The Upper Mountain

I went out for a spin early this afternoon and found myself stopping at The Bench on Slalom Slope. As I often do, I took a few moments just to look around and see what was going on. I found myself a bit overwhelmed by just how spectacular The Upper Mountain looked today. Blue skies, crisp air, great snow - just a classic Colorado day.

IFSA in West Zuma

The International Free Skiers Association (IFSA) and Team Summit just hosted a two day junior event in West Zuma. Capitalizing on 20 inches of new snow followed by brilliant late winter weather, the athletes, friends and parents had a great time. 12-18 year olds were ripping up all kinds of lines that most of us just dream about skiing. Seeing all these young people enjoying The Basin and having so much fun brings a smile to my face.

The Pinnacle

The Willie's Wide Staircase is steep, long and painful and the rewards at the top are unparalleled. This morning I dragged myself up there with the family. We slipped through the Snorkel Door, spread out and had classic runs in Snorkel Nose, Booger and Corner Chute. Magnified by 20 inches of snow the last three days, the Basin is really coming alive. I am known for my bias towards A-Basin, but I truly think making this climb and ski in these conditions is the "Pinnacle of Resort Experiences." I love it.

 

Another Brilliant Day

Another brilliant day, although very different from yesterday. The snow was soft and sweet everywhere and deep in places. Skies were overcast or it was snowing, including heavily at the end of the day. The Ski Patrol had been working diligently on the East Wall over the weekend. By mid-afternoon we were all treated with a Lower East Wall and North Pole rope drop. We caught the North Pole gate opening and we were rewarded with a fine run down East Vert. People were loving the powder skiing. North Pole was a hit.

 

One In A Million

Well it wasn't really one in a million, but today was incredible. By the time the lifts were spinning, we had a foot of new snow. It snowed heavily for a couple hours and then the sun popped out. The skiing was unbelievable across the whole mountain. I was evesdropping on a guest and I heard him describe the day as "Life Changing." It was that good and such a treat for me to be around so many people having that much fun.

Certainly the best day of the season.

Storm Delivered

 9 Inches new this morning and still nuking! It's going to be a good one. 

Storm Looks Good

We had heavy snowfall this afternoon putting about 3" on the ground. I just skinned up and skied down and the turns were very nice. We should see more snow through the evening and into tomorrow. This storm might be a really good one.

The Good Wind

Yesterday afternoon the good wind was blowing. Hiking out from The Steep Gullies, I could see the wind buffing out The Spine and 3rd Bowl on Pali. Skiing down that ridge, on the leeward side, was as soft as can be.

6th Steep Gulley

6th Steep Gulley. Hard to get to. Difficult to find. Super narrow. For the most adventurous skiers only. Very cool.

 

Riding Snorkelnose

 

Snorkelnose

This is what the bottom of Snorkelnose looked like about 1:30 today. 

Vertical Cornice

The "Vertical Cornice" is a snowy ridge accessed from the North Pole gate hike and to the skier's left of Narrow North Pole. People ski either down the East (right) side or the West (left) side. These chutes are commonly called "East and West Vert." It is another very special A-Basin place. Monday afternoon Kay and I had a sweet tour up there with her skiing West Vert and me skiing East Vert.

Employees Make The Difference

 

Snowing Heavily This Morning

While we only had an inch of new snow at report time, it has been snowing heavily since. Last week, the wind buffed out our snow surfaces. The skiing yesterday was really good. With this new snow on top, we are in for a beautiful, "sleeper" powder day.

 

Hiking Season

East Wall hiking season began this week. The Willie's Wide staircase and North Pole gates are both open. Productive south winds have filled the entrances with more snow than normal, making access a bit cleaner. There were many folks enjoying these unique and special portions of The Basin today. Very cool.

 

4 Inches New

 We received four inches of snow and its just clearing up.  Enjoy. 

Snowing Hard

 It is really snow hard right now.  We have already received at least two inches and according to open snow we may see up to ten inches by tomorrow morning.  I really hope that happens. 

We are seeing our upper mountain lifts on a wind hold today but tomorrow looks better and could shape up to be a day you do not want to miss.  

Why is it called the Center of the Universe?

Some people ask why we call Pali the center of the universe and the answer is days like today and that our guests named it that.  But everything from the Steep Gullies to the Spine to North Glade and into APG was smooth, chalky and getting a constant refresh.  I think a day like today is as good if not better than any power day.  Surfs up!

Party On A Chairlift

Riding the Lenawee Express with your friends is so roomy and comfortable, it is like hanging out at a good party.

 

Getting Buffed

The "Good Wind" was blowing today. And it was favoring all kinds of places including The Spine, Mousetrap, Beaver Bowl, Black Bear, Norway Face and Fun Bowl. Humbug was especially sweet. There is a certain condition that creates this beautiful, buffed out condition. Snow needs to be available for transport. The wind needs to blowing a certain, fairly robust speed from the right direction. When it does, it is like skiing on velvet.

Guess What's Open?

 

4th Steep Gully

Sunday, Kay and I had the best run in the 4th Steep Gully. After a short tip-toe into the chute, we found great conditions and exceptional snow coverage. Sliding between the cliffs is so cool. That skiing and hiking is an experience not found in many places. The ski and the walk on that bluebird day set us up for a good evening on the couch, with a couple friends, watching that football game.

Tickets Sold Out Saturday and Sunday

We are coming up on President's Day weekend, possibly the busiest weekend of the year in the mountains. Lift tickets at A-Basin are sold out both Saturday and Sunday. You can no longer purchase a ticket for those days. Do not show up Saturday and Sunday expecting to buy a ticket. We are sold out.

As I have mentioned many times before, we are really focused on delivering an incredible guest experience. We do that by controlling access to the resort so we can minimize crowding. In addition to limiting A-Basin season pass sales and restricting Ikon visits, we limit the number of tickets we sell each day. Anticipating the holiday this Saturday and Sunday, we had a very small ticket inventory for both days and that ticket inventory has sold out.

So, again, don't show up expecting to buy tickets. By that I mean any ticket including Friends and Family tickets. We are sold out Saturday and Sunday.

For all you skiers and riders that have already purchased tickets or passes that are valid Saturday and Sunday, we can't wait to see you. It will be a fun Arapahoe Basin weekend. 

Tree Chutes

A team of patrollers skinned, hiked and ski cut their way through the Tree Chutes today. They used a lot of explosives in efforts to break down weak layers of snow. This is another major East Wall step forward although there are still many steps to go. We are getting closer.

Wee Bit Chilly

Today was just a wee bit chilly. The new snow made for great skiing and every once in a while the sun popped out. The forecast for Friday looks fantastic with sunny skies and temps in the mid 20's. I am sure the snow will be A++. The Snow Safety Team will be all over the East Wall tomorrow. As the patrollers work their way through the chutes, we will be hearing many, many boom booms as we get closer and closer to getting that terrain open.

 

Mountain Goat This Evening

 

Wild & Scenic Film Festival

 

Check out the thought provoking Wild & Scenic Film Festival at the Breckenridge River Walk this Saturday night. It will be great fun and all proceeds go to our friends at Eagle Summit Wilderness Allicance. For details, go to Wild & Scenic Film Festival 

Staff Changes

Last month long time A-Basin Vice President Peggy Hiller moved on to become the CEO of the Professional Ski Instructors of America. That was a big loss for us, but we have taken the opportunity to restructure and reorganize. I am very proud to announce the following staff changes.

Jesse True is the Vice President of Marketing and Skier Services, Maggie Murray is the Vice President of Finance, Tony Cammarata is the Director of Development and Planning and Louis Skowyra is the Director of Mountain Operations. Important to many of you, Jesse's favorite skiing is the buffed snow on The Spine, Maggie likes Groswold, except during East Wall season, she likes the Willie's staircase, Louis follows the wind and especially likes The Beavers and Lenawee Parks and Tony likes to slide between the trees in North Glade.

Looking forward, I am not sure we could find four better leaders than Jesse, Maggie, Tony and Louis to guide us along the way. Each of them has been instrumental in our quest to offer an experience found nowhere else. We are intentionally different. I could not be more excited for the coming years.

Maggie Murray

Louis Skowyra

Jesse True

Tony Cammarata

East Wall

I think it is time to start talking about the East Wall. Essentially it is the last terrain to be opened.  And it has some snow. The Snow Safety Team has begun their work. Today that involved the deployment of several large explosives from the Tree Chutes to Jet Chute. There were many slides including significant avalanches in TC 7, Birthday Chute and Willie's Wide. This is a great start, but there is a long way to go.

Don't ask. I don't know the answer to the "When is the East Wall opening?" question. The good news is, we have snow and the work has begun.

From The Top Of Jump

I think the steepest run in Montezuma Bowl is Jump. The snow out there is in great shape right now. And the view isn't too bad either.