Aurora Borealis At The Basin

While I didn't stay up to watch the Northern Lights, Danny Cheresnick shared these two photos he took at A-Basin and Loveland Pass Friday night.

What A Day

So the plan for the day had been to lounge around and have a Mother's Day brunch with the family. When Kay woke me up and said there was 10" new at The Basin, that plan fell apart. We got to A-Basin early, found first tracks on every run and had the time of ours lives. Nothing like skiing Spring powder. I think we are in for a very good week with temps in the 30s and 40s, some showers and some sun. Spring time.

And the brunch became a late lunch.

10 Inches New

I wrote that 'Moody Spring Storm Days" blog yesterday afternoon. I guess the unexpected 10" of snow we received last night emphasizes the unpredictability of Spring. I am going skiing.

Moody Spring Storm Days

We have definitely been experiencing the moody storm days of Spring. We move quickly from sunny and warm to stormy and snowy. Sometimes all within a few minutes. The skiing can change from corn to slush to powder. Always fun and always unpredictable, I love these days. 

Sunday - Last Day For Beavers

Tomorrow, Sunday, will be the final day of the season for The Beavers. And it has been a very good one. Since the snow started piling up out there in mid-January, we have had nothing short of spectacular skiing and riding. We all have our personal favorites.  I seem to be growing fonder and fonder of the Western Glades especially Bighorn and Dreamcatcher.

Many of you have asked me why is it closing when the skiing is so good (and the skiing is really good). The transition to summer has begun. Many of our seasonal employees are heading towards their summer work. The number of people skiing each day has started to drop. More and more of our skiers are focusing on skiing the core runs of Black Mountain Express, Lenawee Express and Zuma. While we still have several weeks of fun, fun skiing to go, the winding down of our ski season has begun. Thanks for helping us enjoy another soft and fluffy year in The Beavers.

Snow Management Bottom Lenawee

Skiing from Black Mountain Lodge to the bottom of the Lenawee Express, there is a big pile of snow on the skier's right side. The cat drivers stock piled this mound. As we progress into the later season, the approach into the bottom of LenX takes a great deal of snow management - and a lot of extra snow. This pile, in particular, was created to feed LenX and ensure it has a good long season.

 

Snow, Festival of the Brewpubs, Summer Pass

When it comes to The Basin these days, we have a few things to think about.

The skiing and riding for this time of year is outstanding. We had nearly a foot of snow earlier in the week. The forecast the next several days looks good for that much or maybe more. Lots of good skiing to go.

Festival of the Brewpubs is coming up Sunday, May 26. This is a sweet day to catch up with friends, ski your heart out in the morning and sample Colorado's finest craft beers in the afternoon. With live music in Mountain Goat Plaza, you won't want to miss this day.

Lastly, we have added the $199 Summer Pass. This pass gets you a full-day Via Ferrata tour, an Aerial Adventure Park (AAP) season pass, two AAP buddy tickets for your friends, unlimited summer lift rides, 5 yoga classes, all our trail runs and wildflower hikes and a bike pass. On top of that, the pass offers access to Festival of the Brewpubs, Summer Beer Fest and Oktoberfest. This is a $879 value for $199.

So, if you were planning to spend $40 for Festival of the Brewpubs, think about bumping that up to $199 for a full summer of fun.

 

8 Inches New

Yesterday's storm was a favorable one. We reported 8 inches of new snow this morning with very favorable, mostly West winds. I didn't get out yesterday, but I heard some excellent reports about skiing The Spine. We should see unsettled weather all week. If this keeps up, we could end up with a pretty long ski season.