A-Basin Extends Season

EMSC

EMSC

Well-known member
Abasin has committed to extending their season by at least two weekends...

So daily skiing through June 5, then open for at least weekends for the following two weekends. So for sure open through June 19th, with further extension of the season possible depending on snow and weather conditions over the next month. Current weather is forecast to not be particularly warm for at least the next week so of any season in the past decade this is by far the best shot at a possible July 4...
 
The current base is a modest 90 inches. A-Basin must be the most difficult spring area to project because it would rarely survive as late as July on a stockpiled base. It is highly dependent upon continuing cold weather and snowfall in the spring. With a May average of 29 inches (and presumably a little bit in June too) they usually get some help in that regard.
 
Tony Crocker":p9yj8e0t said:
The current base is a modest 90 inches. A-Basin must be the most difficult spring area to project because it would rarely survive as late as July on a stockpiled base. It is highly dependent upon continuing cold weather and snowfall in the spring. With a May average of 29 inches (and presumably a little bit in June too) they usually get some help in that regard.
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Modest as it is, that is much higher than recent normal. Typical around now would be maybe 50" base or less in recent years. I know from Alan Henceroth's blog that the Basin had April snowfall of 86". And then 16" of snow in May during this past week, +8" in the forecast (might have also had some snow in very early May too). So far so good for them.

Key of course is the overnight freezing. Once that ends, the snow goes extremely fast. While there are usually some nights here or there above freezing in May, the typical of recent years seems to be around the first of June that it consistently does not freeze overnight which is a big reason why the Basin has been ending operation around that time frame recently.
 
A-Basin is paranoid about no overnight freezing because of the 2005 wet slide fatality. Overnight freezing is random and gradually decreases in frequency over May/June. Mammoth does not seem to have the snow stability issues regarding overnight freezing. Mammoth does back up the closing hour if it's very hot and the snow is getting sloppy midday. On the lower groomed runs they will salt during the day as well as before the lifts open if the snow is too sticky. I'm not sure why A-Basin doesn't consider salting the groomers for late season. In LCC I know it's because that's SLC's drinking water.
 
Just a quick check on A-Basin's report this morning. All of Pali is still open. Only significant closures are the south facing runs out that long traverse skier's right from the Zuma chair. It's definitely worthwhile skiing as long as it stays this way.
 
Wish I was out skiing this weekend instead of the home 'infirmary' of sick babies and wife... I could only dream as I read the snow reports.

But I figure that Colo deserves a little attention on these boards given the ~37" of snow in the past week at the Basin (including 7" sat, 13" Sun and 3" on the report this Monday am). And from what I've heard not elephant snot either... East wall open by noon on most days, Pali still 100% open and etc... Just like elsewhere in the west it's been crazy good winter er... spring over this way as well. Todays report still has the basin over 100" for base depth so it all depends on just how warm things get the next couple of weeks and how many show up to hit the snow in early June as to the feasibility of hitting July 4.

Also over this way:
*Aspen will re-open on weekends starting memorial day weekend and going into June as warranted. Only 160 acres of blue squares up top though with up/downloading on the Gondola.
*Finally, someone died in an avi on Torreys peak over the weekend (it's very close as the crow flies from the Basin).
 
A-Basin had 80 inches of snow in May 1995, so this type of spring is far from unheard of there. With regard to the wet snow stability issue, it is not as well understood as winter avalanche science, as noted at ISSW last October. There are some who feel that early season weak layers have increased vulnerability to spring wet slides as they do to storm loading. This would account for A-Basin's spring conservatism with a Continental snowpack vs. Mammoth, Whistler, etc. or even Snowbird. But it looks like Pali is going to be open through at least Memorial Day.
 
No surprise Pali is closed for the June weekends. Nonetheless an impressive season for A-Basin snowfall:
Oct. 33
Nov. 46
Dec. 62
Jan. 49
Feb. 62
Mar. 65
Apr. 87
May 61
Total 465 inches, 147% of normal. And note the back-ended snowfall pattern common to Colorado's Continental Divide.
 
Tony Crocker":3qafqj55 said:
No surprise Pali is closed for the June weekends.
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Though it sort of did surprise me that they were able to keep Zuma open through June 5th. since that faces mostly S and SW.
 
EMSC":1ee9j0i3 said:
Though it sort of did surprise me that they were able to keep Zuma open through June 5th. since that faces mostly S and SW.
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Mostly the intermediate stuff that faces west from what I saw in website reports in May.
On May 15 I":1ee9j0i3 said:
Only significant closures are the south facing runs out that long traverse skier's right from the Zuma chair.
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