We’re heading into one of our most popular weekends of the year, which makes this the perfect time for an update on our slope conditions.

The short version: They are REALLY good. The coveted good spring-like conditions, not the overly-sticky ‘oh-no!‘ kind of spring conditions.

If you’re looking for a more in-depth assessment, we invite you to read on and view our latest photos from around the mountain.

First off, our base is in terrific shape. We have 42 inches at our actual base area (not mid-mountain or some other arbitrary spot) and 78 inches on our summit. HEALTHY snow depths.

As you can see from this photo, the only bare spot in our base area is the parking lot. (We clear that of snow on purpose).

All of our groomed runs are well covered, even south-facing runs like those on Lakeview.

Here are a few photos from that side of the mountain today.

As you can see, there’s plenty of snow and the slopes are soft and forgiving – no matter which sliding apparatus you choose.

“Frontside” slopes are also skiing well today. These shots are from 45th Parallel and you can see these folks are really able to dig in their edges without much effort.

One key pointer in this kind of weather is to start on either the lower slopes (like the Bear Chair) or on the South side and work your way towards the North side slopes as the day progresses. You’ll know when you’re moving north too quickly when you hit a slope that’s not quite soft enough for your liking.

If you reach that point, choose a run to your south or look for one that’s had a little more sun exposure. We have 45 of our 46 runs open and have all five chairlifts operating straight through Sunday, February 22, so options and access are nearly unlimited.

Another benefit of using the Bear Chair is shown above. The Bear’s Den is a great spot for a pit stop on a sunny day. Grab a drink or a snack or lunch while you plot strategy with a buddy or wait for your favorite run to hit its prime.

Speaking of pit stops, we’ll also have our Ice Bar open Saturday and Sunday, which is a great way to grab a beer or other cold drink without fully stopping down your ski or ride journey. We do offer ski in/ski out service at the Ice Bar, which is located right at the base of the BlueBird Quad.

Okay, now back to the slopes!

Alpine softened up a bit later than 45th, but was still easy to carve by mid-morning.

I would love to provide you a report from every single run. Alas, it was time and a big ‘to do’ list that kept me from skiing every run today…definitely not a lack of desire or satisfaction.

We do expect similar conditions this weekend, with the timing perhaps shifting a little bit one way or another each day. We’d love to hear from our guests who follow this time-honored formula to see if the strategy pays off.

One thing’s for sure, many of today’s visitors picked the exact same run this afternoon – a beer run to the deck at Smoky’s!

– April