I’ll apologize in advance for the lack of good photos in this post- it was that good, and such a madhouse out there today I didn’t want to whip out the camera anywhere besides the base or the chairlift. The point is, this was the beginning of the cycle that we’ve been waiting for. Last night’s storm came in far warmer than expected, and it actually rained on the lower portions of the mountain. I’d guess that the highest rain line was around 7,000′, leaving the upper mountain with over a foot of dense, white goodness.
While it wasn’t exactly 2′ of blower, the dense snow combined with winds (100MPH up top), is actually just what we needed to fill in a lot of areas that had little or thin coverage. Plus, it set us up perfectly for tomorrow’s storm that set to deposit 12″ to 16″ by Saturday morning. The JHSP had their work cut out for them today, but they were able to get the gondola open by about 10:45, and Thunder shortly after. Sublette never opened, leaving a good portion of the mountain untouched.
As one would expect, people were chomping for snow and it was a bit of a cluster given the delayed opening and limited lifts. Hopefully tomorrow Sublette will open , spreading out the chaos a bit. Avy danger is HIGH at all elevations, so if you choose to go outside the chains, tread carefully. Otherwise, enjoy the in-bounds pow we’ve been waiting for all year!