Luau Randonee Dinner

Saturday night the food and beverage team closed out the 2017-18 Moonlight Dinner Series. A full house enjoyed the Luau Randonee Dinner. After hiking, snowshoeing or skinning to Black Mountain Lodge (no chairlift for this event), our guests enjoyed a special Polynesian meal prepared by Chefs Rybak and Vlass. Delicious. The nearly full moon rose over the East Wall and entertainment was provided a Polynesian Dance troupe. Lots of fun and laughter and there was even a little "dance a long."

Moonrise Over Black Mountain

We have had a really bright full moon at The Basin this week. The snow covered peaks have lit up dramatically. It has been fun watching the moon rise over Black Mountain and The East Wall. Looks like we have a little cooler weather and maybe some snow this week.

East Wall

Not a bad view of The Wall.

Looking Down Pali

Do you ever get tired of making that right hand turn at the top of Pali? I never do. Spring conditions continue with good skiing on the North Side (and just about everywhere else). It is always a fun game of cat and mouse following the sun and finding the ideal snow conditions at the perfect time of day. We hit Loafer perfectly today at just about noon.

The Summit

When I say "The Summit," I am referring to the portion of the mountain at the top Lenawee, Zuma, Norway and (soon to be) Beavers Lifts. It isn't really the true Summit as both Little Lenawee Peak and Lenawee Mountain are higher. That said, I really enjoy the view of The Summit from the top of Little Lenawee Peak. A very cool place.

The Corn Is Almost Ready

Yesterday, after work I had a beautiful skin up to the Summit. Hardly a cloud in the sky and the shadows were starting to get long. Nice, Nice, Nice.

By all accounts, we are expecting several days of beautiful Spring weather. The snow is transitioning into good corn skiing. Our first Spring Concert is this Saturday featuring Denver's Black Dog. So come on up, ski some corn, soak in some sun, eat some tacos, and enjoy some music in Mountain Goat Plaza.

Speaking In Denver Thursday

I have been invited to speak at an event called "The Knowledge Share" in Denver Thursday night. We will be at The Pizza Pedal'r at 2907 Huron St. from 6:45 until 8:00. Topics will include Arapahoe Basin Past, Present and Future as well as the inside scoop on working at The Basin. Come join us for a beverage and a bite with plenty of time for questions and answers. For more info check out the website below.

http://www.theknowledgeshare.org

Spring In The Steep Gullies

Kay and I had three fine runs out in the Steep Gullies yesterday. #4 continues to be a favorite. Skiing that rock lined chute is a hoot. The whole way day all I can think is "WOW."

Yesterday morning was fantastic out there. With the warm Spring temperatures, the snow temperatures rose quickly. After early powder runs, the snow got a bit mushy and the Ski Patrol closed the Gullies in the afternoon. While the rest of the ski area will easily stay open into June, the Steep Gullies won't last nearly that long. We will be watching the next several days and weeks very closely to see the metamorphosis in the snow. Let's hope for a few more cold storms.

2nd Notch

We had an exciting run today slipping into "2nd Notch." Getting in there is definitely tricky. Once you get through the very narrow choke of an entrance, the chute opens up a bit. We clicked into our skis and enjoyed some fine couloir skiing. It is one of those classic "not for everyone" type of A-Basin runs." The view isn't bad.

Morning Fog

Cool morning up here. There is a bit of snow still falling and pockets and fog keep rolling through. Reporting spring snowfall can be difficult, but the place is definitely skiing more than we reported today. 

Storm Images

The April weather has been a wonderful mix of snow and sunshine. Dave Kennedy shared these images of the clouds coming and going around The Basin last Saturday.

Black Bear and Long Chute

Some consistently good skiing and snow be found from Black Bear to Long Chute. The weekend storm deposited snow heavily in the lower 75% of these trails.  Both of these trails have the longest vertical drop in Montezuma Bowl. Black Bear can be reached very easily just below the top of Larkspur. Long Chute can be accessed from the  "mini hike" that starts at the unload station of the Lazy J.

Tree Chutes

The April snows have been kind to the Tree Chutes. Found on the very far North end of the East Wall, skiers can slide all the way out the traverse and drop in or they can climb the staircase to the ridge line. Great skiing out there and the Tree Chutes are much bigger than you might think looking at them from below.

Through The Snorkel Door

This morning we had a surprise 4 inches of new snow making 10 inches for the storm and 39 inches in 10 days.

Kay and I had a great hike up the Willy's staircase today. We soaked in the view from Borgy Rock and then continued up to the traverse. We slid North through the Snorkel Door over to Booger. Just a few people had been down the chute before us. Ski conditions were superb. Spending time in these chutes is an experience you just don't get at too many ski areas.

Willy's Staircase above Borgy Rock

The Snorkel Door

Booger Chute

Borgy Rock

Enjoy the video taken from Borgy Rock along the Willy's Wide hike today.

Vertical Cornice

Hiking through the North Pole gate this afternoon, I found some excellent snow and skiing in the Vertical Cornice area. Soft as can be. I can't get enough of that place. 

Coverage all across the mountain is very good. According to Snotel, our snowpack is 105% of the median snowpack for this date. Sunday and Monday should be beautiful, sunny days. And, guess what, it may snow again on Tuesday. 

Last Night's Snow

Snowing

40 Years of A-Basin Ski Patrol Directors

A-Basin Patrol Directors From Left to Right: Tim Finnigan 2000-2005, Tony Cammarata 2005-present, Jim Gentling 1978-1984, Tom Gross 1998-2000, Terry Pfeiffer 1986-1988, Patrick O'Sullivan 2005-2010, Jaime Seifert 1984-1986, Alan Henceroth 1988-1998.

We have had a bit of a Ski Patrol reunion going on at the Basin this week. Yesterday, seven of the eight Ski Patrol Directors over the last 40 years were skiing it up. As you can imagine, there has been a fair bit of laughing and good times.

Enduro

The storm is over and it delivered a very nice 29 inches.......and maybe the best skiing of the season.

Come join us Wednesday for the Enduro. 35 teams will be tearing up Pali for 10 hours. The real fun begins at the end of the day with a very special apres' ski party. There will be food and drinks, a silent auction and live music with Hobo Village. All proceeds go to Building Hope, an organization that promotes emotional well being, access to medical treatment and suicide prevention. It is a great cause for a great organization and an especially great time. Details can be found in the link below. See you there.

https://www.arapahoebasin.com/event/enduro/

Storm's STILL Not Over

And the storm has continued. We reported 7 inches of new snow this morning and it continued to snow for several hours after report time. The snow cam indicates a couple of more inches on top of the 27 inches we have already reported. We can call it a 2 1/2 foot storm. The sun is popping out intermittently and the snow showers are decreasing. The storm should blow out by the end of the day and tomorrow looks to be a brilliant Colorado bluebird day following a 2 1/2 foot storm.

The skiing this morning was wonderful. I found un-tracked snow back in Zuma in Long Chute, Schauffler and Jump. I also had an amazing  Beavers run down Marmot with A-Basin Ski Patrol alumni Joey Klein. Like most years, A-Basin snow conditions appear to be peaking in April (or sometimes May).

Storm's Not Over

We have had 20 inches out of this storm so far plus what is on the snow stake right now (photo above). Monday will deliver more fresh snow. Today was a tremendous travel around the mountain kind of powder day. A couple of first track runs around Long Chute in Montezuma Bowl. First tracks down Loafer. Beautiful skiing in the Steep Gullies. The major bonus, delivered by Ski Patrol, was a 2 PM opening of the East Wall. 4 more runs of first tracks. The Basin was "VERY BIG" today. Incredible. Tomorrow might be the same.

9 Inches and Still Snowing

So, we reported 9" of new snow this morning putting us at 11" for the storm......... so far. We should see moderate snowfall through the day and the heaviest snow is expected this evening. By the end of the day yesterday, the skiing was outstanding. I am heading up the hill in a few minutes. This will be a memorable day.

So Far So Good

The first 24 hours has played exactly as forecast. Boy, the skiing was good today. Better with every run.

Some Good Days Ahead

The first wave of snow rolled in about 6:00 this evening. The skiing and the coverage around the mountain is still very good. Conditions on the North Side are especially sweet. We may be shaping up for a very good April. Joel Gratz's Opensnow.com forecast is intriguing. Right now I have every finger and every toe crossed. I am not stepping on lines and I am not looking at black cats. We just might be heading into an something very, very special.