legalskier
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Arrival temp: 28F
With DST snatching an hour of sleep I decided to take advantage of Blue’s $28 4-10 pm lift pass, one of the best deals anywhere. Pulling into the upper lot an open parking space became available near Summit Lodge, allowing me to pay and get out on the snow quickly with RFID pass in pocket. A warm-up run down Burma Road revealed that earlier traffic had created ice patches in the center and good snow pushed out along the trail’s edge, which is where I would ski on many other trails as well. Took the double chair which offered a view of some of the many snowguns at work. The Chute was closed for snowmaking. Imagine that- it’s mid March, with a predicted blizzard a mere two days away, and they’re blasting manmade all over the place. Gotta love it.
Headed over to Lazy Mile where the snow was soft mashed potatoes with fun baby bumps here and there, as well as sidewalls to jib off of on the edge.
Main Street offered the only real bumps to speak of- in the shade they were hard but had soft snow on top, necessitating tactical adjustments. Down in the valley both the HSQ and HS6 were spinning, keeping the clientele happy. Blue’s excellent snowmaking system has provided a base deep enough to withstand the recent extended thaw, evident here:
A brief pit stop was in order at Valley Lodge for some hot cocoa, provided by a cafeteria lady who couldn’t have been nicer or more helpful. This was consistent with every employee I encountered, who made the trip that much more enjoyable. Valley Lodge has doubled in size with the addition of an attached “temporary” structure dedicated to rentals. The nearby tubing park was open with one lift operating.
Back on the hill for some more vertical, which is easy to do here- skied every trail 2-4 times. All trails but Chute were open. Later the sun set over Sidewinder:
As the sun sank so did the temps, making the surface firmer and faster. The lights came up- Blue is 100% lighted. The crowds thinned out around 7, leaving me a lonely figure on several trails. Though others were around, I felt like I had the place to myself. I haven’t night skied in decades so this was a fun change of pace. A huge full moon began to rise over the mountain, a memorable ending to a gorgeous bluebird day.
Back at Summit Lodge I resisted the temptation to partake of libations at the Slopeside Pub- next time I’ll make sure to bring a designated driver along. Blue plans to stay open through the snowstorm, which will enable it to stay open till the last week of March as I was told- just check their site for the latest updates before you go.
With DST snatching an hour of sleep I decided to take advantage of Blue’s $28 4-10 pm lift pass, one of the best deals anywhere. Pulling into the upper lot an open parking space became available near Summit Lodge, allowing me to pay and get out on the snow quickly with RFID pass in pocket. A warm-up run down Burma Road revealed that earlier traffic had created ice patches in the center and good snow pushed out along the trail’s edge, which is where I would ski on many other trails as well. Took the double chair which offered a view of some of the many snowguns at work. The Chute was closed for snowmaking. Imagine that- it’s mid March, with a predicted blizzard a mere two days away, and they’re blasting manmade all over the place. Gotta love it.
Headed over to Lazy Mile where the snow was soft mashed potatoes with fun baby bumps here and there, as well as sidewalls to jib off of on the edge.
Main Street offered the only real bumps to speak of- in the shade they were hard but had soft snow on top, necessitating tactical adjustments. Down in the valley both the HSQ and HS6 were spinning, keeping the clientele happy. Blue’s excellent snowmaking system has provided a base deep enough to withstand the recent extended thaw, evident here:
A brief pit stop was in order at Valley Lodge for some hot cocoa, provided by a cafeteria lady who couldn’t have been nicer or more helpful. This was consistent with every employee I encountered, who made the trip that much more enjoyable. Valley Lodge has doubled in size with the addition of an attached “temporary” structure dedicated to rentals. The nearby tubing park was open with one lift operating.
Back on the hill for some more vertical, which is easy to do here- skied every trail 2-4 times. All trails but Chute were open. Later the sun set over Sidewinder:
As the sun sank so did the temps, making the surface firmer and faster. The lights came up- Blue is 100% lighted. The crowds thinned out around 7, leaving me a lonely figure on several trails. Though others were around, I felt like I had the place to myself. I haven’t night skied in decades so this was a fun change of pace. A huge full moon began to rise over the mountain, a memorable ending to a gorgeous bluebird day.
Back at Summit Lodge I resisted the temptation to partake of libations at the Slopeside Pub- next time I’ll make sure to bring a designated driver along. Blue plans to stay open through the snowstorm, which will enable it to stay open till the last week of March as I was told- just check their site for the latest updates before you go.
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