The Old Gang

Good to see some of the Old Gang, CJ and Pup, making some turns at The Basin this morning.

Via Ferrata Training

Looking to Summer again for just a moment, our Via Ferrata is being built by a company named Adventure Partners. They have built courses for Jackson Hole, WY, Royal Gorge CO and Amangiri, UT. Patrollers Darcy Kimball and Paul Schmidt just spent a few days at Amagiri taking part in an Adventure Partners Via Ferrata operations and rescue training program. As the pictures indicate, this is an exciting activity in a stunning setting. I look forward to our project being completed next Summer. I think participants will get to enjoy an entirely new, thrilling and dramatic A-Basin experience.

Next Up - Molly Hogan and Sundance

Last night the snowmakers fired up the first fan gun on Molly Hogan. We will be very focused there and Sundance for the next week. We'd like to see some easier teaching terrain open and we'd like to expand our Snowsports School offerings. If we are lucky, we might even have Molly Hogan Chairlift open for the weekend.

Hike On The Divide

Every now and again, I go for a hike up on Loveland Pass. Sunday Kay and I went out for breezy spin up there. Starting at the Pass proper, we hiked East up to the ridgeline. For us it is a quick way to stretch the legs, get a little exercise and see some nice country. Beautiful day and spectacular views, especially of The Basin

Griz Ridge

All the way down the skiers' left side of Griz Ridge are 8' tall snowfences. These fences do an extraordinary job catching snow right on the ski trail on Griz Ridge. Typically after a snow and wind event, there is a big drift of snow to the skiers' right side of these fences. The cat drivers use the blade of their machines to wind row the snow piles away from the fences, spreading the snow more evenly across the trail. They have already put in a fair bit of work there this season and it is already good skiing.

Considering how good the conditions are on Griz Ridge already and how much side stepping the Ski Patrol has done on Slalom Slope, it won't take much additional snow to get that old Pali Lift open for its final season.

Winching Davis and Columbine

The storms of late October enabled the snowcat drivers (operators) to get a big jump on their workload, including some winching. We had cats drive out the Davis Road to its break-over. From there, using the winch cat, the operators worked their way part-way down the steeper portion of the trail. They did a similar thing on Columbine with the winch cat, packing around the snowfences. This packed snow gives us such a leg up getting these trails ready for opening. The cats have also headed out Upper Loafer packing around the snowfences and building the ski trail.

Skiing The Upper Mountain

Friday, it was really nice to see people skiing and riding on the Upper Mountain. I think they liked it.

The snowmakers will spend a few more nights augmenting Lenawee Face and Dercum's Gulch. By mid-week they will be moving their equipment to Sundance and Molly Hogan. That will help us focus on getting the Snowsports School really rolling. Teaching people how to ski and snowboard is a good thing.

Lenawee Open For Friday Afternoon Ski Party

Lenawee Mountain Lift, Lenawee Face and Dercum's Gulch will open this afternoon. They will be open by 2 PM when we Slide Into The Weekend for the Friday Afternoon Ski Club. Depending on how the work goes, Lenawee might even be open sooner.

I did just take a couple passes through the area. Beautiful. The Snowcat operators (drivers) are doing the last of their dozing. That will be followed up with a final till. The Snowmakers are moving some of their gear out of the way. Ski Patrol is standing up their closures, signs, pads and B-Nets. The Lift Crew is buffing out the maze and the bottom and top terminals.

The skiing is very nice.............and we have a stunning, crisp November day to enjoy the conditions.