If you would like a ‘Tip of the Day’ at the moment it would be to be careful and not venture off the groomed runs. It is always easy to get excited at the start of the season and venture into places that are not so flash to ski. You’re eying up a little powder stash that no one has skied but it is likely to be hiding rocks and other obstacles just under the surface. Unless this is your one day of the season then I recommend taking things easy.

Early Season Signs

Here’s a shot of Upper Dry Creek, the rocks that you can see are the size of cars and usually covered up during the season. Right now it is pretty obvious that they are there but one big storm can bury them just under the surface of the snow.

Upper Dry Creek rocks

The good news is that in a lot of places there is a decent base and it won’t take much snow for runs like Face of Three, Stump Alley and even Cornice to open.

Face of Three

You might ask then how the groomers are skiing? The other day I took advantage of a nice morning to warm up the legs and check out the snow around the hill. On the open runs the coverage is really good, Broadway was my favourite. There was considerably less people around than the weekend making it much more fun to ski.

Broadway

Andy’s Double Gold was a close second for run of the day, it is a great pitch although had irregular grooming so you had to keep your eyes peeled.

Looking Down Andy's DG

There was also some nice bumps to get into on Saddle Bowl (Here is the only exception I’d advise to staying on the groomers).

Bumps in Saddle Bowl

Mambo was less appealing, however they had been making snow on it, so I reckon it should be good in a day or two. This will be welcomed by intermediate skiers as an alternative to the often busy and daunting Broadway.

Mambo

So get out there, enjoy the mountains and scenery, work the legs into shape for the long winter ahead, but be safe!