Opening Day: The Epic Begins

Unless you live in Ft. Collins or the East Coast, you've probably heard that ski season offically started on Wednesday at 9am when A-Basin started spinning their exhibition lift. I know what the die-hards say: "Skiing doesn't have a season, just a couple of month you need rock skis for." I somewhat agree, opening day being my 2nd day on snow since the end of summer. However my partner in crime TJ and I were there for the basin's first day and it feels more like ski season now than in August.

As we're both responsible students, the day began after our 8am classes. Stoked out of our minds, we cruised up 70 looking for any signs of recent snowfall. Oddly for opening day, the high peaks along the highway were mostly devoid of the white stuff. The drive up Loveland Pass looked more like July than October and we rolled to the summit with the windows down.

In the first look you get at the basin, there was no snow visible from the road save for a light dusting on the East Wall. Strange we thought as we bombed down the west side of the pass. Right around one of the last switchbacks we got the first glimpse of the run. A beautiful white ribbon of death was plastered on the side of the hill covered in little black dots.

The run has surprisingly good coverage and the basin had a rail and box set up for the big contingent of jibbers that showed up, as well as some fun side-of-the-slope airs that one could hit the first 1s, 3s and in one case, rodeo 5s of the season.

All in all, it was the best single run I've ever lapped in October. If you've got a pass check it out, perhaps you'll run into the pirate who went to one two many music festivals or the red-haired Sox fan that we had the pleasure of riding the lift with. Thats the good thing about the basin, no matter if its day uno, or a 24 inch dump, you're pretty much guaranteed to ride the lift with someone nuts. Not too bad for the earliest opening in A-Basin history.

N.B. 10-18 expected this weekend...

Here's to 2 days and 98 more,

Geoff