As the 2017/2018 US season quickly comes to an end, I still have some unfinished business. I am hoping to see a whole bunch of the cold white stuff before it’s all said and done. I’m back on the move this week in the search for powder! Nothing like a powder morning before I leave town. Pics from Monday at Beaver Creek. Enjoy!

POW HERE

Colorado sun shining through.

Frosted trees line the road up to the base.

Finally frosted trees return everywhere to The Beav.

Beautiful Colorado Day.

Blue sky and fresh pow, oh my.

Looking good with a fresh blanket.

Conditions once again are superb.

No crowds on a Monday.

Trees ripe for a little play.

Beaver Creek postcard pic.

Southern border of the steeps.

I got this…

Big Rock

It was good enough on Monday to ski in the nice stashes along the ski boundary – REMEMBER this is reserved for excellent, trained skiers only and oh, did I mention how fun it was!

Oh those glades and…

frosted trees.

Lions and Tiger and Bears, Oh my.

Get it before the sun melts its all.

See you soon! Closing day is near.

Tuesday

Northstar at Tahoe – I couldn’t help myself! I had to check out the CA dumping that I have been hearing about so I made the trip to CA/NV to check it out for myself.

POW THERE

Northstar gondola takes you from the village to the base.

Not many peeps out on this Tuesday morning.

Gray, overcast and flat light.

Jerry selfie. How u doin?

Fresh lines all around.

Bit firm and a little crusty in the glades.

Snow coming down.

Wet and heavy, fun nun the less.

The glades of Northstar.

Here …

And here

Check out my powder face! This day did not suck – powder everywhere!

Liked “powder everywhere”

I think I’m on to something.

Snowy and very wet out today.

The white fluffy stuff is dumping.

Nope that is not your eyes deceiving you – those are huge snowflakes!

Bit lighter now but still coming down.

Lots of fresh around.

I never get tired of frosty beard pics! See all that snow on me! It was as fun as it looks!

Snow starting to cover Jerry’s jacket.

Starting to dry out.

Wow what a day!

Friday

Heavenly Ski Area

After reporting receiving over 30 inches over the last 2 days, I am here to check it out…

Heavenly welcomes Jerry. Haha, I’m so funny.

Heavenly Tram.

Sun starting to rise over the mountain.

The fresh stuff is everywhere.

Straight away to the lift they come.

Heading in Powder Bowl.

Untouched here …

And here…

Pretty much everywhere.

The awesome glades and views of Heavenly.

Tree and lake views everywhere here.

Views for miles.

Bluebird day after 17 inches overnight. Unreal!

Heavenly postcards for sale. Want one?

Because the amazing views never get old.

Never.

Little pow pow face.

Deep pow and majestic lake views is what I saw today.

Heavenly – is this what heaven looks like?

Or is it more like this?

Wow. Take me to your leader.

Natural features everywhere today.

Super deep, super duper.

Not a bad view anywhere today.

Thank you. Wow. Another Heavenly Friday. Filthy sick. Deep, deep stuff here all around. If you don’t know how to ride the pow, stay on the groomers. This stuff will eat you up. It will take your skis, your poles and just about anything else. You won’t find it again until the snow melts. I’m not kidding, it’s that deep right now. Don’t believe me just ask the dozen or so skiers that lost a ski. It sucks. Been there, done that. 2 words: Powder chords Ride the pow or sink in it. That’s just how it is. This is the deep stuff.

Saturday

Homewood Mountain Resort.  I decided to give a local mountain resort a try today – tip from a local.  Go here.  They’ll be less people.  Turned out to be a good move.  The crowds weren’t so bad and the mountain was solid with all that fresh snow!

Homewood, CA

A Tahoe locals playground with no crowds.

Some clouds and spots of blue to start the day.

Nothing wrong with a little sunshine.

 

Clouds and flat light rolling in

 

Great lake coastline views.

Are those flurries coming down.

Take me there.

I think I can still see the lake.

Turn around and it’s dumping.

Oh yea.

Getting colder and a bit harder to see.

Totally flat light now.

And then came the dumpage.

YEESSS!!!

But where is everybody?

Trees covered with the white stuff.

Met this fellow powder hound out there.

Jerry here…

But not many other people.

There’s one

Mine all mine.

Fresh line after fresh line.

Nothing like a dumpage.

WINNER WINNER POW POW DREAMS TONIGHT.

Fresh lines getting filled right in. WOW

Dumpage. Fresh Pow Galore.

Amazing day out there today. I came here to avoid large resort weekend crowds. Score! I was doing laps all day. While the place is small and has a local homey feel, I did not wait in one lift line all day. Not one. This area scored significant feet of the fresh stuff this week and not one lift line. Amazing. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. Of course the icing on the cake was the eight inches of freshie the resort must have received during the day. Fresh soft lines and no lift lines. It just works, and works well. The lake views don’t suck either. Btw..Kirkwood posted on Instagram that their parking lot was 80% full at 10:15 am …how do you think the lift lines were? Just saying, I mean writing.  Guess I made the right decision!

Reader feedback, comments & pictures

Feedback

Reader feedback and comments, were again strong this week. Pics, we received none. I get it; when you publish just days apart you can not expect much. I know some peeps have not even read Thursday’s post. Thank you all anyway. Much appreciate anything we get. Keep up the good work. Again, here are some of the amazing comments we received this week:

Wow. Really great pictures. Makes me want to be there and experience it

We write this blog for the benefit of everyone. But really it’s just a selfish attempt to justify my life. Certainly seems that way when I get this…

Where’s Waldo skiing today?

Haha. That’s funny. Here, there, and everywhere.

We always appreciate this:

Awesome Post

And this readers assesment, I would agree with:

What you do deserves respect, it’s an incredible commitment.

With commitment comes sacrifice. It’s not easy. Looks can be very deceiving. Anyway, Jerry loves this:

So nice. Love the blog.

And can certainly relate to this:

I’m chasing $25 pars your’e chasing powder.

I’ve been there. It’s good to chase something. Powder-Preferreds – they both start with a P.  Ironically so does payday.

And this weeks gem just melts my heart.

what’s most gratifying is that I shared the ski season with so many others through your blog posts. The real Thrill of the Mountain is just that; you opened up your passion for this sport to create and highlight a fraternity not just of winter enthusiasts but of ‘friends.’ This blog has not just been a lesson in how to navigate time on the mountain but time in this life. Kudos!

Thank you. Life is too short and we are never promised tomorrow. Live a full life and have no regrets. Your time to make a difference is now. With love, encouragement and determination we can do anything.  Plus, I mean really, who doesn’t love beautiful pictures and encouragement to go do something they are passionate about!

COMMENTS

SNOW CONDITIONS

Resort conditions are excellent. It snowed most places over the weekend and much of last week. Now is the time people, the end is near, like really really near. Closing day will be here before you know it. Three weeks in most cases and the resorts will be closed. Spring break is a really fun time – if nothing else, it certainly is good Jerry watching! With a little luck, some fresh powder and blue bird days will continue. Find that powder people. Get out there and enjoy it. #OPTOUTSIDE #POWDER TO THE PEOPLE

LODGING

If you need help with lodging, especially last-minute, reach out to us at:

ThrilloftheMountain@gmail.com

We know people. And we may be able to help you.

Here’s a reservation link to Creekside @ Beaver Creek. Michael Simmons and his crew will take good care of you.

http://res.creeksidebeavercreek.com/irmnet/(S(lu5vzmfl3sou5ithkbygnkeb))/Res/ResMain.aspx

RESORT GUIDING

Resort Guiding

We are offering all-inclusive resort guiding for you and your family at a discounted rate. Our guides can handle from 1 to 6 people. The day will be customized and tailored to your group and groups needs. A fun day is in store. If this is something you have an interest in? Please reach out, we’ll make it happen. Some feedback we received from recent tours:

Had an amazing time!! I miss you already!

and this one

Can’t thank you enough for organizing this trip.

as well as this one

It really was an amazing ski vacation!

Friends will be made and memories will be had. Experience is what changes your life and not material items. Some amazing feedback from some of our friends and guests:

Thank you all for being so welcoming, kind, generous, not to mention entertaining!! Loved the guitar playing, the game playing, just the all around camaraderie in addition to the fantastic skiing, snow boarding and snow shoeing too!! Lol. Can’t wait until next year!

Thank you. I had a blast. I look forward to it again next year.

CMM thanks for the guided trip through the trees today. That was probably something that I would have missed had you not showed me the way.

Glad you enjoyed a tour of the glades. It was my pleasure.

Receoved this in my inbox:

We had the best time ever!! Thank you for navigating the mountain for us, for the snow shoe tour, for teaching us how to ski better and for being so wonderful and patient and welcoming to our entire crew!!

No, Thank you. Hope to see you on the slopes soon. We love writing about but even more we love sharing it with everyone. Find out what it’s all about.

CHARITY

As an aside I am selling 2018 8 x 11 Photo Wall Calendars for Charity. My Calendar is called 2017 Powder Days. It has some of last years best powder pics. I’m selling the calendars for $25 a piece. A portion of all calendar sales will go to charitable causes. The 2018 Charity Calendar supports these three organizations:

• Kahn Academy
• Court Appointed Special Advocates CASA / Guardian ad Litem GAL
• Chidamoyo Christian Hospital

No words needed.

Thanks again for reading this blog. I hope you all have a great finish to your weekend and a great start to your week. Until next time, love one another and be kind to each other. Get out there, The Thrill of the Mountain is waiting for you. Ski on.

CMM

If you would like to get Thrill of the Mountain, in email form, right in your inbox please subscribe at the bottom of this post. Check us out on Instagram – Thrill of the Mountain or like us on Facebook- Trill of the Mountain. Thanks. Want to be an author and can write about the mountains or mountain life? If so, contact us.

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