Colorado 2016-17 Colorado Weather

[RachelV]

Got to make some turns with @RachelV ...

Nice to meet you & take a few runs!

I saw a ton of photos on facebook today from my non-pug friends! Must have been so fun. I couldn't make it dammit and I'm sad.

It was pretty fun. The Lenawee line got a bit long in the middle of the day, but the coverage was great, the snow wasn't quite as grabby as I was expecting (and this is with me not having waxed my skis since ... ? ), and it really felt like there was a lot of terrain open for closing day. Lake Reveal was definitely smaller than usual. Gorgeous day.

~16 weeks til 17-18 opening day!

 

[nay]

I saw a ton of photos on facebook today from my non-pug friends! Must have been so fun. I couldn't make it dammit and I'm sad.

Today was a ton of fun. We ended up going bell to bell after initially calling it around 1:45 and then deciding the final bell was in order and heading back up top.

Some clouds rolled in that maybe kept the afternoon stickiness at bay, but took away a bit of that pure sun soaked atmosphere. Reveal was a strange beast - a berm set up that never broke, and it slowed down snowboarders so much that one after the other dunked either right at the edge or on the other side. And a bunch of skiers surfing with knees apart hit the berm and then went OTB and blew up face first on the other side. Awesome.

First surf of the day by one of mine...



The berm and its chaos...





^^^beware wearing a lifeguard costume and getting called into duty.

Putting the rescue tube to better use.



And not rescuing yet another boarder causality.

I did three passes, my first ever, with no dunkings. I've never wanted to do it with boot heaters (and fear), but the approach was clean and fast so I said screw it and had no drama runs. There is word of pics and video, but not on my phone...

The expected midday lines suddenly appeared at 10:45...

 

[nay]

Early morning conditions...



Soft afternoon bumps with my other son who bucked up and skied it out in the foreground.



The resident Little Lenawee mountain goats were with us all day, and at one point the entire herd moved down around the Zuma lift with several of them watching the skiers, seemingly impatient for the bell.



And then the close. I still think they could have made it another weekend. The base just seems to be stubbornly holding on, as noted here "Base somehow still here 36".



And for those who skied, a final run at 3:00 pm when they finally booted us, with late runs on both Sundance and High Noon a super fun (when you get get a clean line) slush and ice bump mess.





Coming back through after some extended family time in Breck. Only a fox searching for revelry scraps and the setting sun.

 

[mikel]

View attachment 25491 Lenawee lines did get a bit long, especially the singles line. The line extended well beyond me. This was just about straight up noon. Snow balls started flying shortly after this.





a demonstration on keeping the tips up




@nay did you happen to be there during the pile up of people in the water? Then there was the dude going so fast he almost went over the berm of dirty snow just beyond the water


At times you could be coming down and be the only one around

 

[nay]

We saw some pretty good pileups and a few guys almost launch past the edge, but maybe not the pileup. I'm not sure I've ever seen that many people enter at speeds with no chance of making it.

Here I am almost across at around 9:45 before the other side of the berm really opened up and the horde arrived.

 

[nay]

How did I miss this one in my photos? One of the aforementioned skiers with knees apart, hit the berm, and...

 

[Monique]

^^ That's how I would end up, which is why I don't even try!

 

[nay]

^^ That's how I would end up, which is why I don't even try!

Ok, my family has figured out this is an optical illusion - he's on his side. Much less funny and why I didn't initially keep the pic. Boo.

 

[Monique]

Ok, my family has figured out this is an optical illusion - he's on his side. Much less funny and why I didn't initially keep the pic. Boo.

My point remains!

 

[ski otter 2]

Yep, It still works. He/she's floundering, sort of our worst fears - and so suspenseful.

 

[Doug Briggs]

We saw some pretty good pileups and a few guys almost launch past the edge, but maybe not the pileup. I'm not sure I've ever seen that many people enter at speeds with no chance of making it.

Here I am almost across at around 9:45 before the other side of the berm really opened up and the horde arrived.

View attachment 25497

As I often say: 'It is good to be first'

 

[mikel]

Doesn't usually work out this way but this season started with opening day at A Basin and ended on closing day at A Basin. Ski season is not necessarily done though. A return trip to Mammoth is not totally out of the question and there are those that decided to stay here for the summer that want to make a trip to RMNP so ...

 

[nay]

Yep, It still works. He/she's floundering, sort of our worst fears - and so suspenseful.

I don't know why I was game this year, no doubt the floundering is tough and it takes a long time to get out.

The skis apart and tips way up style was pretty much putting on brakes. Skiers literally stopped at about a 45 degree angle and were just stuck there.

Like this, with points for matching drab olive.



Separate and sink...

 

[nay]

A good sequence of the boy - forgot I'd taken a burst shot. There's a pugskier making a cameo appearance as well .

 

[nay]

Look who still has plenty of snow and is still grooming.

 

[Tricia]

Oooooh~

 

[Doug Briggs]

Grooming or clearing roads? I'd never seen the roads plowed at A-Basin before they closed until this year. I think they have an aggressive construction schedule and they need the roads more than they need to stay open this time around.

 

[nay]

Grooming or clearing roads? I'd never seen the roads plowed at A-Basin before they closed until this year. I think they have an aggressive construction schedule and they need the roads more than they need to stay open this time around.

I'm sure you are right. They rushed to close and its obvious they had another weekend with the remaining base.

Although they did run a cat out after the close to groom the closed mountain. Just sayin'.

 

[nay]

Oh look, grooming ops...and Al posted some pics and said he was going to see how things look mid-mountain. Why do they tease us? Or why am I not letting go?

 

[RachelV]

I feel like the theme of the forthcoming mid-mountain pics is going to be, "SEE? I told you we couldn't pull off another weekend." But maybe I'm wrong.