Good snowy morning and it is snowing nicely this evening.
I had a good ski down Griz Ridge this morning. The snowcat work there has been quite good. That section is really close to being ready. There is one thin area below the breakover that needs to fill it. Glad it is snowing tonight. The next snowmaking will be on Tower 3 Pitch (just southwest of the top of BMX) and down around the Pali Lift maze. In the schedule of lift openings, Pallavicini is next.
The Cornice Run is probably our very best run at catching natural snow. With the trail heading down a ridge top and enhanced with snow fences, the snow drifts pile up in a hurry. The upper 2/3 of the trail is especially good at catching monstrous piles snow. The lower 1/3 also catches plenty of snow, but due to the slope shape, it is kind of narrow at the beginning of the season. It widens quickly with each storm.
With all of Trevor's awesome snowcat work, I would say the Cornice Run is just about ready to open. It does flow into the West Wall. As I mentioned yesterday, we are working the West Wall. We will watch each and every storm doing the appropriate work during and after each event. I imagine that some type of "limited open" on Cornice Run / West Wall is right around the corner.
We reported 15 inches of new snow out of this storm and it was a very deep 15 inches. There is plenty of work to do, but we are making some headway. Upper Ramrod and Humbug are open. Lenawee Parks had a limited opening. The snow cats are working the Cornice Run. We are making snow on Upper Sundance and Lower Wrangler and those trails already look good. You can anticipate some openings there soon. This weather event has been very good with another one on the way.
We are buried. Speaking with Louis first thing this morning, he said, "This is great. The storm board (we reported 5" new) is not indicative of what is going on around here. The wind and the snow are really impressive."
It is snowing heavily right now. The biggest part of this storm is forecast for during the day today. Today and tonight and tomorrow, the ski patrol and the snowcats will be covering as much ground as they possibly can. We need a little time to manage the snow and the terrain, but expect changes soon. This storm is exactly what we have been waiting for.
And now, the forecasts are starting to pick up another storm near week's end.
The storm moved in this morning and is still going strong. We should see good snowfall into Sunday night. I keep telling myself to be patient and to stay calm. Let the storm do its work. I am struggling to be patient and calm.
And Lower Sundance is open.
Last night was the full beaver moon. Kay and I skinned up to the Summit and were rewarded with the moonrise breaking over the East Wall. Despite being a crisp 6 F on top, we soaked in the view. Another good night at The Basin.
The Ski Patrol has been all over the North Side the last couple days deploying explosives and stomping The Face, The Spine and other steep pitches. Again, they do this for a few reasons including packing down the base for better skiing and disrupting propogation pathways that lead to avalanches. This kind of work is essential for managing steep terrain.
Earlier this month, 1993 Colorado Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame inductee Hart Axley passed away. Hart played a pivotal role in the early days of Colorado ski patrolling. At some level, he was involved with most Front Range ski patrols. In 1960 he was selected for the Olympic Ski Patrol at what is now known at Palisades Tahoe. Most importantly to us, Hart spent the 50's, 60's and 70's patrolling the hill at A-Basin. Most famously, Hart was known to finish many a banquet with a robust singing of "Raise Your Glass." He made all of our lives better.
I just finished up some fun, afternoon skiing. We reported one inch of new this morning. It snowed off and on all day and there is a couple of more inches on the snow stake. The new snow did a lot of soften the surface up a bit. It was very enjoyable.
After some very good snowmaking sessions, the Molly Hogan Chairlift opens today for the season. This offers some green skiing, gets the Snowsports School open and gives people new to skiing a much nicer introduction to the sport.
The snowmakers are done and clear of the trail. The cat drivers are putting the finishing touches on the snow. The ski patrollers are stringing their closures and getting their gear in order. Late afternoon today we will be opening Lenawee Express for the season. Lenawee Face and Dercum's Gulch will open with a very good snow surface. The trails are a bit narrow. Keep your eyes open for hidden and unmarked obstacles. Take your time, ski responsibly and enjoy your time in the high alpine.
Following yesterday's post on side stepping, there were some good questions on track packing and snowcats. Track packing happens when the snowcats drive around and pack snow down. It is an incredibly effective tool and in a short amount of time can do way more than people side stepping.
But, there are some caveats. Track packing is fantastic on less steep slopes. Side Stepping is fantastic on steeper slopes. Track packing needs more snow. If we take the cats out when there is not enough snow, we tear up the ground and tear up the cats. Track packing and side stepping each have their time and place.
And then there is the "Disruption" or "Compaction" Roller, but we will save that one for another time.
We had another good night last night. The question is, "When does Lenawee Express open?" The snowmakers are going to pause for a couple nights to let the reservoir re-fill. They will fire up again Wednesday or Thursday night depending on the weather. After that cycle of snowmaking ends, we will turn the snowcats loose. That takes some time. The lift itself is pretty much ready to go. The Patrol needs several hours once the cats are out of the way. So.........maybe this weekend-ish for Lenawee Express. My fingers are crossed. The closer we get, the better our time estimates will be.
Last night was another good night snowmaking. The team was really focused on a few spots that could use some more snow. These two photos show the work they are doing to fill in the approach to Lenawee Express and for the lift maze.
This morning the crew at Black Mountain Lodge hosted an Uphill N' Chill Breakfast. Over the course of a couple hours before we opened, 150 guests skinned to mid-mountain for a classic BML meal of chicken and waffles, eggs, potatoes, sweet breads and breakfast salads. It has been a good week for Uphill Access. Tuesday, 153 people competed in our first Rise N' Shine event of the season. Wednesday, uphill access opened to the public (Uphill Access Pass required). And today we hosted the breakfast.
The way our snowmaking pipelines are laid out, making snow to the bottom of the Lenawee Express takes some extra diligence. It is a long haul. Last night the snowmaking crew made some exceptional progress towards getting the lift ready to open. They made a nice, long, deep whale on the pitch leading to the lift maze.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, November 7 will be the last day to purchase Unrestricted 3-, 4- and 5-Day Ticket Packs. After Tuesday, you will be able to purchase Midweek 3-Day Ticket Packs. This is part of our ongoing strategy to keep the quality of the A-Basin experience very high. Similar to limiting unrestricted season passes, we will only sell a limited amount of unrestricted ticket packs to prevent overcrowding on weekends.
The next 2-3 nights look a little warmer and we will probably not run snowmaking. Starting Tuesday night, it looks like we are in for another weather change. We should see colder temperatures and maybe some snow. I think the snowmaking crew's efforts mid week will be very productive.
Louis and I just walked down Lenawee Face and Dercum's Gulch to check out the snowmaking progress. I was very pleased with the work up there the last couple nights. A savvy skier could make it all the way down.
While I wish it was snowing, I am glad to see these bluebird days. The sunshine will melt some of last weekend’s snow on the south facing slopes. This will raise the streamflows, speed the refilling of the reservoir and ramp up our snowmaking efforts.
While our reservoir refills, the snowmaking crew is working on their next steps. They are moving the fan guns to the Upper Mountain. Initially, they will make snow on Lenawee Face and Dercum’s Gulch to facilitate the opening of Lenawee Express.
