Today was another exceptional powder day that caught a few people by surprise. We reported 6" new this morning. We could see something like that again tonight. Great skiing on Pali and in The Alleys. North Glade opened. Loafer and the Beavers chair were open all day. We will see more terrain opening there in the coming days.
Trevor spent the day in a snowcat in Montezuma Bowl. He gave a terrific foot hold there.
It is hard to describe just how fun the snow was today.
First, it is snowing again.
I have a few thoughts for you on holiday crowds. We don't really have them. With our Ikon partnership, the Ikon Base Pass is blacked out through Sunday, January 2. That pass accounts for a little more than half of our Ikon visits. As far as holiday crowds go, this is totally counter-intuitive. While some of you may be thinking you need to avoid this week, it is actually a great time to visit. There is snow in the forecast for the next 8 days. We are getting more lifts and terrain open. There is hardly a better time to ski and ride here. We might even see a little action in the Beavers this afternoon.
Pali was sweet yesterday and, with the new snow falling, it is getting better by the hour.
Since I last wrote about Loafer, Snowcat Operator Trevor has been very busy. First off, we had some snow which was followed by winching and track packing the trail all the way to the bottom of Beavers Lift. Next, we had some more snow which was followed by winching, dozing and tilling. The snow is still a little thin, but the preparation is literally perfect. While this might not stand up to lots of skier traffic, it just needs a little more snow to do so.
I have to admit, what I skied today was excellent, just a little thin. Snow returns to the forecast starting Thursday. Wont' be long until we are riding Beavers Lift everyday.
As I do every time I think it might snow, I got up a little past 5 and looked on the back porch. No snow - profanity, curse, swear. I went about my morning duties. Eventually I turned on 9News to see Matt Renoux reporting from the Copper Mountain Dew Tour. It was dumping and he was totally and completely pasted with snow. Of course I thought that was funny and awesome knowing it was heading our way. So far this morning we have a very high intensity storm dumping 2-3 inches in the base area and it is still snowing. It looks like we may see another burst tomorrow evening. We are so close to getting Pali Lift open.
With a couple inches of new snow this morning, the skiing was beautiful. It was creamy. Fingers are crossed for more snow tonight.
Last night Kay and I skinned to the top. It got dark just above Black Mountain Lodge. It was snowing and cold and it felt like winter. It was fantastic. We love the uphill program.
Near the Steilhang Hut, I had an interesting encounter with another skinner that wasn't wearing a headlamp. Trying to be polite, I said, "the snowmakers and groomers really appreciate it when skinners wear a headlamp." He, also politely, said he was wearing reflective clothing and his headlamp was in his pocket and he didn't need to wear it. Now I don't think this guy was trying to deliberately blow off our guidelines to make the uphill program work. I just think he didn't understand that employees are out there working on the hill and it is really hard for them to see skinners that are not wearing headlamps. Also, no one should ever ski down without a light. This isn't the backcountry. There are machines, hoses, electric cords, ropes, dozed snow and all kinds of stuff that are only encountered in ski areas.
Anyway, please, please wear your headlamp going uphill and downhill when skinning at night. The Uphill Program is awesome. Please help us make it work.
I look forward to travelling by this sign multiple times on a daily basis. Soon.
During my morning ski, I had to pause for this beautiful view across the Cornice Run towards No Name. No Name is the region across Highway 6 from the resort and West of The Professor. The Cat Crew has done an amazing job on Cornice Run. We need a bit more snow for the West Wall.
