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A-basin in May?
- Thread starter Sheena
- Start date
This year, conditions will probably be pretty good.
Mid-May in general is when they start to close the advanced terrain. They had a spring slide on the Pali terrain in 2005 that killed someone, and they've been very conservative about closing that terrain ever since. The coverage will still be good, and if it stays cooler Pali will be open, but if it's gotten warm Pali will be closed. Sometimes during that time of year they'll close it and then reopen it again for an afternoon here and there if it cools off.
Anyways, most of the rest of the terrain will be open and it should be skiing fairly well unless April is really disastrously warm. From now through mid-May is personally my favorite time at A-Basin, but it does go from fully open to very spring conditions quite quickly, and it's hard to know exactly when that will happen. It usually happens around Mother's Day.
Here's when it happened in 2022:
www.theskidiva.com
If you care a lot about particular terrain being open, it'd be ideal to wait and decide in mid-April or so. If you'll enjoy spring skiing no matter what, that's a fine time of year to lock in a trip imho.
I'm not sure that was helpful.
Feel free to ask more specific questions!
Mid-May in general is when they start to close the advanced terrain. They had a spring slide on the Pali terrain in 2005 that killed someone, and they've been very conservative about closing that terrain ever since. The coverage will still be good, and if it stays cooler Pali will be open, but if it's gotten warm Pali will be closed. Sometimes during that time of year they'll close it and then reopen it again for an afternoon here and there if it cools off.
Anyways, most of the rest of the terrain will be open and it should be skiing fairly well unless April is really disastrously warm. From now through mid-May is personally my favorite time at A-Basin, but it does go from fully open to very spring conditions quite quickly, and it's hard to know exactly when that will happen. It usually happens around Mother's Day.
Here's when it happened in 2022:
Photo of the day
It's a very warm day at Alta. The groomers were finishing up at 7:00am. Do they groom in the morning because they want to do it after the lower nighttime temps?
www.theskidiva.com
If you care a lot about particular terrain being open, it'd be ideal to wait and decide in mid-April or so. If you'll enjoy spring skiing no matter what, that's a fine time of year to lock in a trip imho.
I'm not sure that was helpful.
Feel free to ask more specific questions!
Not at all. The expert terrain is what starts to close in the spring, and it's the intermediate terrain that's left. The snow does get very grabby once it warms up so @Amie H's quick wax suggestion is spot on, but if you're a solid intermediate you'll have plenty to enjoy.
Seaglass Skier
Certified Ski Diva
I'm considering A-basin for late April to early May and was wondering if it was worth the haul out there. Super helpful discussion.
I'll be up this weekend. Late April is a very safe bet imho. If you love spring skiing no matter what then late April or early May are both very safe bets.
Anyways, feel free to check in here once your dates are closer. Happy to answer any conditions questions I can.
Anyways, feel free to check in here once your dates are closer. Happy to answer any conditions questions I can.
Seaglass Skier
Certified Ski Diva
Ahh gotcha. Spring skiing isn't my favorite, but I was out so much of the season I'm not ready to let go! Also have new skis inbound and will be itching to try them out. My home mountain just closed so looking elsewhere to get one last taste of skiing without breaking the bank.I'll be up this weekend. Late April is a very safe bet imho. If you love spring skiing no matter what then late April or early May are both very safe bets.
Anyways, feel free to check in here once your dates are closer. Happy to answer any conditions questions I can.
Seaglass Skier
Certified Ski Diva
Was interested in maybe heading out this weekend with the snow dump incoming. It would be a long long drive (11 hours no stops) and a lot of effort. Any recs? I would be on shiny brand spanking new skis so if there's rocks-a-plenty I'll pass. I'd also be getting some boot work done but that's a side mission. I'm a blue to black skier in Taos. Thanks for any help!
Well. It's gonna snow. The skiing will be good Saturday and Sunday morning. It's spring and the sun angle is really high, so it won't stay a traditional powder day for long -- the snow gets heavy and warm fast this time of year. Sadly, the storm also lines right up with the weekend, so it will be busy (though A-Basin never gets to real sh*tshow status, they do a good job with that). Coverage is still quite good and they're still basically 100% open.
So - fun? Yes, absolutely. Worth an 11 hour drive? I think that depends on how bad you're jonesing to ski.
It's gonna snow. The skiing will be good Saturday and Sunday morning. It's spring and the sun angle is really high, so it won't stay a traditional powder day for long -- the snow gets heavy and warm fast this time of year. Sadly, the storm also lines right up with the weekend, so it will be busy (though A-Basin never gets to real sh*tshow status, they do a good job with that). Coverage is still quite good and they're still basically 100% open.So - fun? Yes, absolutely. Worth an 11 hour drive? I think that depends on how bad you're jonesing to ski.
