bigwavedave Posted December 15, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2021 40° mist, fog, drizzle, can't see 75', yet Spirit is open for biz? I saw 2 people ride the chair. I did not plan to ride today, just drove by on my way back from the store. Giants Ridge, Buck, Indianhead all closed for the rain & fog. They did this last year too, staying open in pouring rain and the traffic through the slush ruined the hill for the next several days. But, when it gets real cold, typically after a big snowstorm, they close the hill while everyone else is open for biz. Spirit needs to have skier/boarders in charge of running the hill, or at least advising. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobble Posted December 16, 2021 Report Share Posted December 16, 2021 4 hours ago, bigwavedave said: 40° mist, fog, drizzle, can't see 75', yet Spirit is open for biz? I saw 2 people ride the chair. I did not plan to ride today, just drove by on my way back from the store. Giants Ridge, Buck, Indianhead all closed for the rain & fog. They did this last year too, staying open in pouring rain and the traffic through the slush ruined the hill for the next several days. But, when it gets real cold, typically after a big snowstorm, they close the hill while everyone else is open for biz. Spirit needs to have skier/boarders in charge of running the hill, oe at least advising. it's raining hard right now. thunderstorm in december? my gutters are overflowing. shit... maybe crystal lake will open and i can go paddle boarding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigwavedave Posted December 16, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2021 On 12/15/2021 at 8:10 PM, bobble said: it's raining hard right now. thunderstorm in december? my gutters are overflowing. shit... maybe crystal lake will open and i can go paddle boarding. Hard rain all night here. Spirit had at least one snowboarder riding the chair when it closed at 8pm (I checked the webcam). All the lights were lit up on the hill all through the storm last night? Not sure what that was about. Maybe getting the snow cannons placed before the temperature drop? Grooming in the rain? At least it's snowing now and that should be the last of the warm weather for the foreseeable future. Spirit still has a lot of runs yet to cover with snow. Russ was supposed to patrol today. I'm waiting to hear how the hill is. Looks like they are open. I suspect it will be a frozen mash. Corrugated, if they groomed. The river is still frozen here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwmaron Posted December 16, 2021 Report Share Posted December 16, 2021 Spirit is open, though I’ve only seen one skier so far and he left after taking one run. The groom is rapidly hardening as the temperature drops and there’s only spotty patches of new snow. The only bright spot on the day is the concentration of snow guns running on Fourpipe. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khoward Posted December 16, 2021 Report Share Posted December 16, 2021 21 hours ago, bigwavedave said: 40° mist, fog, drizzle, can't see 75', yet Spirit is open for biz? I saw 2 people ride the chair. I did not plan to ride today, just drove by on my way back from the store. Giants Ridge, Buck, Indianhead all closed for the rain & fog. They did this last year too, staying open in pouring rain and the traffic through the slush ruined the hill for the next several days. But, when it gets real cold, typically after a big snowstorm, they close the hill while everyone else is open for biz. Spirit needs to have skier/boarders in charge of running the hill, or at least advising. Hi, Spirit Mountain Authority Board Meetings are open to the public. Below is a link to the schedule. https://www.spiritmt.com/board-of-directors 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigwavedave Posted December 18, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2021 Saturday 1st tracks from the top this morning. A little deceiving with a ½" layer of new snow over groomed ice. I made as many skidded turns as carved turns. Wasn't feeling comfortable going fast on this hard surface as I'm still sore from a fall last week in similar conditions. Rode for about an hour til it started getting busy on the hill. Snowmaking continues day & night. They were removing the snow guns from 4Pipe and spreading the snow out, so it shouldn't be long for more terrain to open. A fresh skiff of man made snow drifted onto lower 4Pipe. Decent carves were had leaving nice tracks at the top and at the bottom.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigwavedave Posted December 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2021 Sunday It was sunny and cold this morning. Decided not to ride unless new runs had opened. The other runs need a few more grooming cycles and maybe some new snow to soften things up after the big rain. Went for a bike ride to check it out and found 4Pipe open, but not listed on the website. There's snow making on Gandy and the big air park. Bare patches visible on Blue Ruin. Double Jaw should be open by Tuesday. I plan to be on the hill and leaving tracks in the new snow Tuesday morning. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigwavedave Posted December 21, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2021 Solstice Tuesday ...or soulsurf Tuesday. 2-3" of new snow on the hill this morning and another inch or so fell before noon. I didn't quite make the 1st tracks this morning. Even just a couple of inches of new snow brings out all the seekers of 1st tracks. Russ was there. We rode for a couple of hrs. I started out on the 169 PCjv (swallowtail) then hopped on the 181 PC when the sun came out and the hill was all tracked out. I was finding pockets of 4-5" deep in places. Took one run with a small carving board and found I was having more fun on the smoother powder carving swallowtails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigwavedave Posted December 22, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2021 Wed Up for first tracks. Nice groom today. DoubleJaw open. Snow guns on BlueRuin, Timbercruiser, BigAir. Maybe Gandy and JugglerJoe will be open soon. 0° at start and shot up to 9° after a couple of hours when I left. Handwarmers in boots and mitts today. Not as many folks get excited about fresh groom as yesterday's 3" of powder. Far fewer sliders on the hill. Had lots of unfettered runs today. Best snow was on ScissorBill and 4Pipe. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigwavedave Posted December 23, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2021 1st tracks from the top again. Started in flat light and turned into a gorgeous sunny day. 5 runs open from SkyHooker to DoubleJaw. Did them all, but my carving bliss was on ScissorBill and 4Pipe today riding the XC. A firm groom to start with 1-2" deep trenches that were finding the ice base later in the day once the runs were chewed up. Not too busy, but you had to look for a gap the in traffic. Lots of kids on the hill. Rode for 3hrs. Russ was there. Leighton was riding HB on a Donek Saber. I think he finally found a carving board to suit his style. Ha! almost fooled ya...FatBike tracks on the river 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigwavedave Posted December 27, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2021 Monday About 8 inches on the ground at my house. Drove straight to the top and took a run. Probably 6 to 8 inches on the hill, 4pipe groomed down the center. I came down Scissorbill, pretty nice, except that the precip had turned to freezing rain clogging goggles so couldn’t see much on the way down. There were some other tracks, but nobody at the bottom of the hill. Waiting for the first chair back to the top... ...1½ hrs later... Had 3-4 nice runs finding some untracked on DoubleJaw and down the sides of 4pipe and then at once, it got crowded and all tracked out. The snow overnight was light and dry, but the freezing drizzle this morning made the fresh tracks this morning get compacted. Fog and frizzle made it hard to see at times. Made a few more runs before leaving just as the precip was turning back to snow. It's still coming down (supposed to be a few more inches today). I suspect we've got some lake enhancement. And a few more inches forecast for tomorrow. I'll be out early. Should be a stellar carving day Wed if the sun comes out. Oh, and Gandy is open. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigwavedave Posted December 28, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2021 Just one run today. Fog, flat light, crowds, lift lines, but then there was perfect 1st day groom. Would've made a few more runs, but I've been having some pain in my rear knee, so decided to rest it and work on it today so i can go out tomorrow. We're expecting a few more inches today, then cold & sunny tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigwavedave Posted December 29, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2021 We had 3-4" of fresh last night. 5° below at the house, -1° at the top, bright sun. 1st tracks and the groom was uneven, inconsistent, and the snow was both firm/chalky and soft. Had to keep knees real flexy to keep from getting bounced out. No relaxed carving today. Gandy & Summit chairs both down, just the express chair spinning. Rode for 1½ hrs. Despite the cold, lots of groups out and it got busy after the first ½ hr. Race course on Skyhooker. Still making snow on JugglerJoe & BlueRuin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigwavedave Posted December 30, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 Carving bliss, almost. Started out subzero and shot up to 15 above. The groom was perfection! Smooth and even, so it didn't really matter that you couldn't see in the flat light. I had to push into my turns to break through the chalky surface to reach the creamy layer beneath and then get the rebound into the next turn. Riding the Thirst XC. It got busy, but the Gandy side was up and swallowed some of the traffic. Last day of ski & snowboard camps (I think, I hope). Rode for 3hrs and kept finding the wide open run, usually DoubleJaw. Russ was there. Lots of questions & comments about the carving setup today. Looks like some arctic air moving in Sat & Sun. Still making snow on JugglerJoe and Big Air. Should have everything open soon. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigwavedave Posted December 31, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2021 Friday New Years eve 1st tracks from the top again. A nice Minnesota firm groom, the kind where you get a zipper thhrrrump sound as the board rips open the corduroy. 1° below and a bit of sun and no ski or board camps. Saw another carver coming down the hill right after me. Rode for 1½ glorious hrs before it began to get a bit crowded, still fewer people than any other day this week. Racers on SkyHooker and still making snow on JJ & BigAir. Jim @jolson & I had a good hour of carving up virtually empty runs. Almost as good as a typical weekday morning. Hoping to make some New Year's turns tomorrow. The forecast is for 15° below in the morning and a high of -1°F. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolson Posted January 1, 2022 Report Share Posted January 1, 2022 Was a great first time out and finding Dave for the entire run - time was a bonus....aside from the need to take better care of my legs......what a great morning.....Can't wait for the rest of the season opportunities with the complete three musketeers of Dave, Russ and Ken........ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigwavedave Posted January 1, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2022 Happy New Year! Saturday 1-1-22 -12° at the top, bright sun, perfect corduroy, nobody there. 1st tracks down the hill and caught the 1st chair up. #1? What are the chances? Me and 2 patrollers for the first ½ hr, then 3 more people showed up. Rode for 2 hrs until the cold started seeping in and more folks started arriving. Snow making done on JugglerJoe, still going in the park. Could see a thick cloud of lake effect snow over the lake and moving towards the south shore. Indianhead needs the snow. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigwavedave Posted January 2, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2022 Sunday Minus 15°F at the top (-20 at home by the river), sunny, no wind, and got up to 0° by noon. The grooming seems much better this year, super smooth, consistent and no unpleasant groomer features. Typical Minnesota firm where carves are 1" deep. Empty slopes and no lift lines for 2 hrs. Rode Gandy for the first time this year. With a race course on the far right, the left side of Gandy was wide open, virtually untracked and had a bit of fresh snow overblown from guns on CinderSnapper and BlueRuin. Kept making one more run until I was thoroughly chilled to the core. Just hand warmers in the mitts, but my toes never froze. Be back Tuesday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigwavedave Posted January 4, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2022 Tuesday Above zero today with flat light and an east wind (off the lake) gusting over 20kts. We've got a storm heading this way with the center passing south of us which is perfect for lake enhanced snowfall. The forecast is for 4-6 inches here and the U.P. might get a foot or more! Might head over to BlackJack on Thursday. Rode with Russ today (on his new Thirst CC+). The groomers got a little aggressive on BindleStiff and ScissorBill last night exposing the brown made made "snow" (or ice), and brought a bunch of ice cubes to the surface. Watch out for the brown snow (it's the river water tannins). 4Pipe and DoubleJaw were groomed perfection. Had to hug the tree line to see in the flat light and to hide from the upslope wind. Rode for 2½ hrs. Tomorrow should be fun 1st tracks for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigwavedave Posted January 5, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2022 Only about 2½" so far this morning and blowing a gale all night. With low expectations, I arrived at the bottom of the hill a few minutes after opening. Wind blown snow across the hill from the north forming sastrugi ridges across the slope, interspersed with rows of crusty groom (some freezing drizzle apparently fell after grooming), made riding interesting. By hugging the leeside of the tree lines I found pockets of 6" deep dense arctic powder (like talcum) made up of very small "flakes". Temp +10F and dropping, blowing 15-25kts and still snowing. Should be nice tomorrow. It was a short day, but fun. And the crowds have disappeared. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigwavedave Posted January 6, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2022 Thursday day23 1st tracks from the top. -10°F, light wind and clearing skies. Best groom was on 4Pipe. It was surprisingly crusty everywhere else. Snowmaking is done. JugglerJoe is open. Still grooming out the park and Cinder Snapper. Rode for 2½ hrs. Carving was fun and it was hard to quit, even when the cold sapped the warmth from the core. With nobody there, we never had to look up for traffic. That's what makes riding on subzero days so worthwhile. Plus it's usually sunny. Temps warmed up to near zero. Riding with @rwmaron most of the morning. He seems to be getting on with his new Thirst CC+. This was the last picture before the cold killed my battery. We were working on making a beautiful mess of the hill and we weren't done yet. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurch Posted January 6, 2022 Report Share Posted January 6, 2022 Nice work Dave! The groomers will need therapy once they spy this corduroy annihilation! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwmaron Posted January 7, 2022 Report Share Posted January 7, 2022 The afore mentioned CC+: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigwavedave Posted January 8, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2022 Was Spirit open today? When I drove by it was all lit up, but the express chair wasn't running. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khoward Posted January 8, 2022 Report Share Posted January 8, 2022 Out for a few runs today from 12:15-1:30. A bit brisk with firm groom, but little traffic. Four Pipe lift seems to be operating normally. Planning first chair tomorrow 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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