It's All About The Upper Mountain

For the snowmakers now, it is all about the Upper Mountain. All of our mobile fan guns have been re-positioned on Lenawee Face and Dercum's Gulch. Last night, the crew had a good night of snowmaking with the wet bulb dropping down to 22 F. The forecast is shaping up for a little snow and cold temperatures early next week. I see another really good snowmaking run coming at us. To the summit..........

Webcams

The webcams have been refreshing all week. If they haven't been for you, try refreshing your computer, maybe hit "Control F5". 

Good Skiing on Ramrod

Hats off to the cat drivers and snowmakers. I took five quality control runs this morning before 8. The crew gets a major thumbs up. Excellent skiing on Ramrod and High Noon. While I don't personally ride the rails, the park looked pretty darn good this morning.

Ramrod Friday

Ramrod will open Friday morning. Last night was another good night of snowmaking. The snowcat drivers had a good start pushing out the piles. The snowmaking crew is removing all their equipment today. Tonight the drivers will come back in, complete the dozing and put the finishing touches on the grooming. Once the drivers are done, the Ski Patrol has some work to do with ropes and pads and signs and stuff. It will be ready for you Friday morning giving us three wicked, fun ski experiences; Ramrod, High Noon, and The High Divide Terrain Park

Ramrod Snowmaking Piles

Man, those are some good looking snowmaking piles on Ramrod. The cat drivers started working them last night and plan on doing a major doze this evening. Tonight is also forecast to be another very good snowmaking night. Tomorrow morning, we will get on the trail first thing and see if it is "decision time" in regards to getting that darn thing open.

Zuma Webcam

I like this sunset image I plucked off the Zuma Webcam Monday.

High Noon Is Skiing Nicely

The snowmaking program to buff out High Noon is going very nicely. We made a lot of snow there last night. Over the coming nights, the snowcat drivers will spread the new snow out even further. Really good skiing and will just get better every day now.

One More Picture

From the office deck just now..........

Ramrod Snowmaking Update

The snowmaking over the last 30 hours on Ramrod has been outstanding. Skiing the trail, I found significant whales all the way down. While we have not set an exact day to open the trail, the outlook is bright. We would like to make snow for 2-3 more nights on the trail and then we will need a shift of dozing and grooming by the snowcat drivers. So, no promises yet, but we are hoping to have Ramrod open by the end of the week.

Lousy Pictures

Bill Miller and I tried to take some good photos for you today. Unfortunately, it was snowing so hard and we were making so much snow, the images are "whited out". Can't see much. Sorry about that.

Snowing and Snowmaking

Now this is what we have been waiting for. It is snowing and the snowmaking system is cranking. The ambient temperature at Midway is 23 F and falling. Perfect. We expect to make snow all day, all night, and maybe the same again tomorrow. Again the priority is to get Ramrod open and to buff out High Noon. Beyond that, we have started making snow above Black Mountain Express and are already working on Lenawee Face and Dercum's Gulch. This is beautiful and people are excited.

Build It And They Will Come

One of the coolest things about the world of sliding on snow is the intense passion held by skiers and riders. No where is that more intense than in the terrain park. The folks there today (and every day) are just having a blast sliding, grinding, jumping, and spinning. If you build it.....................

Random

Check out this photo I just stumbled upon from last year.

The Fans Were Spinning

We had a pleasant surprise this morning. Last night we were not expecting much snowmaking. The temps were a bit cooler than forecast and we had a fairly decent night. Fan guns were running on High Noon, Ramrod, and Dercum's Gulch. Dorse groomed the new snow on High Noon nicely. I took a couple of quality control runs about 8 AM and was very pleased. Look for a good change starting Monday.

Another Good Fall Day

We just had another beautiful day of fall skiing. It looks like the weather is heading for a favorable turn Sunday night / Monday with much colder temperatures and a little snow. Next up in the queue for opening is Ramrod.

Last Call - A Night In Bavaria

We are approaching Last Call for reservations for A Night In Bavaria, our Randonee, no chairlift dinner December 6. This morning there were less than 10 seats still available.  Each year, almost all of the Black Mountain Lodge dinners sell out in advance. This season, reservations are occurring at an unprecedented rate. So...if this interests you, please make your reservations soon. If the dinner that interests you is full, go ahead and call our Guest Services department (888-arapahoe) and get on the waiting list. There is, invariably, some last minute shuffling and we accommodate many of the people on the waiting list.

These dinners are a unique and special way to experience A-Basin.

Some White Stuff

We had a little bit of new snow this morning and a couple of snow showers in the afternoon. I know that fresh snow always brightens my day. Watching people having fun today, I am not the only one.

Stucco

The exterior finish on the new building will be primarily stucco with board and batten accents. Both of these construction phases are in progress right now. Watching the stucco is fairly cool. The artisans apply several layers over a few weeks. The final layer and finish to the building will be white with green trim. We designed  the building to be in sync with the other base area buildings. It is, intentionally, not exactly like the other building, but it is meant to compliment them and create a special feel for the base area. Within a few weeks the stucco and wood exterior finishes will be mostly complete and we will have a real sense of, not only the finished building, but also of the entire place.