Temperatures Are Nosediving

About noon I walked High Noon with Louis. While the trail isn't ready today, we are getting much closer. The forecast looks COLD. Starting about 8 tonight, the temperatures are going to nosedive. We may see temperatures below zero. We should have incredible snowmaking weather for at least 48-72 hours. Add some decent snowfall Thursday. That is going to put us right in the "ZONE."  I suggest looking at the webcams first thing in the morning Thursday. I am usually a pretty calm guy, but I am starting to get excited.

We Are Well On The Way

The snowmaking has just been incredible. We couldn't really ask for better. Last night was pretty good. Before long we will get a snowcat on the hill. The first snowcat trips will get a travel route established. Once that is done and we make a little more snow, the snowcat drivers will start pushing and spreading the snow around. They will be literally carving those whales into the ski trail we call High Noon. Once you see the cat dozing, we are getting close.

That Looks Like a Ski Trail

A-Basin Snowsports Instructor, Andrew Greene, took this photo this morning. I would say High Noon is starting to look like a ski trail. The last couple days of snowmaking have been even better than I was expecting and the forecast later in the week is improving. It is still too early to pick an opening date, but you can start dusting off the skis and snowboards.

Face of A-Basin Snowmaking

The face of Arapahoe Basin snowmaking is Bill LeClair. His career in this very specialized craft began in 1984 at Mt. Sunapee, New Hampshire. After spending decades as a fixture in Keystone snowmaking, this is his 3rd year as the A-Basin Snowmaking Manager. There are few people in Colorado with his encyclopedia of knowledge in snowmaking. We are lucky to have him.

And Another Good One

We had another good snowmaking session last night. The wet bulb temperature dropped down to 17 F.  We fired up  the system at about 7 PM versus 1 AM the night before. The winds were a little breezy, but it was still a successful night. As I write, the system is still producing some good snow. Yesterday we ran until noon.

The crew will keep plugging away, hoping we see some really, really favorable conditions later this week.

Best Night Yet

That was a pretty good night. The wet bulb got down to about 20 F. I think we went beyond just test mode and really made some snow. While I can't call the snow piles or whales yet, we have moved beyond just white spots on the ground. Forecast wise, tonight looks to be very similar to last night. After that we might warm up again, but by mid-week we could see our coldest temperatures yet. With a nearly full reservoir and good streamflow, the outlook for the next week is quite good

Hikers, Bikers and Disc Golfers

The Argentine North Fork Trail, Trail # 2 and the Disc Golf Course will remain open on a day to day basis. As long as snowmaking and / or natural snowfall do not interfere with these activities, and vice versa, we will keep them open. 

While we made snow again last night, we still haven't had the really big night. That might happen this weekend. We shall see. Stay tuned for trail and disc golf updates.

25 F Wet

This morning was a nice semi-surprise. The wet bulb temperature dropped down to 25 F and the snowmaking crew fired up the fan guns. The humidity is very low which is good for snowmaking. Looking at the forecasts, we might see some more consistent and favorable conditions. I am hopeful for a productive snowmaking weekend. Let's keep the finger crossed.