Sunday funday with an added bonus of perfect powder!

You can feel the excitement radiating from everyone...  things just sped up.

Patience pays off.  Already having the chance to take advantage of my much anticipated ride break during work,  the snow is light and deep!  Awesome conditions.  10-14" in the last 24 hours and it's still coming down.  If there is one thing we can promise it is our expectations are always exceeded with the amount of snow that is predicted.  With the amount of snow falling, it will create a perfect coat for the next week of blue bird predictions.  87-92" base depth, add a foot or so of fresh powder and some blue skies and you've got perfect conditions.

pushing past that comfort zone

Lucky enough to experience some awesome terrain, I recently pushed myself on a 3 1/2 hour hike for some  higher and steeper terrain I had yet to see.  Needless to say my throat felt a bit coarse but the bar got raised on my stamina level.

2011 not only has brought more snow but it has brought a new mix of Spring boarding and skiing to the table.  The best way I like to describe spring conditions is getting comfortable in a light shirt and boarding pants and looking forward to that goggle tan at the end of the day.

 For the past week and a half Kirkwood has seen clear skies and blue bird days.  Putting more emphasis on grooming, Kirkwood has stepped it up on making sure more runs than normal are being groomed and prepared for the coming days.  We have the luxury of High-Angle grooming which means those double black almost vertical lines will be prepped and ready to ride down at top speeds.  The upside to spring conditions is the change in shape of the snow.  This is referred to as "Corn snow" or "quasi-Corn".  The snow can be referred to as coarse, granular wet snow.  Though it's January and we still have storms to look forward to, we are currently enjoying a taster of what these spring conditions feel like.  The Corn snow takes on a certain shape during it's melting and freezing state, this occurs best during mid to late morning where after a layer has begun to melt but before it is too wet and sloppy.

Enjoy to clear skies while they last!


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If you dream it, it's possible.

New Years Eve, 125 top notch skiers rode chair 6 to the top just after the sun fell behind the mountains and the single degree weather kicked in.  Hands frozen and camera in hand I prepared myself for a shot that seemed almost impossible to capture in the black of night.  Guiding off of the single light that flickered at the top of chair 6's chair lift, I hoped for the best.  From black to red instantly, 125 skiers at the top of chair 6 fired up 125 road flares.  Within seconds they blazed an organized "S" trail from top to bottom.  Epic is a great word to describe what it looked like.

After making their way down Kirkwood's fireworks show lit up the sky.  Red flares burning all over the snow the crowd looked up to the sky in amazement of an up close and personal fireworks show that let off feet from where they were standing.  One of the best fireworks show I've ever seen!

Parties proceeded after at the bars which completed the night, brought 2010 to and end and a hopeful 2011 to a start.

Starting my new year off right I was one of very few that got not only the 1st of the year but the 2nd as well off.  There was only one answer to the question of how I would spend my time.  Deciding to push myself a bit I blazed a trail off chair 4 up the backside to get higher and steeper...the best way to find fresh untouched tracks.  I enjoyed it so much I did it twice that day.

The crowds at Kirkwood have finally calmed down which means more powder for those that visit.  Best time of year to board/ski is now!  Cheers to the new year and new possibilities!

"If you dream it, it's possible.  Let no one tell you otherwise".