1-3" NEW SNOW OVERNIGHT @ 5AM, SOUTH WINDS CONTINUE TO HOWL, STORM SKIING TODAY
1-3" of new snow has blown in overnight as of 5am, and I'm up now so I figured today's report could come a little earlier. The wind is the major factor, as it continues to wreak havoc on our upper mountain terrain. Huge thanks to Taylor for these great photos and SnoFax reporting. Skiing off of the Tram is not for the faint hearted right now, you will be faced with wind slabs and sheets of ice. Liberty Bowl being the most damaged. Things are likely the same if not worse up there today, as South winds have continued gusting to 50mph overnight. Down low and out of the wind, skiing looks great in the Bowl, and Chalky off of Challenger. Not sure if Swifty will continue running at reduced speed today, would definitely appreciate any updates that anyone can provide on that.
WIND AND TEMPS: Today is going to be a cold and snowy day out there, with temps ranging between 1°F at the summit, and 16°F at the base, and winds are expected to continue out of the South for most of the day, hopefully only gusting to around 35mph at the summit by the time we open. Significant snowfall expected between now and 9am, so keep an eye on the weather stations this morning if you'd like to see how fast it is stacking up, my guess is we could see a few more inches before noon.
There's plenty of great skiing to be had, and there's always hope that the South Face will heal up despite all of this wind damage. Just one shift in the weather and things can change overnight. It's going to be cold out there which should help keep the crowds down, but if Swifty isn't at full speed there's no avoiding a bit of a wait at the base and Ram Charger could get backed up as well, with a Super G race taking place on Hangmans. If you dress warm and ready to chase down the good skiing from lift to lift, today could involve a lot of vert and a lot of pow if it keeps dropping this morning. Keep up the great work SnoFax community! Let's help make sure everybody knows what they're getting into out on the mountain!
As always, remember to stay safe, and have fun out there.