From The Y-Chutes

 

Long Chute

You gotta' love this photo taken yesterday in Long Chute in Montezuma Bowl.

Case Study - Parking and Powder Days

Wow. Today was gorgeous. With 10 inches of new snow over the last two days, the skiing was fantastic. I think we proved again, on spring powder days, skiers' driving habits change completely.

I talk about comfortable carrying capacity (ccc) often. While not an absolute number, for us that is 4,140 skiers per day. Today we had a little less than 3,000 skiers. That is awesome for a Wednesday, but not a big, busy day at all. Parking on the other hand was a tremendous challenge. The lots were full by 9:30. Cars were backed up on the highway. People were frustrated.

I talked to several people this morning that wanted to blame someone for the parking (me or Ikon or the Front Range or whatever). The reality is that today's parking issue is purely an A-Basin community issue. On powder days, we change the way we drive. I worked the High Noon lot for a few hours. I witnessed the challenge. Our travel to the resort becomes a single person mission. Carpooling gets tossed out the window. With room to spare, the mountain very easily accomodated today's skiers. The parking couldn't handle the 50+% increase in cars for the same number of people.

The issue lands on all of our shoulders. This is a self inflicted wound and, interestingly enough, the issue is so easy to fix. When we head up on a spring powder day, we should should grab a friend or two. That is all it takes.

5:15 AM - 6" New and Still Snowing Heavily

 

Snowing Heavily

We had 4 inches of new snow this morning. A few more inches of snow have fallen on the snow stake this evening. It is snowing heavily as I write. Snow is forecasted to fall all night long. I think Wednesday is shaping up to be a pretty good ski day.

Base of Tree Chutes

Here is another photo from Sunday. I love the view looking south towards Little Lenawee. This is another one of those different vantages people don't view quite as often. I like it out there.

 

Did Not Disappoint

Today was gorgeous and did not disappoint.  Partly cloudy skies delivered a mostly sunny day. Kay and I found great snow in Roller Coaster, Black Bear and, of course, Booger. While there were certainly spots of spring snow, we sure found a lot of winter snow. I am keeping a close eye on these couple of weather events heading our way later this week.

Powder Day

Today was a beauty. We reported 7 inches of new snow. It snowed at least couple inches more after report time. The skiing was special and people were having a ball. Sunday looks to be incredible. There may be a touch of snow tonight. We should see temperatures in the low 30's. The sky is meant to be partly sunny. It might be one of those A-Basin days you dream about.

10:15 PM Update

 

Return To Winter

 As it happens every year, we get some beautiful, warm spring weather and then winter returns. And winter came back in a fury this week. Yesterday morning the temperature was below 0 F at the Summit. Today we have an inch or two of new snow on the stake. It is snowing heavily right now. The forecast is for a few more inches this evening. As I look at Joel's forecast on opensnow.com, the weather looks unsettled for the next 10 days. There is still a lot of good skiing to be had.

IFSA 3 Star

Today there was an International Free Skiing Association (IFSA) 3 star event in the North Pole region of the East Wall. Almost 100 skiers and riders turned out in rather chilly conditions to ply the chutes and cliffs of the zone. Local A-Basin ski aficionado Wade Parkinson took the men's crown with a blistering run of big airs and sweet carving turns. His grand finale was a huge back lay off a buttress near the bottom. His mother would have been so proud.

Moon Over Pali

Enjoy this picture of the moon over the top of Pali last week.

 

Luau

This Saturday is our Randonee Polynesian Luau at Black Mountain Lodge. We do have a couple dozen seats available. There is no lift for this event. Skinners, snowshoers and hikers can enjoy a variety of South Pacific foods including Ahi Poke, Hoisin Duck Bao Bun, Hawaiian Kalbi Beef Short Ribs and more. Fire and hula dancers put on an exciting show. This is one of my favorite nights of the year.

For more info, check out:   Moonlight Dinner - Luau Night

Quiet Mountain

Check out the nice, quiet view of the mountain looking north towards Loveland Pass. The photo was taken at last night's "Uphill N' Chill" gathering at the Steilhang Hut.

 

Parking Team

Chris M shared this photo of our parking crew. He told me about a great and friendly encounter he had with them. These guys have a tough job getting everyone organized and parked each day.  Kudos to them.

 

April Fool's Joke

On April Fool's Day, we ran a joke story about installing a gigantic rope tow out of the Steep Gullies. Apparently, some people took this very seriously. It was all in the spirit of fun. 

Seriously though, we have no intention of installing any kind of lift out of the Steep Gullies. The April Fool's yarn encouraged many people to reach out to me on the subject. Surface lifts (rope tows, T-Bars, etc) need smooth ground and a straight line (a turn or two is possible although not desireable). The Steep Gullies Hike Back Trail is rugged, twisty and totally unsuitable for a surface lift. A chairlift is possible, but a surface lift is completely impractical. 

We think the hike really matches the terrain and is a great accent to some incredibly challenging double black diamond expert terrain. We have no plans to install a chairlift down there.

I thought it was funny.

 

Enduro Wednesday

The 34th Arapahoe Basin Enduro and Apres Party is being held Wednesday this week. The annual fundraiser celebrates the best of Summit County life. 35 teams of two will ski non-stop laps on Pali Lift from 7 AM to 5 PM. Following the skiing, there will be a great party in the A-Frame that includes live and silent auctions. All proceeds from the event go to, everybody's favorite, 37-year A-Basin employee Tim Finnigan. Tim went through a cancer battle a few years back and is still working on a few complications. A-Basin is known for throwing community events and this may be the best one. If you can watch the skiing, great. If you can make it to the party, even better.  For details go to:

A-Basin Enduro

Hiking

Kay and I had an exceptional Sunday afternoon hiking on The Wall. After a special run down Narrow North Pole, we hiked the Willie's staircase. We were the last ones heading up before Ski Patrol closed it for the day. We had the place to ourselves. We hung out for a while at the top soaking in The Basin before we slipped through the Snorkel Door. I am not sure I have ever skied Snorkelnose when the coverage was that consistent and smooth. Stellar day.

Spring Is Here

Spring is here. We have had some beautiful days and the first half of this week should be even better. Whether you are hiking The Wall or basking in the sun on the BML deck, spring is here and it is gorgeous.

That is, of course, until it start snowing on Friday.

 

Uphill N' Chill - Steilhang Hut

Saturday evening the Steilhang Hut stayed open until 7 PM. About 60-70 people skinned up and enjoyed brats, beer, incredible views and friends and family. Employees had fun. Guests had fun. Employees beeing guests had fun. It was a beautiful evening.

 

The Solarium

The depression between the Lazy J, the top of LenX and the top of Zuma Lift is called the Solarium. Yesterday, I paused here to look around. It is kind of fun to take a close look at this photo and note all the different things people are doing. Some are pushing off down Larkspur. Some are hiking to the top of Long Chute. Some are riding Lazy J. Some are heading toward LenX. Some are heading West of LenX. Some are unloading LenX. Some are heading to Lenawee Face and Humbug. Some are hiking the North Pole ridge. Some are unloading Zuma Lift. Some are looking down Larkspur. And more. There are lots of places to head in this zone.

 

Land Of The Giants

The Land of the Giants is super fun A-Basin style ski. A particularly good run is to enter the Upper East Wall gate and drop down "Steilhang" which is the steep pitch on your left 100ish feet past the gate. After skiing that, traverse right then drop down another steep pitch called "Lower Noth Pole Pitch". Following that, enter an playful area of massive rocks known as "Land of the Giants." Because there is so much really good skiing further out the East Wall traverse, many people bypass and miss this special treat.

 

Spring Is Coming

We are in for some incredible days. Winter has hung on for a very long time. When I arrived at work this morning, the temperature was -5 F. We have seen phenomenal winter conditions with lots of snow and good winds. It is about to turn into Spring. We should see temps near 40 F through the weekend and maybe up to 50 F by Monday. These are going to be classic Basin Spring days.

 

Snowing all Day

 It has been snowing all day today.  Wind buff plus a few inches of snow makes for some good skiing. 

Wind Buff

The Spine, North Glade and many other places on Pali had the good wind buff today.  The skiing just kept getting better today.  Surf's up! 

 

Beauty of a Morning

 

This isn't a Joke

 Happy April 1st. All jokes a aside, it's a powder day at A-Basin today.