Waffle or Sweet Potato Fries?

One of the tougher decisions faced at A-Basin.

Stellar Day on Cornice Run

We have had some spectacular weather. There is no better place to enjoy a great day than on the Cornice Run. Good snow and good sliding have made a lot of fun the last few days.

Davis, Beavers Open - For A Bit

Wednesday afternoon we did a limited opening on Davis and the Beavers Lift. The trail has been groomed. As the picture below shows, it was a stunning, bluebird kind of day. The skiing was very nice. We will continue to have it open a bit here and there. Eventually, as we get more snow, the trail (and more Beavers trails) will be open all the time.

Davis Till

Previously the drivers had track packed Davis. The snow from this past (and still kind of going) storm filled in the cat tracks nicely. Using the winch today, Trevor set a nice till on 95% of the trail. Ryan and I skied the trail just as he was finishing up and we found nice, beautiful, soft snow. It is not super deep, but it was very good skiing.

Holiday Pali Treat

With Grizzly Road and West Wall open, the Pallavacini Chairlift will open Monday, Christmas Day, for the season.

Snow

With a little bit of snow falling this afternoon, we look forward to a snowy night.

Loafer and Davis

This morning Louis and I took a spin down Loafer and Davis. Mostly, those trails look pretty good. The snowfences above treeline have caught a good amount of snow. There has been some strong snowcat work on both of them. They are solidly packed and awaiting tomorrow's night's storm.  

Il Rifugio

Il Rifugio, our restaurant on the Summit, opens tomorrow. Stop by for charcuterie, a cappuccino and incredible views in an intimate setting. There is nothing quite like this place.

 

Good Skiing

Wandering around this afternoon, I found some good skiing on Cornice Run, Grizzly Road, Norway and Powerline. It was a beautiful Colorado mountains kind of day.

Original Single Chair

One of the original single chairs has returned to Arapahoe Basin. After lift construction in 1947, the chair served dutifully until about 1960. It spent the late 60's and early 70's carrying skiers at Fun Valley, one of  Colorado's Lost Resorts, on Deer Creek Canyon Road in Jefferson County. From there, the chair bounced around a bit, but ended up in Rob Diehl's back yard for several years until he sold it back to The Basin this past Fall. This morning, the refurbished chair was hung from the rafters in Marnie's. It feels special to share this bit of  history with the friends of A-Basin.

Beside Rob, a number of people brought this project to life. I owe a special thanks to Brian York (aka "Bumpy"), Don Starks, Mountain Powder Coat in Eagle County, the entire Arapahoe Basin Lift Maintenance Team, Ben Hickman and Tim Finnigan for making it happen.

Note the background picture of Marnie Jump riding the single chair. Enjoy.

Some Slalom Slope Action

Today we hosted limited openings on Cornice Run, West Wall, Slalom Slope and Grizzly Road. Skiers and riders had to start at the Summit, ski Cornice Run and hike up to the top of Pali. It was high on the adventure dial. Pali Lift isn't quite ready to open, but these openings give people a chance to spread their wings a bit and cover some ground. Good fun.

New Website

Check it out. We launched a new website this morning. It is very different. I encourage all of you to look, explore, play and let us know what you think. We know it isn't quite perfect yet, but we sure hope you enjoy it.

That Pali Zone

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.

Cornice Run

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.

Winching West Wall

The ski patrollers and the cat drivers have been working the West Wall. Initially, it was ski cut and then foot packed by the patrollers. Yesteray morning, using the winch cat, Trevor packed down the new snow. The next storm begins Thursday night and should be a nice coating on the existing surface. That will be followed by more ski packing and then, maybe winching again. And eventually followed by opening it for skiing.

 

Beautiful Morning

Check out this image taken during this morning's "Rise N' Shine" uphill race.

I skied several runs this morning. That storm made a tremendous difference. The snow surface is outstanding and we are getting more and more open. We have several snowmaking guns running on Upper Sudance and Lower Wrangler right now. The skiing on the Upper Mountain was quite fun. Today is a great day to be on the hill.

 

Humbug, Lenawee Parks

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.

Not Indicative

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 Snow Has Begun

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.

Sundance and Pika

Snowmaking conditions have been ideal the last few nights. We have seen some good success on Lower Sundance, the Pika conveyor area and Lower Wrangler. We hope to get these areas open soon.

 

Full Beaver Moon

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.

Views From The Top Of Pali

 

The Wall

During or following a storm, The Wall looks spectactular when the sun hits the new snow.

 

Stomping The Face

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.

Hart Axley

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.

New Snow Today

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.

Molly Hogan Is Open

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.

Soak It In

 

Stormy

After all those bluebird days, it is nice to see some stormy weather. As always, the new snow has made the skiing that much better. We should see showers throughout the day and then another storm by the end of the week. The next snowmaking priority will be Molly Hogan to get a lift for beginners and to get the Snowsports School open.

Lenawee Express Opens Late Afternoon

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. 

Lenawee Face

 

Skinners

I had a beautiful pre-work skin up to mid-mountain this morning. It felt great to get the body moving uphill on such a stunning morning. We have opened Uphill Access earlier than years past.  Remember for now though, skinning is limited to High Noon, going no higher than Black Mountain Lodge.

We are starting to have a few people continue past BML to the Summit. We are still making and dozing snow up there and it is not appropriate for skinners. We want to keep Uphill Access open. Be sure and follow our terrain requests and make sure your friends and other skinners are following those requests. Please, we need to keep this simple to make it work. 

 

Track Packing

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.

Side Stepping

While we sometimes get accused of side stepping questions, we are proud to do this kind of side stepping. The Ski Patrol has been all over the Upper Mountain in places where the snow is a bit deeper. Packing the snow is a very important part of trail preparation. By condensing the snow, the quality of the skiing is improved. The compaction also breaks up propogation pathways that can lead to avalanches. Another reason to this is to keep the snow in place when the wind blows.

The patrollers have a lot of side stepping this Fall.

 

LenX Outlook

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.

Another Good Night

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.