May Concert Series

The May Concert Series kicks into action this Saturday, May 3. Euforquestra will be doing their "Thing" from 1-4 in the base area. That "Thing" is described as Afro - Caribbean - Barnyard - Funk. Throughout the show Chef Rybak and crew will be serving up a Taco Bar Fiesta.

Music is the secondary theme for May (behind great skiing and riding). Each Saturday we will have a band in the base area from 1-4. Look for more great shows from The Congress, Funky Johnson, High Five, and The Champions. To top that off there will be live music at Black Mountain Lodge from 11-1 and at The 6th Alley Bar and Grill from 4-6. So, each May Saturday we will have live music from 11-6. Should be fun.

.........And we have 5" new snow this morning, 17" for this storm.

Final Rando Race

This past Friday we held our final Randonee Race of the season. Similar to all seven of the Rando races we hosted this season, Friday's event had some seriously competitive athletes and some not quite so serious athletes enjoying a good a event. Fun was the theme for everyone. 

Back in January and February we held four races in our Tuesday morning A-Basin Rise and Shine Rando Series. In March and April we held three races in our Friday night Alpenglow Ascents Series. For our uphill users that are more into culinary activities than racing activities we held "A Night in Bavaria" in December. This was a NO LIFT Black Mountain Lodge Moonlight Dinner. With alpine touring being the fastest growing segment of our ski world, we are looking for ways to create good events and activities for this active crowd. Let me know of any good ideas you have for uphill users.

Hey, we had 4" new again today. That makes a foot for this storm. ..............And it is still snowing. What a great spring.

More Snow Scenes

4" New again

Winter is Back

Winter came back today. We had 4" new this morning and it snowed most of the day. Maybe we will see a bit more tonight. This unsettled weather should last several days.

Last Day of Spring.......Before Winter Returns

I am a bit scared of jinxing it, but this incoming storm seems to be shaping up. I am really looking forward to the next 48 hours. It looks like winter will return and stick around most of the week. I enjoyed a quick spring ski about this morning skiing soft snow and visiting with folks. Hard to beat the views.

Terrain Progression

I had a nice afternoon ski today. Timed it just right skiing an inch of very soft snow. BML deck sure looked good.

I have been getting a lot of questions about terrain openings and closings and what our progression will be. We are at that time of year when all kinds of things can happen. Early in the week, the temps were quite warm barely hitting freezing at night. Later in the week we saw much colder temps (Yesterday morning it got down to 7 F). Looking forward, we have a bunch of moisture heading towards Colorado Sunday. Let's hope it zeros in on the Basin. Getting a seriously big dump this time of year is common. As of now, the forecasted temps next week are mostly below freezing.

So, the single biggest factor impacting the closing of terrain will be warm temps. With possibly good snow Sunday and Monday and decreasing temps, I don't see much closing in the near future. We may see some short term avalanche closures if the storm materializes. Right now we still have good coverage with snow and cold temps coming our way. I think we will be into May before we see significant terrain shut down.

Afternoon Light

I love these long days. Kay and I skinned up after work this afternoon/evening. No headlamp required. The tour started with gray and gloomy skies. About 2/3 of the way the sun and some blue skies started popping out creating  very dramatic views. Looking around, the images were constantly changing as the clouds moved and the sun set. Very good way to finish the day at The Basin.

Need to get home to watch the Avs.

Another Day At The Basin

Gonna' Be a Great Spring

This has all the makings of an extraordinary spring. The snow cover is still awesome. I am starting to see my friends from other ski areas pop in for a day or two at The Basin. The Avs are in the playoffs. The Blue River is already raftable. The bike paths are starting to open up. And, of course, we have a few inches of snow forecast for tomorrow and maybe a good storm this weekend. Don't put those skis away just yet. Catch your breath for a moment. Maybe sneak in one bike ride. We'll let those other areas shut down this weekend and really get this spring rolling, A-Basin style.

April Days

What can you say when a day looks like this? We definitely had spring snow today. Not the deep slushy stuff, but a thin slush on top. Coverage is still great everywhere. The Black Mountain Lodge deck is in top form when conditions are like this. It sure seemed like people were having a great time out there. I know I was.

Chasing Ice

Come join us Earth Day, Tuesday, April 22, for a screening of the 2012 acclaimed documentary, Chasing Ice. The film starts at 6 PM in The 6th Alley Bar and Grill. Arrive early for dinner and drinks. Award winning photographer James Balog deploys revolutionary time-lapse cameras across the brutal Arctic to capture a multi-year record of the world's changing glaciers. Seeing this film needs to be on your "must do" list. You can make a voluntary $5 donation at the door and all proceeds go to "Snowriders International", a grassroots organization promoting winter sports and protection of the environment. Check out their website, www.snowridersinternational.org. For details on the film, go to www.chasingice.com.

Today was another beautiful spring day. Enjoy the view from the Black Mountain Lodge deck after closing this afternoon.

Enduro Success

I took a personal day, so of course, went to The Basin for some skiing and to enjoy watching The Enduro. Great Day. An brief, but productive, early morning snow shower gave the skiers and riders an inch or two of fluff to enjoy the start. From the running LeMans start to 10 hours of power skiing made for a great show. A number of old faces, Ed, Jaime', Juice, and Joey, were on hand rekindling old friendships. The after party and silent auction, with music by High Five, was awesome and, hopefully, we raised a few bucks for the Trevor Giles family. To me, this event is emblematic of the A-Basin spirit. Good, hard skiing and riding, lots of friends, a good cause, ripping music, a good meal, and apres ski - A-Basin style.

In addition to watching The Enduro, Kay and I skied about 10 runs on The North Side, mostly The Spine, The Face, and North Glade. We lucked into some very nice fresh, soft turns in West Turbo. A couple of nice hikes delivered some fun skiing in East Vertical Cornice and Snorkel Nose on The Wall.

A Night In Italy

This past Saturday was our last Moonlight Dinner of the season. While the lift was turning, many people chose to hike up on their accord. With Daylight Savings Time, we were able to enjoy a stunning light show on The East Wall and Black Mountain. Chef Rybak delivered a wonderful Italian dinner for our guests. My favorites were the canneloni, the tiramasu and a bottle of Tuscan red. A nearly full moon guided us down the hill after dinner.

I was able to visit with many of our guests throughout the evening. One woman was so happy to be there she said "It was better than being backstage at Bowie." Wow and thank you. At some point in October, we will release the schedule for next year's dinners. It is hard to get a last minute reservation and all six of this season's dinners sold out weeks, if not months, in advance. It is, however, quite easy to make a reservation early in the ski season. Keep your eye out for next season's schedule. 

A special thank you goes out to Chef Rybak and crew for another great culinary season. I look forward to next year's feasts.

Enduro Wednesday

Wednesday is Enduro day. Come on out and watch your friends grind their way through 10 hours of Pali non-stops. It is a fun and exciting time. While some teams are very competitive with each other, most folks are out there having a great time, striving for personal bests. Top it all off with a great party and fundraiser in The 6th Alley Bar and Grill. All proceeds go to Trevor Giles, a close A-Basin friend paralyzed in a biking accident last summer. Join the fun.

6 Inches News

Just a few days ago I was writing about the first real day of spring. Well, wiinter is back. Today will be sunny with a high of only 25 degrees. Great day to be riding The Basin. Enjoy the sunrise view from the top of Zuma Lift.

Finish With A Bang

Our storm was a little late arriving today. Most of the forecasts showed snow falling by sunrise. It didn't really start snowing until early afternoon. When it did start, however, it started with a roar. We experienced heavy snowfall all afternoon. Just as the storm got rolling I did the North Pole hike and skied West Vertical Cornice. Very good. I spent the last 1 1/2 hours of the ski day on the North Side. As the afternoon progressed, each run was better and deeper. Right now, 6:20 PM, it is snowing heavily at home and I am expecting a big day tomorrow. Monday would be a good day to arrive early. See you then.