Colorado Arapahoe Basin 2016-2017

[Philpug]

Temps are creeping up, but not quite enough to close Pali this weekend IMHO. No comments today in Al's blog, which is probably a positive.

The blew some bombs at the end of the day, nothing slid. It will make it through the weekend but not much after.

 

[Doug Briggs]

Wasn't Pali Face closed today? Pali lift was spinning.

The far half of Zuma Cornice is roped off now as are all the trees on the E side of Zuma.

Willie's Wide was pretty smooth and wet yesterday about 2. This morning it wasn't ready at noon.

Zuma Cornice was pretty nice from 10:30 until noon (when I had to leave) today. The further W you went, the better.

So far there aren't any big dirt patches OR water hazards.

I posted a few pictures from yesterday and today here: https://forum.pugski.com/threads/tr...day-at-arapahoe-basin.4931/page-2#post-113278

 

[SBrown]

Wasn't Pali Face closed today? Pali lift was spinning.

Yes, the face was closed

 

[Doug Briggs]

Yes, the face was closed

Thanks, Chuck.

 

[Jilly]

Looking at the webcams...what is the square stuff in the middle of Zuma?

 

[Doug Briggs]

Looking at the webcams...what is the square stuff in the middle of Zuma?

The stuff circled in red is snow fencing. the yellow highlighted stuff is dirt.

 

[Philpug]

We ran into this lady...

 

[TonyC]

Interesting. There's a May 12 blog now, no comment about wet snow instability. Yet front side Pali runs are shown as closed. I thought it took 2-3 days of 50+ highs and 32+ lows for this to happen.

 

[Jilly]

@Doug Briggs Thanks. It really looked like some concrete berm. Fencing makes sense.

 

[nay]

Interesting. There's a May 12 blog now, no comment about wet snow instability. Yet front side Pali runs are shown as closed. I thought it took 2-3 days of 50+ highs and 32+ lows for this to happen.

Al takes a lot of crap for being very up front about why closures occur based on water moving under the snow pack on Pali and rollers/sloughs on East Wall. Sounds like maybe they are just closing Pali Face as the main slide risk and not talking about it instead of all the steeper terrain over there, especially since the other steep terrain is still open.

It can happen in a day, although Thu didn't seem warm enough (just surface slush) to go from zero to closed, and East Wall and Zuma Cornice usually go more or less at the same time. Maybe he'll say why today.

Good news is a big cool down next week to hopefully reset the clock.

 

[nay]

Today is it for Pali.

 

[Monique]

Today is it for Pali.

View attachment 24050

I read that as "Ski Ability" - as in, your ski ability is not high enough to ski Pali ;-)

Sort of "you have to be this tall to ride"

 

[Jerez]

thinking about blowing off a Friday appointment and heading up Thursday to ski Friday and possibly Saturday. Anyone else going to be up there? will post in mother's day thread also.

 

[nay]

thinking about blowing off a Friday appointment and heading up Thursday to ski Friday and possibly Saturday. Anyone else going to be up there? will post in mother's day thread also.

That's a good move given the forecast, and assuming the rest of Colorado doesn't feel the same way. Sat could be insanely crowded.



I have end of school year commitments - my plan is to ski the corn transition early and often next week.

 

[nay]

Re: reopening Pali for this storm, A-Basin just said "We can neither confirm nor deny. "

 

[SBrown]

Re: reopening Pali for this storm, A-Basin just said "We can neither confirm nor deny. "

Oh good, I was wondering. If they don't, there will be a shitshow of epic proportions re: crowds by Friday.

 

[coskigirl]

Oh good, I was wondering. If they don't, there will be a shitshow of epic proportions re: crowds by Friday.

This takes on a whole new meaning these days.

 

[James]

That's a good move given the forecast, and assuming the rest of Colorado doesn't feel the same way. Sat could be insanely crowded.

View attachment 24341

I have end of school year commitments - my plan is to ski the corn transition early and often next week.

So wind drifts over frozen coral, chicken heads, cow beaks...on Friday?

 

[nay]

Oh good, I was wondering. If they don't, there will be a shitshow of epic proportions re: crowds by Friday.

Probably true either way by Friday if the upper mountain is low/zero viz and everybody is pretty much on BMX and Pali.

If Pali opens tomorrow, that might be the day if the snow is deep enough/dense enough to cover how bumped it is since that crap will be frozen seal reef.

This storm is supppsed to be cold enough that the snow may be relatively light, which is not necessarily a good thing.

I have an uncle-in-law flying into DIA right now for his annual summer pilgrimage to the Leadville Hostel. He's taking CME to Frisco and then renting his usual little 2wd car in Frisco.

I'm starting to hope that family rescue ops are required so that I have to be on the other side of the tunnel tomorrow .

 

[nay]

So wind drifts over frozen coral, chicken heads, cow beaks...on Friday?

Hard to say. There could be a foot by tomorrow midday and the front side usually wind loads in a NW storm.

The goal I would think is hitting first tracks on East Wall and the lesser pitch Zuma stuff, as both are relatively smooth as a base pre-storm, and neither are particularly storm skiable if you value seeing. Also International off Pali where there are smooth sections. What lies beneath is not going to be friendly so does it all get buried and how quickly?

Current forecasts have the storm a bit slower and stronger, and also a bit more north. That's a contradiction since stronger lows usually dig further south when coming out of the NW. So it may not clear much on Friday, or maybe the afternoon is money as the whole mountain opens up.

I still wouldn't bet against shitshow, though, and my preference would be to bet on Thu storm skiing even if that meant lapping a couple preferred runs. The roads are warm and I-70 and Loveland Pass are going to ice up big time. With likely closures, those on the right side of the Divide might have a reasonably nice time on Thu.