A-Basin 1/15-16

I'll post a somewhat detailed TR for Chris
I really don't know the trail names but I will say that Arapahoe Basin is in my top 5 first impressions of places I have skied.  There's no skiing from lift to lift trying to get places there is serious skiing from every lift.  Day one we spent all morning in Montezuma Bowl skiing the two inches overnight and the snow that blows into the bowl.  The first few runs found fresh tracks in the bowl and there was great soft snow in the trees lower down.  We didn't do any hiking day one but on our return to the main face traversed out the East Wall to some freshies...a little wind packed but we are eastern skiers and handled it well. After Lunch we took a run off the Pallavicini Lift.  We came down the Palli Main Street dropping skiers right into the trees.  Soft snow in the trees and bumps top to bottom out in the face...This is some serious skiing...more on this for day two...sorry no pics from Palli.  We went back up top and skied a couple of runs under the Lenawee Mountain Lift but got split up from my girls and decided to call it a day.  the light got real flat.

Day two the 16th...My best day of skiing this year.
Another couple inches fell over night and bluebird skies in the AM...Back to Montezuma Bowl first thing.  This time after a couple  runs in the bowl that didn't require hiking we decided to hike up to the Zuma Cornice.   Although the hike is maybe 10 minutes at 13,000+ feet, you need to catch you breath when you get to where you put the skis back on.  One of us dropped right into the Long Chute and made some awesome big GS turns down the wind deposit...the other two traversed along the ridge and dropped over the cornice into Durrance...all I can say was incredible.  Skied two more runs on the skiers left side of the bowl and then hiked again and went futher out before dropping in...Windblown powder in drifts ...sorry there are no actual skiing pics (sorry Harv I told you I wasn't good at this...these were all shot from Sarah's cell)
The winds started to really howl so after a couple more bowl runs we headed in for lunch.

And then the afternoon...The family went back to the condo leaving me all alone   I headed to the Palli lift and skied two hairball crazy runs that I should not have been skiing alone (it all ended up ok)  Looking at the map I am guessing in the 3rd alley area but I can't say for sure.  Easily 50 degrees tight and through the trees...super soft snow but cliffs ledges and pillowdrops scaring the you know what out of me.  Then I did a run on Palli's face (only 40-45 degrees on open bumps) then I rode up with a mountain employee taking his lunch break and he gave me a run to save my legs...25-30 degrees and bumps all the way to the bottom (some rest).  Now for my run of the year...and my last shot at A-Basin for a while...Back up the Palli lift, down a moderat bump run with wind packed but soft snow to the Norway Double up to the 'Zuma Cornice.  Now the winds had to be 50+ miles an hour and pouring snow into the bowl...only you couldn't see a thing and I didn't know where I was headed.  I hopped the cornice in the same place I had remembered from hike two and once below the cornice it was like someone shut the wind off.  It was quite steep initially and soft choppy snow, but about 3 or 4 turns in it turned to soft powder to the bottom of the bowl.  From there I took a cruiser down the front some bumps and trees and collapsed at the bottom and waited for my ride with a Teli IPA.
I left my mark at A Basin... I saw a chute under the Zuma Cornice that I could get tto without hiking.  Sarah stayed left of it and skied a beautiful line but of course I had to try it because  it had untouched snow...it was untouched because it was thin and I ended up on the rocks leaving some of my base...live and learn

I love this place!!!  Can you believe the season pass is only $299?  Sorry we were never able to hook up Chris.  Keystone today...looking out my window it is puking snow and the lifts are running despite the wind...Powder Day!

Nice report!  Wish I hadn't woken up sick yesterday.  The Palli terrain so too much fun

Looks like you had a great trip. Can't wait to hear more.

It may not be over if we get snowed in.  Big storm...all the passes are closed(well except the tunnel)...you know all that Colorado stuff...Duck, I like the T. R. it works.  Big Powder day today but it was packed early and due to lift closures there was a long runout and slow lift to get the best goods...But we got'em
Sorry Harv no pics from today at Keystone (very Killingtonesque)  I might TR, not sure