Sunset Towards Town

Another beautiful sunset the other evening, looking down the valley towards Dillon. The view here is always nice. Extra nice after a full day of skiing.

Thankful

I hope everyone had an excellent Thanksgiving with friends and family. I have to say that I’m very thankful for the best staff a ski area could ask for. I have spent more than 30 years and countless holidays with some of them. Every year Chef Rybak and his team makes sure that everyone who works at A-Basin has the opportunity to have the full turkey and gravy extravaganza with all the extras. So many groups of close friends and even families have evolved out of meeting and working at the Basin over the decades. Really nice to see those traditions grow year after year.

The skiing was pretty great, too. Bluebird skies all day yesterday and now more snow is on the way. Check out our Black Friday pass special on the website. Today is also Slide into the Weekend with $20 lift tickets from 2-4 PM.

Mountain Update

We are trying a few new things this year with the placement of our snow guns on the upper mountain - so far our snowmakers are pleased. No matter where the wind blows, the snow is ending up somewhere useful. We have been making snow on Powerline now for three days and it’s looking very good.

Ski Patrol and members of Team Summit helped sidestep Powerline and Norway this past weekend and did a great job compacting the snow (they are still closed for now). If you visit us Friday-Sunday, you won't see us making snow because we are letting our snowmaking reservoir fill back up.

Our snowcat drivers (operators) also got into The Beavers this week. They have made it halfway down Loafer and Davis so far and should finish that project today or tomorrow. The Cats are also track-packing the main corridors of Montezuma Bowl. This work helps set up the snowpack, ensuring big wind events won’t carry our most precious resource Eastward. It's also important to establish a consistent base so that we are ready to go once we get a real storm with good snow.

One big storm and we'll be able to open a lot more. West Wall, Grizzly Road, so much terrain is so close.............. We might get more snow Friday and this weekend.

It is a beautiful day out there. From all of us up at The Legend, Happy Thanksgiving to you, your family, and your friends.

Rise and Shine

This morning was the second of our Rise and Shine uphill rando races. Congrats to the 42 participants who braved the early morning cold and wind. It amazes me how hearty and quick these folks are. There are still four more races in the series through the end of January. You can find details on the website.

We got 2 inches of new snow overnight and are hoping for another 2 or 3 inches during the day today. We anticipate more on Thanksgiving and into the weekend. We are still making snow on the upper mountain and looking forward to Mother Nature giving us a hand as we work toward opening more terrain.

Uphill Access Hours This Week

A lot of people have been enjoying Uphill Access this season. Sometimes we have to close it for snowmaking, grooming, or avalanche work. This will be one of those weeks. Uphill Access will have temporary closures November 25-28. Our snowmakers need to string water hoses to the upper mountain.

Uphill Access will be closed during lift hours and afternoons, evenings, and overnight for a few days. It will be open only on these days and times:

Sunday 4:00 p.m. to Monday before 9:00 a.m.
Tuesday from 7:00 – 9:00 a.m.
Wednesday from 7:00 – 9:00 a.m.
Thursday from 7:00 – 8:30 a.m., open again at 4:00 p.m.

Our plan is to return to our normal Uphill Access hours on Thursday the 28th at 4 p.m. Uphill Access will still be closed when the lifts are turning for now. This will not affect the uphill Rando Race on Tuesday, November 26.

Current info on Uphill Access can be found on the Terrain Status page of our website. As always, I encourage uphill users to use extra caution keeping an eye out for snowmaking equipment, snowmobiles and snowcats. Don't forget your Uphill Access pass and orange armband.

Wrangler Opens Today

Our snowmakers have taken advantage of colder temperatures and have been working very hard to get more terrain open. While our snowmaking system may not be the largest in Summit County, our crew is clever and tenacious. Our system doesn’t really cover the Wrangler trail, but they manage to pull long hose layouts to make it happen. The fruits of those labors will be letting us ride on Wrangler today. That gives us an additional green trail on the lower mountain to enjoy and is great for beginners.

Next projects are to get some more routes off the summit. Those are also tricky so stay tuned. The snowmakers will focus on Powerline, first. At least Mother Nature has decided to help out finally with some natural stuff.

Slide into the Weekend

Don't forget to join us this afternoon for the Best Happy Hour.  We will be offering $20 lift tickets from 2 - 4 pm and $5 beer and apps from 2 - 5 pm.  We have been having so much fun with our Friday afternoons we have decided to extend them all the way through December 20th.  I think it's the best way to start your weekend. I hope to see you for one these Fridays. 

4" New Inches

We received 4 inches new in the last 24 hours.  It looks like we are going to see snow off and on throughout the day.  The snow forecast for next week is looking quite promising.  I am hoping that mother nature has some treats up her sleeve next week. 

The Snow Has Returned

It has been snowing since about 11 a.m. today.  The forecast through tomorrow looks pretty good.  I can't help but get excited thinking about all the fun we are going to have soon with new snow.

Sunny Today, Snowy Tomorrow

Today is the last day we will see these beautiful sunny days.  Starting tomorrow the weather is starting to shift and we could see 6 - 12 inches by Friday morning.  With a storm or two after that we could see some awesome new terrain openings

Wrangler Snowmakers

The Snowmakers are off to a good start on Wrangler.  From there they will head back to the Upper Mountain making snow on Powerline, Norway, Lenawee Parks and Lower Dercum’s Gulch.  Maybe by week’s end Mother Nature will help with Natural stuff. 

Towards The Divide

There is a nice view of snow and Lenawee and Black Mountains.

Uphill Access Opens Friday

Uphill Access opens today, Friday, during non-lift operating hours. For now, Uphill Access will be closed during the hours when chairlifts are operating.

Remember, all uphill users are required to get an Uphill Access Pass. Passes are free for A-Basin Pass holders and cost $30 for all others. Please wear that groovy, reflective orange arm band pass holding device.

On the hill you will encounter equipment, vehicles, closures, bamboo, roughed up snow and other natural and man made obstacles. This time of year with snowmaking and grooming going on, be extra careful. Use a headlamp and ski slowly downhill.

That said, have some fun and get out there and get some exercise.

Ideal Snowmaking Conditions

We have seen ideal snowmaking conditions. The evenings have been cold. Most day time temperatures have remained cool enough to keep the fan guns spinning through the daylight hours. Sundance was skiing very nicely today. The snowmakers kept things going and Sundance had a continually refreshing, soft snow surface.

Please Slide Into The Weekend Friday afternoon with $20 Lift tickets and $5 beer and apps after 2 PM.

Sundance Opens Thursday

The Snowmakers and Cat Drivers have been busy on Sundance. .....And they have been doing high quality work. I took two passes there this morning. Very nice and smooth skiing. The staff has just a little bit more work to do this evening. Despite blowing some nice frosting on the trail during the day tomorrow, Sundance will open Thursday morning. After this, the crew heads to Lower Wrangler and after that, back to the Upper Mountain.

CAIC Benefit Bash - November 23

It is time for Summit County's premier social event of the season, the CAIC Benefit Bash. It is a great chance to catch up with old friends, listen to some fine music, win raffle prizes, buy silent auction items, have tons of fun and all of it benefits the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. CAIC does so much to make our mountain lifestyle possible. They can only do their job with support from people like us. Purchase tickets at the link below. Don't miss it.

CAIC Benefit Bash Tickets

Sun Cresting The Wall

We have had another beautiful morning. I was at mid-mountain just as the sun crested the East Wall. The snow continues to ski very well. The Molly Hogan chairlift and the Snowsports School are open for business. I took another lap down Sundance. The snowmakers had good success there last night. I suspect that over the next few nights that trail will really come together.

The Old Gang

Good to see some of the Old Gang, CJ and Pup, making some turns at The Basin this morning.

Via Ferrata Training

Looking to Summer again for just a moment, our Via Ferrata is being built by a company named Adventure Partners. They have built courses for Jackson Hole, WY, Royal Gorge CO and Amangiri, UT. Patrollers Darcy Kimball and Paul Schmidt just spent a few days at Amagiri taking part in an Adventure Partners Via Ferrata operations and rescue training program. As the pictures indicate, this is an exciting activity in a stunning setting. I look forward to our project being completed next Summer. I think participants will get to enjoy an entirely new, thrilling and dramatic A-Basin experience.

Next Up - Molly Hogan and Sundance

Last night the snowmakers fired up the first fan gun on Molly Hogan. We will be very focused there and Sundance for the next week. We'd like to see some easier teaching terrain open and we'd like to expand our Snowsports School offerings. If we are lucky, we might even have Molly Hogan Chairlift open for the weekend.

Hike On The Divide

Every now and again, I go for a hike up on Loveland Pass. Sunday Kay and I went out for breezy spin up there. Starting at the Pass proper, we hiked East up to the ridgeline. For us it is a quick way to stretch the legs, get a little exercise and see some nice country. Beautiful day and spectacular views, especially of The Basin

Griz Ridge

All the way down the skiers' left side of Griz Ridge are 8' tall snowfences. These fences do an extraordinary job catching snow right on the ski trail on Griz Ridge. Typically after a snow and wind event, there is a big drift of snow to the skiers' right side of these fences. The cat drivers use the blade of their machines to wind row the snow piles away from the fences, spreading the snow more evenly across the trail. They have already put in a fair bit of work there this season and it is already good skiing.

Considering how good the conditions are on Griz Ridge already and how much side stepping the Ski Patrol has done on Slalom Slope, it won't take much additional snow to get that old Pali Lift open for its final season.

Winching Davis and Columbine

The storms of late October enabled the snowcat drivers (operators) to get a big jump on their workload, including some winching. We had cats drive out the Davis Road to its break-over. From there, using the winch cat, the operators worked their way part-way down the steeper portion of the trail. They did a similar thing on Columbine with the winch cat, packing around the snowfences. This packed snow gives us such a leg up getting these trails ready for opening. The cats have also headed out Upper Loafer packing around the snowfences and building the ski trail.

Skiing The Upper Mountain

Friday, it was really nice to see people skiing and riding on the Upper Mountain. I think they liked it.

The snowmakers will spend a few more nights augmenting Lenawee Face and Dercum's Gulch. By mid-week they will be moving their equipment to Sundance and Molly Hogan. That will help us focus on getting the Snowsports School really rolling. Teaching people how to ski and snowboard is a good thing.

Lenawee Open For Friday Afternoon Ski Party

Lenawee Mountain Lift, Lenawee Face and Dercum's Gulch will open this afternoon. They will be open by 2 PM when we Slide Into The Weekend for the Friday Afternoon Ski Club. Depending on how the work goes, Lenawee might even be open sooner.

I did just take a couple passes through the area. Beautiful. The Snowcat operators (drivers) are doing the last of their dozing. That will be followed up with a final till. The Snowmakers are moving some of their gear out of the way. Ski Patrol is standing up their closures, signs, pads and B-Nets. The Lift Crew is buffing out the maze and the bottom and top terminals.

The skiing is very nice.............and we have a stunning, crisp November day to enjoy the conditions.