End of day slush factor high, style factor low.

Ah yes, the $20.43 cheeseburger, fries and coke at Cafe Suzanne.

A few clouds and wind at the top of Ell Camp hint of colder weather due Monday.

Aspen trees on Two Creeks...

Don't let the puddles atTwo Creeks fool you, the skiing is still good...

Nother big hot day on Ajax...here in mid-April...and the thin spots are growing.

Last few weeks for the BM pipe under the strong spring sun.

When the grass is green and the red sleds come out it ... the snow is sparse

Glorious new day in Aspen. See if you can spot a skier on the hill.

Another warm, pleasant and quiet day in Aspen with a few puffy clouds drifting by. A high of 56 expected today and a high of 59 degrees forecast for Aspen on Friday. Friday and Saturday in Moab are expected to bring temps there around 77 degrees.

Spring done sprung

SLUSH FACTOR RISING. At 12:30 p.m. it is 48 degrees in Aspen and Last Dollar is definitely slushy. Supposed to be 56 degrees to and 57 tomorrow. It feels like the first week of April and not mid-March. No serious complaints heard, although some seem worried about how April 7 is going to look and feel. Pretty decent crowd out and about on Aspen Mountain this morning. Lots of happy visitors basking in the sun. Time to start whining again about how nice a new Bell Chair would be. Don’t care if they run the one they got, want them to build a new one so we can ski afternoon slush bumps on the Face. Not going to happen, we know, but it would still be nice. It is world-famous Aspen Mountain, right? And Bell Mountain is a key component of Aspen Mountain, right?

Little Nell jump in progress under the summer sun.

Able the avi dog here from Buttermilk for film shoot.

St Pat's spirit at the base of the gondy

Aspen basking in the 50s. One local said he thought winter was over...

Corkscrew waits to soften up. Some slush to be had today.

Here in the meadow

THERE ARE BIRDS singing. Duh, it’s spring. But after last winter, when spring was delayed and snowy and white forever, it seems like an extra-size miracle that sunlight and warm weather and birds and grass have actually come to us in mid-March. For all our riches in Aspen, the real wealth has always been the town sitting in a mountain meadow, the ability to stand at 8,000 feet in the Colorado Rockies and take a deep breath of clean air. With our arrival, we don’t exactly help the pristine nature of the townsite. Just by driving in over sandy roads we add more pollution every day then was stirred up in hundreds of years of time in the olden days, before man figured out how to burn ancient muck. But still we are here. Happy. Present. Delighted. Mostly. One of our purposes is being a place for people where they can come and eat and drink and ski and forget and celebrate. But amidst all that, they sometimes join back together with the things that matter to them. Peace can be found here. SUNSHINE CONTINUES today with a high of 52 in town and southwest winds around 10 mph. Tuesday looking sweet as well, with a high near 53 degrees and winds up to 15 mp. The base depths are holding firm, with Snowmass at 75 inches, Highlands at 84 and Aspen at 53 inches. Good, solid coverage. Sunscreen now your most important piece of equipment. Hearing tales of lots of fund backcountry tours and the snowpack appears from a distance to be in good spring shape for touring.

Sunny, blue, boring?

"Our weather will be warm and boring for the next few days. Temperatures will be warmer than normal. The upper level flow over us is stable and zonal." That's the read from the CAIC avi center forecaster. One man's boring is another man's bliss.

Sunshine and temps in the 50s

Spring Break in Aspen and Snowmass this coming week should see primo conditions. The weather wizards are calling for sunny skies and temps in the low 50s all week, which should bring out some lower mountain slush in the afternoon. Saturday was an absolutely bluebird day and Sunday should be the same.

Crisp and bright winter day all across Snowmass today.

Bluebirds are flocking

Beautiful bluebird day. Forecast for temps in the low 40s under sunny skies. Should be some fine turns to be had throughout the complex. A good follow to yesterday's powder festival. Some more snow expected later this week...

Deep in Snowmass Too. Photo from SkiCo's Jeremy Swanson

Truly was a bonus powder day. Hurts to think how good the Bowl is at this very moment under deep blue skies. Oooooouch. But am nearly satisfied with the morning's deep untracked runs downtown.

What recession? Suddenly full lift maze in Aspen appears at 11:30. The visiting party-sleepers have stumbled upstairs.

Cone was sweet. Heard Bingo opened. Sun poking out now. Softest day in a month. Bowl should be re-sic-u-lous and thigh deep. We say trundle at will.

Looking to the freshness ahead, deep in the misty trees.

East side. Deep board track. Nice turns where the wind left the snow. J4 racers all out ripping. Nice, nice...

Cold. Deep. Thick. Deep. Cold. Can still find the odd ice bump between face shots...quality day. Deep. Cold. Misty...

Gondy line fills...

Slowgoing on 82 through blizzard conditions. Bring the Subaru...

Forgotten bluish corner of a suddenly winter morn in Basalt, en route to Ajax.

SkiCo called 9 at SM and 7 at Ajax. Won't be bottomless but it certainly will be softer than it has been. Super G race on Ajax is said to have been posponed. Yea to winter's return!

The breakfast table is set with six to nine inches this morning and more is expected by lunch.

A Ute sculpture on Ajax.

Kinda cool.

It is hot in town but still crisp and breezy at the top. Some super wonderful blue in the sky, too.

Is this perhaps the center of the universe? For some, for sure, today.

When you find some soft snow, do let me know. The snowboard, best used when it is soft, is rusting in the corner.

The call is Buttermilk perhaps, as it may have the most slush down low. We're just in this cold-spring mode. No lift lines though.

Spring is in the forest today and the fresh critter tracks are in abundance.

Delightfully crisp and clear view of da bowl.

On Ajax, there are firm surfaces with a thin layer over ice bumps. I know, a bit harsh, but it is essentially true. Beautiful day, though, and still worth getting out.

Snow does fall and Highlands gets 9 inches

Highlands and Powderhorn picked up nine inches, which is impressive. Steamboat got six inches, Tellurdie got four inches and Aspen Mountain and Snowmass got three inches. So there. That proves it can still snow in Colorado. Sunshine in the forecast today and then more snow in the forecast for Monday. Nine inches in the bowl? Hello. Best get stomping.

Aspen Matthews, raised on the Paradise

Actress Megan Fox has been cast as Aspen Matthews, the main character of Fathom, a comic book series created by Michael Turner of Aspen Comics. In the comic book, Aspen is actually part of an underwater race but her earliest memories are growing up on the cruise ship Paradise. According to Wikipedia, "she was adopted by Captain Matthews, a US Navy captain, and soon developed a passion for water, running to the nearest beach every day to enjoy her favorite recreations of swimming and surfing. She actively pursued this passion and showing tremendous aptitude eventually joined the US Olympic Swimming Team. She trained hard and was chosen to compete in the Olympic Games. However she was eliminated as she somehow tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. This effectively ended Aspen's professional swimming career, so instead she studied marine biology..." And it is coming to a big screen near you.

Tribute to Chris Polk

Ian Christopher is a snowboard instructor at Buttermilk and he sent an email saying he wanted to share a photograph from Thursday afternoon, the day his fellow instructor Chris Polk had a fatal collision with a tree on the Columbine trail at Buttermilk while snowboarding. Just hours after the accident, Christopher said he and a group of fellow instructors collected many of the neckties that Polk used to wear under his snowboard instructor uniform as a mark of professionalism and for style points. The instructors all placed ties in the branches of the small tree island just to the right of tower 11 on the Summit Express lift where the accident happened. In the photo, Christopher is placing the last of the ties that afternoon while the rest of the Buttermilk crew sits in silence remembering their friend and co-worker. It seemed an appropriate and very soulful gesture from a tight-knit crew who were no doubt shaken by the loss of a bright light in their midst.

Snow in the forecast

One to three inches of snow is in the forecast for today. SkiCo not reporting any new snow overnight. Dry around the state, except for Wolf Creek which is somehow reporting nine inches. Fairly warm morning in the midvalley. Birds of spring are singing and chirping. Counting this weekend, there are five weekends left in the season for Highlands and Buttermilk. Best be getting up and getting out we thinks.

Aspen's early spring has brought forth some exposed earth at the top of Niagra. Photo from Thursday.

Definetly cooler today but still quite pleasant in town. Top of Snowmass looked pretty socked in about ten am. Party cloudy and no snow in town as of late afternoon.

Wind. And snow?

Steamboat won the statewide snow derby last night: it got an inch! Yea! But there is, at long last, snow in the forecast. (Okay Tahoe, you can stop snickering. Just cause you got six feet last week … ) A half-inch of snow is the forecast for downtown Aspen today. Yep. A half-inch. Tonight “less than one inch” is possible.” Snow is likely on Saturday with a 1 to 3 inches possible. Now we’re talking. And another 1 to 2 is possible on Saturday. So far this morning it is a gray and misty day. The winds kicked up again early this morning. Yesterday, the Aspen Mtn gondola was down for an hour or two, depending on who you ask, and the winds are such already today that it could be a slow day on the bucket. All that said, it is still worth going skiing or riding. Sometimes you have get out just because. To clear your head. To take in the view. To honor a lost friend. To keep your spirits up. It's like the full-page Porsche ad in the New York Times says today: "Instead of waiting around for good news, make some of your own." The ad also says, "Suddenly, the experience of driving a Porsche makes more sense than ever." It is a positioning statement that fits well with Aspen, which is Porsche-like. "Suddenly, the experience of skiing in Aspen makes more sense than ever." In a thumb-your-nose-at-the-recession kind of way. Well, that's why we are here, isn't it?

The sway factor is heavy and the big towers are looming. Steady.

It is cold, gray, windy and raw at the summit. Winter is not through with us. But the conditions were among the most brutal of the winter so far. To say it was "firm and ugly" would not be an overstatement. That said, there were likely places where the wind-driven snow had piled up into layers of tiny foam balls, but they were elusive. Heat and wind don't do the snowpack many favors. But there seems to be some storminess ahead.

Pic of glazed slope detail

This is not the stuff of legend. Or at least myth. The sheen on the hillside pretty much summed up the conditions today.

There is a reflective glaze on Niagara due to bake/cool temp swings, plus 24 hours of wind.

The bucket was closed earlier today for about an hour due to gusty winds and it is in low gear now for sure.

Last day of spring...

A BRIGHT DAY with gusty winds. The winds came up last night and were steady throughout the night. The gondy on Aspen Mountain appears to be running slow this morning. The weather service is calling for gusts up to 40 mph today on top of the hill. Aspen’s mini-spring looks like it may be ending, as tonight is expected to be cold and snow is in the forecast for tomorrow with a high of 33 up on the mountain. And the forecast for Friday night is calling for two to four inches of snow. Saturday should be quite cold, by comparison to the last week, with a high near 24. Okay, we’re in. Bring on the fresh coat of paint.

Reflecting back on a day decently spent, with some time slipped in on the hill, including way above Northstar.

There is a cliif near the top of Kristi that is a real channel changer. Nevermind skiing it, just standing there is heavy enough. Well, for some.

Gazing toward the aptly named Independence Pass with premature visions of spring released.

Further down the mountain, like on Nell, there is bonafide slush. Late laps on Bell might find softness if the sun wins the battle of the glaze.

And still we rise above the town of Aspen, leaving what passes for gritty reality behind.

Their is a distinct glaze to the snow that looks downright bulletproof.

Settling in for what could be 25-minute ride on the bucket due to high winds.

Nice sunny day though with temps in the mid-April range.

Warming and cooling

At 11:30 a.m. it is 49 degrees in Aspen and the National Weather Service says we may some daily high temperture records fall again today in parts of southeast Utah and far western Colorado. The daily record for Grand Junction is 69 degrees and the forecast high is 70 degrees. The golf course in New Castle is now open. But winter is not over. Weather wizards expect a cooling to near normal temperatures on Saturday as a cold front sweeps across the area. And the words “chance of snow” are back in the forecast for tomorrow, although it looks like a slight chance. So today looks like a good day to get out and enjoy spring skiing before it slinks back under cover for a bit.

The long view of Aspen Highlands

It is hard to see from a distance, but the Bowl is standing there, shimmering in the pale ambivalent light.

Another busy day.

This was first thing this morning, but still ... It was quiet. Which is nice.

Spring rot on the corner. Told ya.

Upper Nell now creamy. Lower Nell still kinda firm. Spar a tad stiff but the "golden hour" in the gulley should be at 11. It awaits your adminstrations.

Winds aloft

The wind was rushing up Spar, which seemed groomed just for me. But that couldn't be, could it? Surely someone else must be here to enjoy it all. And first signs of the spring cascade of snow chunks and small rocks are now on the Kleenex Corner run out.

Bumps ahead on Bell

That old spring magic is returning to the legendary runs of Ajax. A warm, breezy and suddenly sunny morning. And just 34 more days left this season fof Highlands and Buttermilk...

Fresh track left Monday morning while food shopping.

Dunno what kind of critter left this at Highlands, but we're trying to track it down.

War against reality

Ambassador Pastor Mustard offers his views about the quality cruising at Aspen Highlands on Monday afternoon and Aspen's ongoing war against reality.

Lunchtime sunshine at the MGR.

While the rest of humanity carries on, some are enjoying a bit of deck time.

Spring...can you twist you up

IT IS SO TOTALLY spring I can hardly think straight. Warm, sunny, balmy, guys standing around on the sidewalks in t-shirts. Whoa. It is like a huge exhaling from the winter. While it has been relatively mild this year, the winter came in hard in December and felt like last year’s Big Long Freeze. But now spring is here early, or so it seems. Photos of the White House this morning in a blizzard were a good reminder of what could still come our way. But wow. It is just take your breath away nice this morning. And temps in the mid-50s all week. Boaters throughout the valley are getting itchy and are going out to the shed and the garage to peer at their gear. Still, a thick blanket of snow drapes the upper valley and the river banks. All in time, all in time, the waters will flow.

Just a river corner somewhere in rural Western Colorado.

If you look hard enough you can the 1930s.

Clear running river shot from above on a balmy Monday morning.

Beautiful spring day greets those here for a bit sunshine and fresh air. The only thing in focus in this picture is the air between the Blackberry and the water.

Tuesdays high? 57. In Aspen.

Another nice day today in the valley and temps on Monday are supposed to reach 52 degrees. Tuesday should be a balmy 57. March is coming in like a beachcomber, not a lion. Snowmass now has a 74-inch base depth, however, which should be an indicator that we've got enough snow to have warm temps all month and still have good skiing with good coverage. Highlands has an 85 inch base depth in the bowl and Ajax has a 55 inch depth. Deep enough.