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.