Bowled over. Early lap down through the kitchen while the massive stash in the woods awaits.

Thick and deep in the bowl today with fog coming in and out. Snowing again now in town. This winter has had a significant change of attitude.

Powder Day. Good one. Deep. Light. Soft. Still has a bottom to it, but it is fading underfoot in many places.

It is a WOW day...

Sure seems like it wants to keep snowing. Another four inches expected overnight. We are believers.

Schedule for Monday? Arise, track, rejoice, and hope for still more snow...

Another view of Bell, awaiting further attention.

Softest, deepest day in some time on Aspen Mtn, busy but not crowded under snowy skies.

Formally stingy lines now opening and revealing themselves in the trees.

Dumping hard in Basalt at 8 pm. Another four inches since dusk. Deep on Sunday we reckon. At last...

Highway is probably one-lane in each direction and surreal...

The snow was deep and thick and fun and welcome and all over the mountain...

...it was good to see the tips of the skis disappear beneath boot-top deep
snow on Ajax and there is no doubt even more snow in the higher environs of neighboring ski fields. Many skiers were out flexing their ski passes on this Saturday.

Skiers were backed up on the stairs at 9:15 waiting for the bucket to open...

...Every skier worth their goggles and gator was out this morning as Ajax called 7 inches of fresh snow and Snowmass called ten.

Four inches easy on the fence rail across from the cabin...

...and it feels like it is meant to keep snowing through the day. Hurray!

Snowing steadily in Aspen now with 3 to 7 in the forecast for tonight and more on Saturday...

...thought this photo of a patroller at Telluride from Colorado Ski Country
USA captured some of the joy brought on by snow in the mountains. Telluride
has gotten ten inches recently. Snowmass is reporting up to 21 inches and
appears to be winning the local snow derby during this latest cycle.

SkiCo powder shots prove its been snowing in Aspen...and more is on the way.

Still a little stubborn out there, not quite soft underfoot...

...the snow has been piling up and that's great, but it's still not
luxurious underneath, at least not in the places we've found. (I know, we're
never satisfied). Fer instance, Cone Dump has opened up this week, but it
still has hollow and shallow spots. But yes, at least it's finally open. And
flashbacks of romping with utter impunity through the cone zone last winter
came rushing back this morning. The soft snow should help the carpets
immensely and make cruising this weekend quite pleasant. Our call? Go.

Four fresh gets Cone Dump open but it is strictly adults-only skiiing.

Fresh snow coating downtown Aspen, tomorrow looking good...

Another aspen-eye view of the morning line.

Ajax gets five new, one of the bigger days of the season...

...No really. It's been that kind of winter. But all is forgotten with fresh light and dry snow and sunshine somewhere on the Upper West Side.

Misty cold day in Aspen, with snow falling steadily up high...

...there was snow falling on top of the mountain today, under gray and chill
skies. That's right, fresh snow, delivered daily. Another one to three
inches in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow. Top base depth at Snowmass
now at 56 inches, Aspen Mountain at 36 inches. Highlands was skiing well
yesterday, with a couple of fresh in inches laid in down low. Town and slope
fairly busy this weekend, which is no longer automatically expected and is
good to see from a resort viability standpoint. Yes, still a good time to
come out and make some turns with the family...

Ski bums forever! SkiCo's PR dept. hosted its annual Senior Day at the Sundeck today...

...for local seniors at the Pitkin County Senior Center. The day included
free skiing, free breakfast, free snowcat rides and free NASTAR for 120
seniors. There was also with prizes from various local business including
Matsuhisa, The Sky Hotel, Aspen White Water Rafting, Jimmy¹s Restaurant,
KSPN, KSNO and the Aspen Historical Society, according to a SkiCo press
release. (Photo courtesy SkiCo).

Misty day in Aspen...

...two fresh inches of snow has fallen in the last 24 hours and the forecast
is calling for about an inch a day to fall over the weekend, at least in
town. Highlands Bowl forecast calling for more, maybe up to five inches by
the end of the weekend. Skiing should be as good or better this weekend as
it has been in the last week. Maybe not much sunshine, but fresh snow
delivered daily.

Tired of East Coast snow? Come west to the land of dry and sunny...

...I know, it's kind of twisted. But what other response do we have when it's a bigger powder day at the White House than we've seen in weeks?

Nice dry sunny day as a group of happy skiers take a mountain tour with an ambassador, diplomatically poised above Aspen.

Couple of fresh, light and dry ones. Sun's peeking in. It's hard complainin'.

Snowing, but scantily. Still frosty and misty, though. Not yet 2 to 4. Maybe later.

Cold. Snowing. Low ceiling. Bonnie's full for breakfast.

The griddle was overwhelmed....

Snow flurrying en route to the cookhouse, without hurrying...

Fine day for a sleigh ride together. While light snow was falling, it had not amounted to much.

Fresh snow in Northstar this morning. Maybe two inches with light snow still falling.

A quick coating of snow greeted the start of the ski day and the weather
service is calling for one to three inches this afternoon. Could be worth
sneaking out around 3 p.m. Or earlier.

Groms snow wrestling just below the summit, a sign that being in Aspen helps kids let go...

...and crush their little sister's face in the snowpack.

Gray and steely today with a hint of snow in the air...

...An inch or two called for on Thursday...

The late lap revealed the grim reality that is the top of Franklin Dump...

...Now it is true that it is usually a rock garden, but the tall grass is a tad rare. A general thinness and firmness prevails. That's a plus during apres ski but...

Critter track...signs of an early morning patrol...

Dry, crisp and clear with foamy, grippy and yes, fun, snow underfoot.

X Gamers appear to have exited the arena, leaving a few happy stragglers behind. Above, all quiet on Upper East Side.

Sun-drenched day in a town getting younger and hipper by the hour...the X factor is increasingly in effect.

East facing terrain in the morning sun: more on tap

It was a nice empty slope in the morning sun. Ah, that's simple. And
refreshing. Friday and Saturday shaping up to be sunny with temps in the
high 30s. Two fine days for sliding, or flying, around...

X Games fogged in this morning, sunny in rest of town

Not what you're looking for as a television producer...

Your daily aspen tree-shot line on the east side...

...meanwhile, the X Games has been fogged-in...time for Fog-Style..

Lovely low clouds draped in to the valley below Shadow Mtn.

A spritzing perhaps of fresh snow on the hillside, but the sunlight is gorgeous. Good to be out and up.

Light snow falling now in Aspen...adding to this morning's light layer of fresh snow.

The new snow could be the start of a new storm cycle (hurray!). Weather
Service is calling for 1 to 2 inches this afternoon, 2 to 4 tonight and
another 1 to 2 on Thursday, during the opening day of the X Games.

Monday morning free way, with a fresh inch under blue sky.

Mostly empty tram cars on the line so far, as the energy shifts either to B'Milk for the X fest or to the upper reaches of the bowl. It is a day for renewing the spirit, to be sure. And the state of the Aspen nation is strong.

Blustery, busy day in Whale. About four very fresh inches so far this pm, with wind..

Snowmass picks up ten wonderful inches...deep pockets on Ajax

Snowmass won the snow derby last night with ten inches and Aspen officially
picked up three inches. However, one of our loyal scouts reports that the
Face was heavily wind-loaded last night, as the wind was pumping out of the
south most of the night, and there were definitely deep pockets to be had.
Could be the deepest day of the season and for sure it was the deepest day
of 2010. Thanks be to Ullr. And there is lots of promising numbers in the
forecast, with another 1 to 3 possible this afternoon, another 1 to 3
tonight and another 1 to 2 of snow in the forecast for Saturday, which
should bring some locals out who've been home sheltering the skis they got
for Christmas. The photo above is by SkiCo's Jeremy Swanson of this morning
in Snowmass. Righteous!

Windy under gray skies, still waiting for snow in Aspen

Buttermilk reported a fresh inch in the last 24 hours, but that's it. So
far, the big storm has not brought salvation or a powder day. But the
forecast remains promising. The weather service thinks we might get one to
three inches tonight, one to three on Friday and another one to three on
Friday night. But the forecast has been howling wolf all week, so we remain
breezily skeptical.

Hope it snows some more, joyful it is snowing at all.

Yes, for second day in a row, actual snowflakes have fallen. Just a dusting at dusk in town, but it did technically snow. Got cold too. Feels like something is coming in with bite and punch.

As we were waiting for snow, we came across this spectacular Aspen ManFur

This is Don Knobler of Dallas. As you might of guessed, he was gregarious
and happy to chat for a spell. His wife is a cardiologist and they've been
coming to Snowmass every January for 22 years for a medical conference. They
stay at the SilverTree in January and then come out again later in the
season and stay at the Mountain Chalet in Aspen. "We love it here," said
Knobler. He definitely won "best-dressed on the Mall" yesterday.

Aspen gets a trace of snow so far out of the storm...

It was actually snowing in Aspen this morning and early afternoon. But all
that was left on top of Aspen Mountain was a trace, although Snowmass picked
up three inches and Highlands got an inch. At the closing bell, the sun was
out and it was a pretty nice day with the local world given a very light
fresh coat of paint, including at the top of Buckhorn. But it was not what
we were hoping for, especially knowing that Alpine Meadows in Lake Tahoe
awoke to 15 to 21 inches this morning. But we haven't despaired, as snow is
in the forecast throughout the week.

Flakes falling, but long way to go before old roads on Bell fade away...

As you can tell by the dark photo, it was mostly gray on Monday afternoon on Bell Mountain. That's good, at least in terms of weather, if not for phone-photography. Some misty clouds were out on the surrounding peaks. Forecast still calling for one-to-two inches of snow tonight for Aspen. Lots of rain in California, though, which can lead to snow here. Just skied Copper and Spar and was pleasantly surprised. Yes, it's quite firm, but still a relatively enjoyable experience, with rock-free runs possible, even probable.

Very light snow just starting to fall...will this storm cycle be enough to open the Queen?

One to two inches possible Tuesday...

...which would be nice. The Spring Valley cross-country tracks were pleasant this afternoon in the warm January sunshine. A few other skiers out there today agreed it made sense to cross-country ski as we await fresh snow on the lift-served mountains. The forecast looks slightly promising this week with Tuesday's two-inch possibility the brightest note on the horizon. Congrats to Aspen's Jeremy Abbot for punching his ticket today to Vancouver. His mom used to announce snow conditions and events for Aspen Skiing Co. on the KSNO and KSPN radio morning shows in the 1980s. Her name at the time was "Happy" Abbot. Through her radio work she met KSNO News Director Allen Scott, and she eventually became Alison Scott. They both moved to Colorado Springs so Jeremy could train and work on his Olympic dreams, which are now coming true.

Snowmass under a settled sky on a nice Friday morning

Yes, we're still obsessing over the weather forecast, which on Friday night included this glorious phrase: "By the end of the (next) work week significant amounts of snow will be expected over the mountains...especially the southwest slopes of the San Juans." Good God, man, that's beautiful. The NWS also noted today that Grand Junction just experienced a 22-day string of below 32-degree days from Christmas Even through Thursday. That tied for the fourth-longest cold stretch in Grand Junction weather history, which might say something about how unusually cold, and dry, it has been. But there is much talk of "unsettled" patterns now, which continues to cheer us. Local upper-mountain base depths have shrunk a bit. Buttermilk is at 24, Aspen Mtn at 25, Snowmass at 43 and Highlands at 52 inches.

Sunny, mild, dry and nice, don't you know.

"I can't complain but sometimes I still do." You know that line? Well, it's
really quite delightful out. Again.

Expect this trend to continue

And so now we turn to the “area forecast discussion” from the National Weather Service, desperate and thirsty for news of precipitation. Ah, we seize on the news that “a chance of light snow will persist over the eastern mountains as the deformation zone passes,” but no, alas, it is countered by the fact that “skies have already begun to clear from the west…and (we, they) expect this trend to continue.” So we're in for two more days, at least, of mild and dry conditions from the latest ridge of high pressure wafting eastward above us. It is true that a weak “upper level disturbance” will bring a brief period of high clouds to our sacred lands but “otherwise mostly clear skies (are) expected.”

We're crushed, basically, but we quickly take solace in seeing that a “series of pacific waves” will soon be moving across the forecast area. But then we find that “clouds are expected with no precipitation.” Oh, harsh. That’s like friends showing up to a BYOB bar-b-que with no “B.” But, wait. Hope springs again in the forecast: “Precip should be fairly light at first but will increase Monday night through Tuesday…” That’s very hopeful. Precip will increase!!! But it is too early to tell, really, reflects the doubtful author of the weather forecast.

And then, one last kernel of hope is dropped in front of us: “It appears that one of these shortwaves will be strong enough to scour out valley inversions but at this point its hard to tell which will be strong enough,” says the weather wizard at the National Weather Service.

Mild and dry again for a bit, then, with a slight chance of snow next week. Sigh.

Heard tell today from a certain loyalist that the skier’s left of Jackpot was still worth a second lap but much of the mountain is very fast. And there is word that Highlands is still holding up well. So, it is a time for inner calm and patience. It...will...snow.

Dry, clear, and warm on the nordic trail.

There are spots on the route where the snowpack feels and looks thin. But it sure is nice out. Dry. Clear. Warm.

The statue of Max Marolt looks better in snow than in the dry January air...

...but I doubt Max would have been complaining about sunshine, or the relative lack of snow this season. No, he probably just would have gone skiing and made the best of it. One of the last times I saw Max he was making steady, stylish turns down the center of Highland Bowl, making the best of a average day, a big smile on his face. So, yes, it is always better to go than not to go, even if it is not an epic pow day brah. And besides, who doesn't like sunshine? That being said, let's take a gander at the relatively thin snowpack statistics we're working with here. The top of mountain depths and percent of advanced/expert terrain open are now as follows, according to SkiCo's online report: Aspen (26 inches/88 percent), AH (54 inches/97 percent), BM (24 inches/0 percent) SM (44 inches/69 percent). Note that the measuring station for Highlands is in the North Woods in Highland Bowl, which is why it tends to be a bigger number than Aspen Mountain or Snowmass. Some bright spots: according to SkiCo's report, every run in Highland Bowl was open Monday. That's not always the case. And the Hanging Valley Wall is open in Snowmass. Again, not always the case. Also the Snowmass half-pipe, all 22-feet-high of it, is now open, as crews are giving the Buttermilk a good going over in anticipation of X Games. Here's another way to take our measure. The Colorado Ski Country USA report, which no longer includes the Vail Resorts areas, reports snowpack by mid-mountain depths. If we put our biggest mid-mountain base depth into the ring - the 33 inches at Highlands - how do we compare? Well, Copper has a 37-inch base mid-mountain, Crested Butte is at 37, Steamboat is at 36 and Telluride is at 37. Hmmm..

Waiting for mo sno, later this week, maybe

Sunshine and more sunshine, at least through Tuesday, is the call, as our
knees grow calloused from all of our praying for snow. But the snow gods
seem preoccupied, worried about things other than the 26-inch base on Aspen
Mountain and the grass poking through on Slalom Hill. Heard that dedicated
snow searchers did fine in the Northwoods on Sunday and that there are still
good pockets of skiing for those in the know. But there are also tales of
gravely transition areas as the cold air and sunshine do their eternal work
on the snowpack. Wednesday could bring a 40 percent chance of snow and
Wednesday night and Thursday a 50 percent chance of snow. So, say on your
knees and prostrate yourself to the god of flakes...

Warm, dry and mostly clear on the Aspen golf course track.

The tang of jet fuel is in the air...as we seek alternatives to going downhill.