basin will be hosting the 12th Annual Beacon Bowl and Avalanche Awareness Day Saturday, February 8, 2014. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC). The CAIC does an extraordinary job, on a limited budget, of forecasting conditions for Colorado skiers and riders. It is our hope that the Beacon Bowl will raise some money to help them carry out their critical mission. Last season's event raised over $10,000 for the Center.

The day includes all kind of fun events. The Beacon Bowl competition gives participants a chance to test their beacon skills against each other in a fun spirited and supportive contest. Additionally, there will be beacon clinics, avalanche dog demonstrations, a great silent and live auction (hosted by Tony C), cheap beer and pizza, and a wicked fun apres ski party. It is probably the funnest gathering of "Snow Types" since the November CAIC Benefit Bash in Breck. Come join the fun.

Snowfencing

While not one of the more glamorous aspects of working at A-Basin, snowfencing and snow farming are really critical elements of what we do. Ski Patrollers and a few others very intensively manage our snowfencing program. Fences are deployed in areas that the wind may clear of snow. The fences are placed upwind of these drier spots. The wind carries snow to the fences. The snow blows up and over the fences and is deposited on the downwind side of the fences. Following a storm, you can find large snow drifts beyond the fences. The fence management is done in conjunction with the snowcats and it enables us cover some of those very high, wind prone alpine areas.

Moonlight Dinner Update

Here is a quick update for those interested in the Moonlight Dinner Series. We have three dinners left this season. All are lift served events. Guests can ride the Black Mountain Express to Black Mountain Lodge for dinner. After dinner they can ride the lift down or snowshoe or walk to the bottom. A surprising number of people are choosing to skip the lift altogether and walk uphill for dinner. These are very special events in a dramatic setting with a full or nearly full moon. Viewing the moonlit peaks is an experience you will long remember.

The February 15 dinner, "A Night in Spain" is sold out. You can contact Guest Services to get on the cancellation waiting list.

The March 15 dinner, "Foods of the Pacific Rim." has 15 seats left.

The final dinner, "A Night in Italy," is filling quickly with only about 40 seats left.

If interested in attending the March or April dinners go online soon and make your reservations.

Day Off

Monday was a day off so Kay, Whitney, and I headed up to The Basin for an afternoon of skiing. In addition to being another perfect, bluebird day, we found some great skiing. The wind did bang up a few spots up high, but once we got clear of those, we found smooth skiing with really good cover on The Face, The Spine, Rock Garden, Standard, Radical, Challenger, Slalom Slope, and North Glade. A decent NW wind was blowing and The Spine was smoother and softer each time we skied there. That velvet feel. After three great hours of skiing we headed for some 6th Alley socializing and a late lunch including baked mac and cheese and a milk stout. Nice day off.

GO BRONCOS !!!!!!

All of us at The Basin are cheering for the Broncos to win it all.

More WOW

Another perfect bluebird day.