If You gals and guys want to see some WOOF maps, here are the CO and UT snotel basin reports as of this morning. We really need these next 10 days to deliver. If we catch the full forecast these Numbers will still be WOOf but alot less WOOF and BITE. If we catch half or less than it's all BITE no WOOF.

CO at 18th percentile. UT at 14th percentile. Hella YUCK.

Christmas Colorado / Utah / NM ski update:

Last 5, Next 5, Next 10, Base, % Base Avg, Open

Telly: 0, 12, 15, 23, 96%, 51%
Purg: 2, 6, 6, 22, 98%, 75%
WC: 1, 6, 7, 37, 100%, 79%
SS: 4, 28, 42, 26, 77%, 58% (Best 10 Day but most below avg base)
Vail: 2, 14, 22, 36, 94%, 76%
BC 3, 14, 22, 33, 108%, 75% (Best Base)
SM: 2, 9, 12, 32, 90%, 84%
CB: 0, 10, 12, 32, 104%, 60%
WP: 3, 10, 17, 30, 91%, 61%
Breck: 2, 13, 18, 26, 97%, 69%
Keystoned: 0, 9, 14, 26, 79%, 59%

Utah:

PCCR: 1, 21, 29, 21, 44%, 15% (WOOF) (most below avg base of major hill in US w the least open % terrain)
Solitude: 1, 25, 34, 51%, 22% (woof) BUT 50% better base conditions than PCCR so the 34 over 10 should elvate the level much better than PCCR)

NM:

AF: 0, 1, 2, 14, 77%, 27% (WOOF WOOF) (lowest base of major hill in US)
Taos: 0, 2, 3, 17, 54%, 20% (WOOF 3x)

So, BC and CB are hands down the leaders of the pack. Key and SS are back of the pack but SS should get a good pop over 10 IF they don't pickup low elevation rain on a couple days. If they get 40+ then they will have the best absolute base and Itll be a nice ride for a week or so but still below average. Otherwise BC and Vail catching 20+ with BC having the best base and Vail at 94% will probs be the best slide relative to 40 year average.

WC has picked up 4 w 6 expected. Then that's that's for the next 10.

Pagosa is picking up more than WC at the moment.

Yeah this is Very Very true for most people not from the high country or states that get snow. What we consider to be awful conditions are still considered by most tourists (TX, FL, GA, AZ especially) to be great because it's colder than where they're from and they don't really care about the base depth as long as the runs are mostly covered and the beers are cold.

We typically don't ride hard pack groomers until March. If It's only hard pack groomers, we go somewhere that isn't all hard pack. If there isn't a place that isn't, we just don't ski. We either ski bike or just go up the hill and then go OB and make hella huge bonfires get **** faced and then slide down around 7:30-8:00 w a headlamp. On bad snow years I've skied less than 20 days because HP groomers aren't really that fun w no side kickers. In fact they level up our PTSD from riding gates in grade and high school ski club. On average to above average it's 100 minimum to more like 120-140.

When people would come into the shop and ask us about the conditions, we would just revert to "theres snow so it's skiable" unless there really wasn't snow. Otherwise wed get 100 tourists at the end of the day coming back and telling us how wrong we were about the conditions and how awesome they are etc etc etc. It became easier to just say "it's skiable" than to argue with Terry and Karen and then having them educate us in our ski shop about the conditions on our home hill. That kills your tips and we all have 3 jobs so we need the tax free cash.

Edit to add: If you're going out to any of the NM UT or CO hills over the next couple of days (especially WC, Purg, Breck, Key, Taos, AF, PCCR) PLEASE do not ski without a helmet. My shop and our SP friends are reporting 3x more injuries so far this season than last up to this point at Vail/BC/Telly/PCCR and they aren't just broken arms and torn ACLs. Each day they have had to LF SEVERAL people to GWS and Denver, SLC or Montrose for SERIOUS head injuries.

DO NOT EVER SKI WITHOUT A HELMET. My shop isn't even letting people out the door without them at this point in the season with the conditions. We've been giving them out for free and telling people if you don't wear it, don't sue us when your frontal lobe gets left on Lodgepole.

Also, don't size down on hard pack. Size up. You Will have more speed but more control at those speeds.yes turning is harder but it's groomed hard pack - don't turn it into a groomed slalom. We all know that Jerry that rides a hard pack groomer like they're an olympian training for the 2028 games. Thats not a good look and not the place to catch wide s turns unless you really are scared of your shadow or can't get down any other way and want to get hit or get hurt. It's counter intuitive. Worst thing you can do on hard pack is size down and then go Peekabo Street until you've chattered the toes to the point you hit the torque for your DIN and blow out going way to fast on frozen concrete. Take the longer skis, point and shoot a clean line down the run and use the mountain and your hips to help your weight transfer and eventual stop. Dont turn through your shoulders and if you feel your toes bouncing, go longer or transfer your weight on a diagonal towards the tree line and then break back in using your hips to rotate back once you've cleaned the toe chatter off and regain control. DONT EVER point to the trees and then open shoulder chest side turn back inside - (that's how you become a bug on someone that's flyings windshield). I can't tell you the Number of bad skiers I've seen that dig their own grave because they ski above their ability level and then because of a lack of technique put themselves and others in serious danger because they don't yield to the conditions or other skiers.

Merry Christmas!

Storm on storm of wet and heavy Cascade concrete. We're skiing tomorrow then NOLA for a boyzzz trip

Bend for NYE to burn some Ikon days on Bach. Happy turns!

Whats the SLR? Enjoy the carousel bar my guy!

Bayou City said:

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Whats the SLR? Enjoy the carousel bar my guy!

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Oof, but improving.

clinte234 said:

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Merry Christmas OB Ski Team!

Friends in Pagosa sent a video this morning of decent snow coming down…hopefully Wolf Creek gets a good amount today. We are headed up tomorrow. As I tell my kids every year…the bad snow in NM/CO is always better than the snow in Central Texas!

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We've had snow the last 2 days in Steamboat and more coming in the next few days. It's not as much snow as the last two years but still a lot of fun.

Purg reporting 9" in the last 48 which is on the good side of forecasts for there. Looks like it did get to the south a little more. I'll be up there last week of Jan and at least they'll have a sound base.

Maybe. Depends on How the Systems hit between now and then. EOJ is along says away.

They had 9 Over 5 and 6 Over the next 10 on a 30 inch base. We're a long way between now and late January for conditions. If it stays dry after New Years then late January Will be pretty rough. If we catch this and another roller around MLK Itll be nice.

Hood is buried. All of Oregon on wind standby.

109!!! I thought 60+ was bad. Holy smokes.

Chair lifts hurt. They have alot of interia behind them. I've been spread like butter a couple times when I got Jerried off the sleigh and **** does it hurt. Worst is when you get pushed off and it rolls over you. Highway to club knee zipper. I can't imagine getting slapped in the head by one though. Shocked it even hung that low in the cable. You couldnt have been the first or the last to taste that rainbow. ****!

Dumping really good in Steamboat now. If this keeps up all night it's going to be a lot of snow.

Looks like maybe 6ish on the stake. Better than nada.

How's conditions st Copper? Seem to have a decent base and got a couple more inches in past 24 hrs.

Heading there Jan 4-11.

Helmets are the only way to go. Your head is warm and dry, and if you take a hard fall, or any fall, your Mellon is safe. On the crash that blew my ACL and meniscus I slid half way down a black head first face down and I felt safe and was fine outside the knee. That was partly my fault as I had poorly sized older boots with too long a mondo, so they were looser than they should have been and my DIN calculation was higher than it should have been.

As for collisions, the uphill skier has a responsibility to to looking for any downhill crossing threats. I like to practice carving turns myself but I have the full edge frontside skis for it and my theory is if I am turning consistently and predictably at a relatively high speed, few skiers already behind me will catch me or be surprised by the non randomness of my pattern and in turn it is my job to plan to alter course to avoid anyone I am catching up to that could turn across me. Sort of like defensive driving. Granted you can't do that on a run that is any sort of crowded, so you have to pick the ones with fewer skiers or a lot of width, but the harder groomers are fine for that sort of thing. I try not to be rude and pick my spots and stop periodically at safe spots at the top of runs and rollers to check six for anyone blazing down on a straight line.

I'm mostly just trying to practice skills and push to develop in my limited time skiing while trying to be safe to others. I'm curious of there is a general rule of ethics or "rules of the road" beyond not skiing fast in slow areas, not stopping in the middle of runs without need, and the uphill skier taking responsibility for planning for collision avoidance. Any other etiquette tips that are good to practice?

Completely agree with both of those. Earbuds if you must…

We usually have an informally designated run leader that takes off from the chair and goes towards a meet point a good distance from the lift and the group gathers there and we take off on the next run as soon as everyone arrives. Usually it's our fastest skier or whoever knows the hill the best. "We're taking so and so run to lift 5, let's go!", in case one of more skiers takes an alternative path to the destination after we get going.

I still have a few friends who ski without helmets (and allow their kids to). It's idiotic.

Park City Canyon's got about 8" since midnight last night which is big. Hopefully they'll get another 3-6 by tomorrow and hopefully that rain will hold off.

New ski check-in

Stop at the top of the hill off to the side.

Not after/middle where anyone above can't see you.

Bar is back to being cool. Also saves your knees!

Yesterday said:

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Park City Canyon's got about 8" since midnight last night which is big. Hopefully they'll get another 3-6 by tomorrow and hopefully that rain will hold off.

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I'd be more interested in how their ski patrol going on strike will affect their operations. Seems like this happens every couple years there.

Jock 07 said:

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Yesterday said:

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Park City Canyon's got about 8" since midnight last night which is big. Hopefully they'll get another 3-6 by tomorrow and hopefully that rain will hold off.

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I'd be more interested in how their ski patrol going on strike will add their operations. Seems like this happens every couple years there.

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Listen man. I can only deal with one disaster at a time.

CREAg87 said:

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Some flatlander skiing in Indiana last night

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Is that PNS?
I learned there if so, I recall them having an all night ski. This was all pre helmets. Found a pair of gloves in the bathroom that went on to last me 25+ years. I have had 3 pairs since.

Itll keep them from dropping new rope. They can't drop rope WO it being cleared by SP. They're bringing in SP from other Hills so Itll be the bare bones needed to operate. Thus no new terrain open until resolved.

I think it was all mountains ops not just SP. Might be wrong but I thought it was the whole group.

PC looks like their snow stake had about 5/6 w it cleared this morning and another 2/3 so far today.

Snowed all day on us today at Wolf Creek! Honestly, the snow was really decent in the morning. Way better than we were expecting! Hopefully it keeps falling tonight.

Probably my favorite lift at Steamboat. You can just keep going up the same lift and hit some really fun black runs. Never very crowded.