ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted November 10, 2023 Report Share Posted November 10, 2023 (edited) Friday November 10. Day 1 A sunny opening day with typical WROD conditions. The resort is able to make snow on Kit Carson Traverse, Kit Carson Bowl and Ponderosa which all amounts to one run back to the Lakeview lift. I was in the line at the 9 AM open and it was pretty crowded. The snow is firm underneath in places with gritty-chunky stuff on top. I did 3 runs and bailed out. I'm on the off-peak pass which is non-holiday weekdays and some weekends in Nov, Dec, Mar and Apr. I could go this weekend but I think I will pass since the crowds on one run are not enjoyable or safe. Edited November 10, 2023 by ExcelsiorTheFathead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted November 13, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2023 Monday November 13. Day 2. I skipped the weekend but I understand that it wasn't super crowded as I expected. I was at home on Saturday watching the web cam and there seemed to be no lift line. So I went up Monday morning at open on a mostly sunny day. Recent weather has been warmish with the hill going well above freezing during the day time. The nights have also been warm and I'm not sure if any new snowmaking has taken place. Today the attendance is light and there is no lift line. The snow is a little firm and skitchy in places from thaw-freeze. The man-made coverage is pretty good and there are no exposed bedrocks on the main part of the runs. However, I have taken some superficial scratches to my base from a few floaters. I saw 3 monoskis today, two of them Codas. Not surprising since I am now in the home territory of The Chad. Still haven't seen another hardbooter. One guy correctly identified my board as a Skwal, so there is still hope for humanity. We need more snow, or at least more snowmaking. Rode from 9-11. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted November 15, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2023 Tuesday November 14. Day 3. I went up and rode for an hour but the Kit Carson Bowl is pretty firm and skitchy in places with loose snow cover in other places. It is pretty uneven and I am taking more superficial scratches from floating rocks. Even though not that many people are up there and there is no lift line, the run is uncomfortable with people going too fast, too slow, too whatever. I might stop going until conditions improve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted November 17, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2023 Friday November 17. Day 4. 1-3" of new fell overnight so I was hoping for a refresh. In some respects it was a little better but things are still firmy. I rode for around an hour until I spotted a rock the size of my fist on the run, then decided to leave before I hit something. Some snow is forecast for Saturday night so I'll be hopeful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted November 22, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2023 Monday November 20 - Wednesday Nov. 22nd. Day 7. It was snowy last weekend and 7-9" of new fell on Saturday night. This was an improvement but not enough to open any good terrain. It is still basically just one run. I rode the M, Tu, Wed mornings from open for around an hour. By 10 AM more people are streaming in and it gets unpleasant. A UNR ski team has been training on the run before the open so it is a bit rutted up when the public gets on it. These three days have been warmish and sunny. On Tuesday the Wizard beginner lift opened with a green run. I tried it and it is useless. I've met a few good softboot carvers, but no hardbooters yet. An old skier guy asked me if I know James. Another guy thought that I was James and told me how he has seen me carve since forever. I told him that I am new. My pass won't work for the next 3 days. It will be too crowded anyhow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted November 26, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 26, 2023 Sunday November 26. Day 8. It has been cold recently and the resort has been aggressive in making snow. No new terrain has opened, but something should happen soon. There has been no natural snow and none is in the forecast. This morning I rode the first hour before it got too crowded. The steep part of KC Bowl got churned and bumpy early on, but it was fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted November 29, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2023 Monday November 27 - Wednesday Nov 29. Day 11. Generally cool temperatures with less crowding during the weekdays. On Monday the Lone Tree blue run opened and much of the race training moved there. With a 2nd run open some of the pressure has eased. Snow quality is still good but there hasn't been any natural snow in a while. Some new is in the forecast for the next couple of days but not much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pusbag Posted November 29, 2023 Report Share Posted November 29, 2023 Maybe I can make it down there my kids are working at Northstar so hoping I can pull it off would be good to see you art Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted December 1, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2023 Hi Russ, come on down! But not soon cuz the resort is barely open. Friday December 1. Day 12. I took Thursday off because I thought it was going to snow, but all hopeful predictions fell apart. There has only been a trace of new. Friday was cold with strong winds. The Northwest Lift opened this morning but the only new terrain is the top of the Kit Carson Traverse which connects to existing trails at the top of Lakeview. Bunker also opened from the top of Lakeview. I rode for the first hour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted December 5, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2023 Monday December 4 - Tuesday Dec 5. Day 14. Nice weather going well above freezing during the afternoons. Much of the lower mountain is a bit firmy and scrapy in places. I found some ok carving on the short Upper Northwest trail right after you get off the lift. I also spent some time trying to pump turns on the green Galena run but it is hard to get enough speed there. Today a skier at the top of Northwest lift asked me if I know James, then told me a couple of quick James anecdotes. Another guy said "Nice Monoski dude." We need snow. A wind storm with some precip will come tomorrow, but no significant snow is in the forecast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Ong Posted December 6, 2023 Report Share Posted December 6, 2023 Hey buddy, Got day one in sunday, felt good even with the crowds. Probably won't be up much till after the holidays, see ya soon !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted December 8, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2023 Friday December 8. Day 15. Nice to hear from James. There were two days of bad weather. The resort preemptively closed on Wednesday due to the storm which brought 10-13". Thursday was open but very windy and the higher lifts had to close by 1 PM. A further 1-2" fell. Friday was nice and mostly sunny with light winds but cold, starting in the low teens. I made a few good turns on Upper Northwest again but it became difficult to get a clear run and the snow started to cut up quickly. The upper section of the green "Around the World" trail is now open. I tried it but it isn't very interesting. There still isn't anywhere near enough snow to open the Slide Bowl runs. On the bright side, I have to say that the snowmaking here is admirable. For a small resort they have made some good investments and are aggressively making snow whenever they can. While still limited, the current selection of open trails would not otherwise be possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted December 11, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2023 Monday December 11. Day 16. People on the lift: "When did you start riding boards that skinny? We've never seen you on a board like that before." Me: "I'm not James." 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odd Job Posted December 12, 2023 Report Share Posted December 12, 2023 Think they would confuse my fat ass with you cuz I'm asian? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Ong Posted December 12, 2023 Report Share Posted December 12, 2023 We are the same guy, really has anyone ever seen Art and James on the same hill ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted December 12, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2023 It seems like hardbooters are so rare that we all look alike. I'm always in goggles and mask so nobody knows who I am unless they see me in the lodge or parking lot. Somebody told me that James wears a yellow jacket these days, and I am still wearing my beat-up yellow jacket, so that might not help. I blew out my back yesterday trying to be low and tight. Today (tuesday) the weather is crappy so I'm not missing anything. I hope the pain goes away by tomorrow. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buster Posted December 15, 2023 Report Share Posted December 15, 2023 Funny, I've used the I'm not James line a few times Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted December 15, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2023 Thursday-Friday December 14-15. Day 18. The weather has been generally nice. I had to skip Wednesday because of back pain, but now it is getting better. I rode the first hour on Thursday and Friday, getting some good carves on Upper Northwest. The rest is just meh. Ramsey's trail is open now, taking more pressure off of the wide Kit Carson Bowl. Ramsey's looks pretty skinny so I won't be using it. The resort is trying to make snow on Silver Dollar which is on the Slide Bowl side of the hill. I'm sure that they would like to have this open for Christmas, but who knows if that will be possible. If it opens, I think that they will have to start running the Zephyr lift to serve it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted December 20, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2023 Wednesday December 20. Day 19. The weekend had nice weather but was very crowded. A storm came in on Monday and Tuesday that left 13-17" of new snow. Finally on Wednesday conditions are ok for me to go up again. Today was cloudy with flat light and a bit crowded. The snow is softish and I spent the first hour just sluffing down the slightly bumped-up surface. More terrain came online and the resort says that the "Main Side" trails are now 95% open. The chutes are still closed and Silver Dollar on the Slide Bowl side hasn't opened yet. This trail has many portable fan guns on it but it has been too warm lately to operate them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted December 22, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2023 Thursday-Friday December 21-22. Day 21. Thursday was cloudy up top but Friday was sunny. Crowded. Some good turns made on upper Northwest, riding only from 9-10AM. No snowmaking in recent days and little new in the forecast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted December 24, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2023 Sunday December 24. Day 22. Nice weather but a little windy. More crowded at open than I was hoping for, but the first hour was still ok. I ran into James finally and we made a few runs together, trying to find a clear window in the crowds to make some turns. Indeed we are both wearing yellow jackets, so it is easy to confuse us. Some snowmaking is going on when the conditions are good, and there might be a little bit of snow in the forecast. This was the last day for me until well after new year's since my off-peak pass is now blacked out. Not sure what to do with myself now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted January 5 Author Report Share Posted January 5 Friday January 5. Day 23 This was the first day back after my off-peak pass blackout period. Back on 12/26 the resort opened the Silver Dollar and Mine Train runs on the Slide Bowl side of the mountain, served by the Zephyr lift. Zephyr opens at 0830 since these runs get nice direct morning sun. The other lifts open at 0900. Over the holiday period there were a couple of natural snowfalls amounting to maybe 6-8", but the opening of the Slide Bowl runs are only possible thanks to snowmaking. Silver dollar isn't that great yet. The snow isn't deep enough to really make it wide and smooth. The lower part of the run has a bunch of fan guns on it. The wide runout of lower Mine Train is a good easy carve but it wasn't groomed this morning. I did most of my laps on the Kit Carson side after 0900. All weekends are blacked out for me during Jan/Feb. Some snow is expected tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted January 8 Author Report Share Posted January 8 Monday January 8. Day 24. Back on Saturday there was a pretty good storm that brought 10-12" but it was so windy that who knows where it went. In any case the Slide Bowl looks better covered now and the fan guns have been removed from lower Silver Dollar. Bonanza and Bruce's are now open but they haven't been groomed yet. Monday morning was also windy AF. Lower Mine Train had a nice groom. Silver Dollar is still uneven and hard to carve. The best carving was again in the Kit Carson Bowl but the uphill wind made it a challenge to maintain speed while making turns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted January 12 Author Report Share Posted January 12 Friday January 12. Day 25. Tuesday had high winds and all the upper lifts were closed all day. The resort preemptively closed for Wednesday which was a day-long blizzard that brought 16-20". Thursday had nice weather but it was a pow day with no firm groomers. So finally I go up on Friday which again is windy AF. Zephyr and Northwest were closed at open, leaving Lakeview as the only upper lift. Kit Carson Bowl wasn't bad but flat light, blowing snow and an imperfect groom made things a bit challenging. I think I made 4 runs then on the 5th ride up I was on the very last chair before they put the lift on wind hold. I waited at the top for everybody else to clear the trail then made my last run without another person in sight. Another storm is coming that should bring more snow. My pass is blacked out until Tuesday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted January 18 Author Report Share Posted January 18 Thursday January 18. Day 27. Over the past weekend there was something like 4-6" of new. I rode on Tuesday which was a bit windy and cloudy but not bad. On Wednesday all the upper lifts were closed because of high winds. I think a couple inches of new fell sometime. Thursday was finally a nice day with calm winds and sunshine at open. Upper Silver Dollar looks pretty good but it is impossible to get a clear run right after open. I did a couple of runs on the Slide Bowl side then went to the Kit Carson Bowl at 9 AM. The KCB is still in shadow this early but the snow here was firmer with good groom. I made several loops here with good turns but by 10 it was getting crowded. It seems that there was pent-up demand because of Wednesday's wind event. James and his wife were out this morning but he was riding the steeper blues so I only ran into him on my way out at the top of Northwest. Mt. Rose is one of the windiest places I've been outside of Loveland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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