Winter or Spring?

After a very warm week and a couple of inches of snow, the weather has turned back to winter. Today was crisp and beautiful and a little on the chilly side. Peole were still having fun and the East Wall drew a few takers. Enjoy today's photos.

2010-11 Season Passes

2010-11 Season Passes will be on sale beginning April 1 online and at the season pass office. These passes will be valid for the remainder of this season as well as all of next season. Although we have not announced pricing yet, I think people will be very happy with the deals. Including 2+ months this season and nearly 8 months next season, they might be the deal of the century. Stay tuned to the website for pricing and details.

East Wall is Open

The Ski Patrol opened the East Wall yesterday. Reports are saying more powdery winter snow on the southern portion and a bit spring affected on the northern end. The forecast for the next 48 hours looks great for snow. It appears to be setting up nicely for a great spring on the Wall. Keep your eyes peeled for avalanche debris, rocks, and other obstacles.

The East Wall

You gotta' be wondering when the East Wall is going to open. I think the answer is soon. All the recent snowfall has been a great help. If you have been up at the ski area, you have noticed the ski patrol has been very busy. Their avalanche mitigation efforts have produced some notable results with avalanche debris in virtually every slide path. That is a good step in our journey to opening the East Wall. Snow is in the forecast all week. Whenever skies do really clear, we will make an evaluation of both snow conditions and avalanche concerns. I suspect that if the forecast comes through in the coming days, you will get a chance to ski the Wall very soon. Keep those fingers crossed.

Thanks to all the folks that came up to last week's "Dinner in the Dolomites" Full Moon Snowshoe Dinner at Black Mountain Lodge. Great fun was had by all. Chef Rybak may have outdone himself. Leon Littlebird kept the room going the with his flute, guitar, and singing. Thanks also to those of you that have made reservations for "Under a Fuji Full Moon" and "An Evening in the French Alps." Those two dinners are sold out already. I look forward to seeing some of you there.

The skiing has really come around. I spent most of my day off yesterday skiing Pali. The snow was outstanding and it was a perfect day. Great to see all those smiling faces. Although it was a fairly busy day, I never waited in the lift line for more than a couple minutes. One of the best things about adding Montezuma Bowl has been the way skier traffic is spread over such a bigger area. The place rarely feelss crowded.

Bluebirds and Bowls

What a perfect day. We opened Montezuma Bowl on a bluebird Colorado winter day. Thanks to everyone that came out and enjoyed the fun. The grooming was perfect and the powder was sweet. If you happen to know any of the Ski Patrollers, Snowcat Drivers, Lift Operators, or Lift Mechanics, be sure to thank them for all of their hard work getting the Bowl ready. I think these pictures tell it all.

Montezuma Bowl Opens Wednesday

The recent snow has been a tremendous boost for us this week. Montezuma Bowl will be opening Wednesday morning. A big chunk of the bowl from Bierstadt on the East to at least Long Chute on the West will be open totalling at least 17 trails and 200 acres. I have spent most of the last three days with our Mountain Operations staff skiing and working back there. This is Zuma's third season and it might be the best opening yet.

Here are some insider tips for places to ski:

Groomed Runs - Try either Columbine/Shining Light or Upper Larkspur/Independence. We put up some new snowfences last summer and the cat drivers were able to capture and push a great deal of snow. The trails coming off the top are simply groomed to perfection.

Powder - Northern Spy is the ticket. You have to slide across a narrow, slightly bony traverse, but once you get there it is amazing. This mini-bowl is wide open with good snow coverage. I took the time (actually several times) to verify its quality for you. You will love it.

Steeps - Long Chute is awesome. Most of the ground surface in Long Chute is soft tundra and the skiing is always good in there. It is a long, leg burner. Keep your eyes on Max, Groswold, and Durrance. I am not sure if those will open Wednesday, but there aren't far behind.

Adventure and Glade Skiing - Head for the 14'ers. This past summer our trail crew cleaned up the glades and really improved the skiing and riding in there. Yesterday I skied Bierstadt and the new lines are awesome. These runs are not for the faint of heart and require some work for your turns.

I know some of you have been holding out for more snow. As I write (Sunday afternoon) and look out my office window, it is dumping. The time for waiting is over. Yesterday I snuck in a couple of Pali runs. The skiing has really come around. End your hold out and get on up here. Powder days are best served with an early start. Hope to see you soon.

5" New - 10" In 3 Days

Looking very good up here. I have spent the last couple days in Montezuma Bowl. It is getting very close. I need to get on the hill now, but look for big news in the next day or two. Today the skiing is going to be phenomenal and the Pali terrain is open all day.

Greetings from Vancouver

I have had the great pleasure of spending a few days in Vancouver watching the Olympic Games. Being freestyle fans, my family and I spent the last two days watching the Men's and Women's Mogul Events. They were incredible. Many of the athletes might have looked familiar. Led by their coach Scott Rawles, the freestyle team has often had their spring and fall mogul camps at The Basin. The team's performance was extraordinary with all eight athletes qualifying for the finals.

We started Saturday with a very wet, cold and windy day at Cypress Mountain. The women's skiing was simply beautiful. It was incredible to see Team Summit alumni Heather McPhie qualify in third place. Hannah Kearney's gold and Shannon Bahrke's bronze medals were truly inspiring.

While the women's performance was typified by grace and power, the men's competition was dominated by speed and awe. American Bryon Wilson electrified the crowd with a double full on the top air and won a bronze medal.

For me the games and the beauty of Canada were made clear during yesterday's event. During the men's event we sat behind four Canadian men. As they sipped Molsons (without gloves and wearing jeans) we laughed, talked freestyle, and rapidly became best friends. As Alexandre Bilodeau won Canada's first gold medal on native soil, they celebrated and cheered. Before I knew it, these big tough guys were literally crying with joy and pride. It was cool.

The Canadians are putting on a great show. As there jingle goes, "They were made for this."

It seems like whenever I leave town, it starts snowing. I hear a nice storm has just blown through and the skiing is great. I am flying back tonight and can't wait to make a few turns tomorrow.