Early Blue Bird Powder Days!

Over 3 feet of fresh, light powder fell on Northstar from the last storm and another weather system is hot on its heels.  The snow conditions and mountain itself was nothing short of, “Magical” yesterday.  Today is supposed to be another clear and sunny blue bird powder day, then increasing clouds will form and the snow will be flying again.  You can expect the heaviest precipitation this weekend!  The storm originally was projected to be warmer than now forecasted, which means the snow totals will rise as the temperature drops.  We could potentially be riding the trees at Lookout Mountain here very soon, I’m talking before Christmas! 

 

Do you believe the winter forecasting by the Farmer’s Almanac?  I am expecting to see record breaking snowfall this season; I know some of you are with me, especially looking at your season snowfall guesses.  What is your guess?  The Ritz Carlton just opened today and our new lift the Highlands Gondola is turning as well!  What and where is the Highlands Gondola?  If you are a Northstar Patron then you probably know about our ski to your car run called, “Homerun.”  Heres you tip; start your day early by parking in Lot B or as close as you can get to the Highlands Gondola.  Make sure you have your Season Pass or pre-printed tickets ready; from there you have a short walk to start your day.  And yes, you can ski right back down to your car when you’re finished.  I strongly recommend getting there as early as possible, because you won’t be the only one trying to get that prime parking spot.

I’m going to head on up the hill; I’ll have some more scenic view for you here by the end of the day.

Hope you get in a few turns,

Chris

Comments

[Darryl]

Hey Chris -- good to hear that the Gondola is not just for people rich enough to stay/live at the Ritz-Carlton. :-}

The only problem with the Lot B plan is that I've had lot attendants direct us to park waaay back in the JKL zones even though a bus ride showed that BCD were empty. The bus driver told me this was so they could park cars more efficiently, but I felt that it improperly penalized people that arrived early to try and get a good spot.

[Snowreporter]

Hey Darryl,

Thanks for the comment, you do have a valid point. Our parking staff has a different parking plan depending on how busy we are expected to be. They probably will try to wave you to JKL, but all you need to do is wave back and point to the direction your driving. If you have a conversation, just tell them your heading to Home Run, you won't have problems unless the parking over there is completely full. Our parking in general is "Shuttle Based." We strive to get you to the village between 6 and 8 minutes no matter where you are parked. Give it a try, let me know how it goes.

Thanks,

Chris

[Darryl]

I will have to try that Chris. Thanks! I'm having a hard time picturing where the Gondola actually picks up. How about a photo?

[Snowreporter]

Hey Darryl,

I just posted a new blog with some video of the new Highlands Gondola. The Gondola picks up at the very base of Homerun, you'll probably get a better idea after checking the video. Hopefully we get enough from this next system for a tree skiing powder video!