Bluebird Day

I was able to enjoy a bluebird day off at The Basin today. Crystal clear skies and cool temperatures with soft snow, we enjoyed a couple of laps out in The Beavers. We hardly saw anyone except at Rendezvous Point and the Hike Back. There is a lot of great skiing to be found in the gladed areas. As we have received more snow, the area is getting packed out and the skiing is getting better all the time.

The Place Just Got Bigger

Montezuma Bowl opened today. The Beavers were open for most of the day. We just received 18 inches of snow in 3 days. The skiing was awesome. As expected, we are having a very busy holiday weekend. Thank you to all the people that carpooled, rode the bus, arrived early or arrived late. The extra terrain is great for spreading people around. The place just got bigger. We had a little bogie with an electrical problem on our new rope tow, but other than that, it was a fine Saturday. Thanks for coming.

Another Day At The Basin

Approaching A Foot

We reported 7 inches of new snow at 5 AM. It has snowed non-stop since then and it is still snowing heavily. With a strong forecast for today and tonight, we could have well over a foot of new snow by the time this storm is done. We will definitely have some treats for you today, tomorrow, the next day, the day after..........

The Goat Meter indicates heavy snowfall.

This is the Snowcam at 7:45 AM. It was cleared at 5 AM.

Time To Carpool Or Ride

With a few inches of new this morning, more snow expected tonight, limited openings in The Beavers and Montezuma Bowl on the verge of opening, The Basin is looking pretty good. The Martin Luther King weekend is almost here. I am anticipating some busy days and some parking challenges. I wanted to share a few tips to help your "arrival experience" be better. 

-Of course the best thing you can do is ride The Summit Stage (local bus). There is a free bus, The Swan Mountain Flyer, from Breckenridge to Keystone to Arapahoe Basin.

-If the bus doesn't work, seriously consider carpooling. Parking is not unlimited. With full lots, the mountain still skis really well. If we could reduce 10% of the cars on weekends, most of our parking challenges would go away. (our employees carpool or ride the bus on weekends)

-If you can't carpool, I suggest you either arrive very early OR sleep in, have a good brunch and show up for an afternoon session. Many people only ski in the mornings and lots of spots open up sometime after lunch. Do not arrive late morning or early afternoon on weekends. You may not find a parking spot.

With just a few adjustments to our schedules, we can avoid weekend parking issues.

Cool image in the 4th Alley.

......And So It Begins

Zuma Outlook

The outlook for Montezuma Bowl is good. I found plenty of good skiing on my morning Zuma lap today. The snowcats continue to make substantial progress on Columbine and Larkspur and the patrollers have been having a field day in West Zuma. There is corduroy to be found on Upper Larkspur, Upper Columbine, Shining Light and much of Lower Columbine. We have significant snow fence farms in the Zuma core.The place looks very good, but not quite ready to open today. The forecast for snow this week is improving. If snow falls as predicted and the wind is in our favor, we could see some really positive changes.............soon.

Hike or Skin?

As of now, several hundred people have enjoyed skiing in The Beavers over the last couple of days. How you choose to travel the Steep Gullies Hike Back Trail is really a matter of personal preference. I think there are at least three different ways to do it.

1.  Some people just complete their ski, toss their skis or board over their shoulder and walk out. This takes no preparation at all. Most people are taking 20-30 minutes to make the hike. For me that is a little long to carry my skis on my shoulder. I imagine I will do this occasionally, particularly if I did not plan to make a Beavers lap. Lots of people do it this way.

2.  Some people are carrying a light pack and strapping the skis on the pack for the hike. This way, you can use your poles for walking instead using one hand to hold your skis. I did that a couple of times to today. It was nice and easy.

3.  The last way is to skin out. Skinning is very easy and enjoyable. You have to hassle with putting the skins on and off and you have to carry your skins. The extra process makes it a little longer than walking, but it is also the easiest travel model. 

The other factor to consider is clothing. A Beavers tour starts well above timberline in colder and windier conditions. It finishes with a 20-30 minute hike. You go from cold to sweaty. Having a pack to carry your coat and helmet and other gear is very nice.

The choice is really just a personal preference. There is no right or wrong. I will do #2 or #3 most of the time, mostly because I prefer to take a few extra minutes to make the journey more enjoyable.

This photo has nothing to do with today's post. It was just a great view from the top of The Face yesterday.