Luckily the Utah branch was ready for the visit, and immediately put its best ski-boot forward. The moment the Vermonters got off the airplane, the Utah team-members ushered the Vermonters straight up the mountain to The Pipeline. Before summiting however, due to the heat and the Vermonters having gone from sea-level to 10,000 feet in a matter of hours, the Vermonters needed to perform some unannounced inspections mid-mountain.

Boxers or briefs…OR BOXER BRIEFS?!

After passing that impromptu inspection, the crew continued climbing higher. The Vermonters gasped for air and baked in the Utah sun. They made it however, and at the summit, the East Coast contingent was downright spanked after nearly 4,000 feet of skinning at an elevation double anything they had encountered all winter back home. When they reached down to buckle their boots, the Vermonters almost passed out when their head (they share one to save weight) went below their hearts at 11,489 feet above sea-level. The Pipeline was looking glorious however, and it was a chute that just needed to be schussed; consciousness-be-damned. With spots in my eyes, I started out on the ridge above the chute…

…and then dropped in.

A chute to the (skier’s) right, Ben demonstrated that the Utah bureau is likely deserving of an additional year of servitude in the FIS dominion.

The inspections will continue for the rest of the week. Things look good for the Utah offices, but I’ll be sure to keep you updated right here on FIS.

Click the picture to find out more!

Click the picture or here to read Western Roadshow Part I

…or a high two…

…nor a high three…

…but actually it was good enough for a full High Four.

Wait… only a high FOUR?

…yep…

And so as GAPERil officially draws to a close, what do we have to show for it? Well… how about this floral print helmet cover that only a gaper would wear?

Hope you got sum!! Thanks for reading FIS!

You need to get out there! Jay Peak Resort is spinning lifts tomorrow, and a serious upslope storm is overhead RIGHT NOW. MOVE UP to Jay and Schuss the East!

In this entry, friend of FIS, Matt Bruhns, takes us on a mostly-POV tour of shredding pow in Vermont.

Incidentally Matt is also entering this video in Stowe’s East Coast Supershoot (which you may recall, FIS won last year). So “like” his video on YouTube, and help him win fame and glory!

Oh I get it… har har…very funny. Very funny indeed.

Well…forgetting about that bad joke, the good news is that the snow was VERY DEEP in Northern Vermont today. It was also very heavy, and reminded me a lot of the type of snow they see often in the PNW. Also reminded me a bit of the April 2010 PNVV storm, but maybe even heavier. Surfing is fun though!

There’s a TR a brewing from the East Coast contingent of FIS, but until then git out end git sum!

Happy Easter, Passover and …well that’s it right? Hopefully everybody is enjoying themselves and not eating too much candy. As I said a week ago, the beginning of April was looking favorable for winter, especially the few days after Easter. Well here we are and it looks like that prognostication will verify.

The consensus solution across the major operational models, along with a large number of the ensemble forecasts is rather simple. A low pressure system currently affecting maritime Quebec will rotate towards the west, around a high pressure system exiting the region. The low pressure system’s surface low, mid level low and upper level low pressure centers will come to stack onto each other as the low stabilizes and cuts itself off from the prevailing west-east flow aloft. As a result it will linger over the region from Monday into Wednesday. We like this pattern. Especially in April.

As the low lingers it will rotate a fair amount of moisture through the region. Given the orientation of the low, and the prevailing wind flow there will be significant orographic lifting in the mountains of the Northeast, with the Greens and most northerly ADK (Lyon) creating the most uplift. Given the saturated airmass, precipitation will be a given. What type is the key question. Freezing levels look to be about 2000ft give or take. So I fully suspect summits and upper elevations to get all snow. It should be a rather moist snow given the temps but hey, wet snow might be exactly what the Dr. ordered. Overall totals are tricky. Until the high res comes out tomorrow morning I’m not really going to waste your time hazarding a guess. Suffice it to say it will be enough to make the skiing very fun….esp. tuesday morning as the single best period dynamics wise should be monday night into tuesday am.

Mon. 5 am UPDATE: All the major models are WET. Lots of moisture being thrown into the hills. With temps in the -4 to -6c range we’re not going to get great dendrite growth so we’re looking at low snow to water ratios and a wetter snowfall. Maybe even periods of graupel or rods. Regardless there should be enough moisture to result in a widespread 6-12+ snowfall across the higher terrain (with the greens doing best given their cross flow orientation).

Monday 2PM Update It’s on like Donkey-Kong.

Ok. Im out. Gotta go see about braising the Easter Bunny. How do ShotBloks work as a meat tenderizer?