Big Bald Bobby is back in action for another ski season!  It's been a long summer of recovery and training but I'm itching to get back on skis.  On the last day of skiing last spring I had to have surgery but now I'm 100% fit and ready to ski!  I also had time to add another member to the ski posse this past fall.  That's right, the wife and I had a little baby boy.  Get this, he's already getting up at dawn like his dad to look out the window to see how much powder was left behind the night before!   Most of you know the drill on this page but to reiterate for the first timer, this blog is designed to let you, the skier at home, know what's happening on the slopes here on Aspen mountain. I've been skiing 100 days a year since 1993 so you can be rest assured that the report I give will not be that PC nonsense you read in other sites.  I also know when you're planning your ski vacation, it's tough to tell what the conditions are really like.  This page is designed with photos and diatribe so you can see for yourself.  Happy skiing and see you out there!  Any questions, drop me a line at bigbaldbobby@hotmail.com and I'll answer as time allows. 

April 12th Closing Day

I say this every year and this year is no exception, are we really done with ski season already?!.  Yes, it's true, Highlands, Snowmass and Buttermilk have put away the moguls and locked down the lifts.  However, if you still have a hankerin' to go skiing, the Skico is going to be nice enough to open the gondola for our skiing pleasure for the next two weekends.  And yes, to answer your next question, we still have plenty of snow.  Considering we've had temps in the mid 50'sF and lows that aren't even getting to freezing, the snow is still very skiable.  Keep in mind these are very spring-like conditions but yes, it's still very fun skiing.  Remember to get out there once everything has softened and you will be a happy camper.  Stay late and have an adult beverage on the sundeck afterwards.  It's called spring skiing for a reason.  This last week we had everything from a late season snowstorm to bluebird sunny days.  It's been a fantastic ending to the season and I still can't believe it's over.  Now get your head around this one.  Considering we only had a 'normal' snow year, we still have enough to keep the mountains open until almost May.  And that's why I live in Colorado.  Now the downside is I still have snow tires on my car and probably will until mid May when I"m sure we're done with snow for the winter.  

As this is my last update for the winter, I would like to thank all of you who tune in to check out this blog.  I try my best to make this report as accurate as possible so you know what the conditions are and can make vacation plans accordingly.  I also thank you this year for putting up with several dry periods in between reports as I attended to fatherly duties.  Next winter should be more sorted and I should be able to get up there a lot more like in season's past.  I would also like to thank the Ski Company marketing department who continue to ask me back to do this little missive and also allow me the literary freedoms to do whatever I want in this report.  To all those skiers out there who are already thinking about next winter, have a good summer and I'll see you next fall.  I"m out.

March 26th

Can't go wrong with a boot deep day on Face of Bell

After my bout with a bad appendix, my doctor finally gave me the go ahead to head back to the mountain and that's exactly what I did.  On Wednesday, a powder day none the less, I hit the mountain for 3 hours so here is what's going on.  First, for being late March, the mountain is still in fantastic shape.  Yes, the usual spots are poking through like on Last Dollar in the Dumps and yes there are still shrubs peeking through on Bingo but that's what you get in an average snow year.  Remember an average snow year is still 250 inches so don't be concerned.  For those of you still coming out for a late season ski, it is the best time of year.  The days are long and if the sun comes out, all you need is a fleece and sunglasses.  Oh yes how I love spring time.  It also is that time of year where we get the 'big ones'.  Right now it's snowing heavily outside and we're supposed to get a good dumping for the next two days.  As for what was skiing well, here it is.  The eastern facing slopes like Back of Bell, the Dumps and the Walsh's Ridge are all in very good shape.  The western facing slopes like Face of Bell and Ruthies side ski well but more towards the afternoon when the sun gets on it for awhile.  Down low runs like Super 8, Corkscrew and Silver Queen are always in good shape because of that north facing aspect.  Remember on powder days it's a good idea to get to the mountain early for those first tracks but on sunny days, wait a bit until that sun works it's magic on the hill.  Since the mountain is open later these days, sleep in and get your turns in after it's warmed a bit.  Remember the sunscreen!  My next day on Aspen is Monday so check back for another update. 

Standing under the Ruthies lift looking at Reds Run.

Back of Bell 2 in the trees

More Face of Bell

March 7th

So you're sitting there on Oscar Night wondering where in the world your ski reports have been?  Here is my tale.  Starting last weekend I found myself crunched up on the sofa in the fetal position with a wicked stomach ache and a fever.  After four days of monkeying with that, I decided a trip to the doc would be in order since I'm never sick with a fever for four days.  Upon seeing the local doc, she shuttled me off to the hospital for more tests as she ruled out flu etc.  Next thing you know after 5 hours of tests, I'm laying on an OR table face up with a surgeon telling me my rotten festering fetid appendix must come out NOW!  I woke up in recovery and they wheeled me into my very own semi private suite with a....wait for it...mountain view.  I ended up having a beautiful 2 night 3 day no expenses paid room for letting my appendix brew so long.  I'm still sicker than a dog but at home trying to recover.  Be patient as my doctor tells me that as soon as I feel up for it, I can ski.  Hopefully next week.  Until then...

February 25th

The sun busted out for a quick minute while I shot this on the Face of Bell

If you haven't heard yet, last weekend we got hammered with over 3 feet!  All I can say is it's about time.  I've been waiting the entire ski season for a dumping like that.  Of course I couldn't partake until the storm subsided and on Monday I got out for about 3 hours.  I was on daddy duty but I hit up grandma for 3 hours of freedom for knee deep bliss.  Of course now I have to shovel her walk for the rest of the winter but it was well worth it.  The legs were on fire just after 3 runs as I was feeling it with the deep snow.  I skied several runs up top to get warmed up and then went for the goods.  Long Face of Bell, Ridge of Bell, Back of Bell in the trees, Hyrups and the Dumps were on my short list.  I also got in a few runs down low like Aztec, Super 8 and Slalom Hill.  I was cooked after 3 hours and look forward to this weekend as we have yet another storm lined up to hit us.  It's snowing right now and supposed to continue for the next few days.  I should be able to get out for a few hours on Monday so stay tuned. 

The bottom of Blondies

Even powder day groomers look inviting

Camera difficulties on Gent's Ridge  Notice how much snow is in the trees!

February 15th

Entrance to Hyrups.  It stayed this good to the bottom.

So I'm hanging out this morning like usual with my little guy and my wife asks me to go hang out with her mom, grandmother and aunt for the afternoon.  Sure why not?  Well, I get there and sure enough a brawl breaks out over my kid. Everyone wants to hold him, feed him and so forth.  Well, watching this melee continue, what's a guy to do?  For one, go skiing.  There is nothing I can possibly tell them that they don't already know how to handle.  So I'm out of there and headed to the hill.  A light snow fell all day today and it's supposed to continue through the week.  I had two hours to make hay but it turned into three as I figured those three women have had like 9 kids between them so mine won't pose any new challenges.  I got to the gondola and changed into my boots at the bottom and struck up a conversation with the guy just coming off the mountain. I ask how the snow is and he tells me it's only OK and a bit crowded.  I have a confused look on my face as one, Aspen Mountain never gets 'crowded' and secondly, how can the skiing only be OK after a few days of new snow.  Anyway, I finish and want to check this out for myself.  On the gondie trip up, two women are talking about the conditions.  They keep saying it's icy and not all that good.  They say they're going in for the day.  Once again, confused look.  As they are saying this, I'm looking out the window of the bucket and see boot deep fresh in Back of Bell, the Dumps all look great and there was even still new snow in Silver Dip Swing.  I'm not sure where they were skiing but it all looked pretty good to me.  At the top I took a couple of warm up groomers like Deer Park and North American.  Yes there were a few more people than normal up there, but no, it wasn't Breck on a weekend.  Secondly, there were some hardpack areas in the most frequently skied areas but I never found anything 'icy'.  Maybe my expectations are lower than the average snow slider but I thought today was a good day considering it's President's Day weekend.  After a few warmups I hit a couple of stashes for some powder.  I found boot deep in Silver Dip on the skiers right(complete with wipeout showing you that everyone falls) as well as good snow in PumpHouse.  Next, I needed to find where no one else had been so I headed over to my standby, Hyrups.  It stilI had fresh even at 1pm.  Next I headed down Gent's Ridge on Glade 2 and found some untouched.  My next few runs were on the 1A side.  I skied Super 8 Gully, Aztec and Spring Pitch.  Nice snow over there as well and not a person to be found.  I finished the day off on the Dumps and while it was a tad thin up top still, mid run all the way to the bottom was what one would expect in the Dumps.  All in all, a good day and I'm glad I didn't get detracted by the naysayers early on. 

I'm standing in Glade 2.  In the background middle is Ridge of Bell and way back there are the Dumps, Short Snort and Perrys.

In FIS somewhere.

Standing in the clump of trees in International skiing into Short Snort and Ruthies is in the background left.

February 10th

Some clouds and some sun to go with our new snowfall

We've had a mixed bag this past week.  We got the snow we really wanted and the sun came out the last couple of days making for some nice mid winter ski conditions.  The temps have been nice and mild as well with daytime readings in the 30'sF and the lows at night in the single digits.  I'll take that all winter thank you.  Earlier in the week we did get a couple of small dumps with a few inches here and there making all the bumps nice and soft and the groomers even that much better.  I only got in a hour here and there this past week as I'm on daddy duty during the week.  Check out some photos of the mountain and remember to check out the Olympics this coming weekend.  Aspen has 7 athletes competing this year. I'm hoping for a good showing from our competitors.  Go Aspen!

Only a few inches but I'll take it.

Oh how I love Gent's Ridge in the wintertime.

February 3rd

Order a Guinness and rack the snooker.  Reds was that smooth today.

I got a hall pass good for 3 hours of skiing this morning and I cashed that in without hesitation.  The day started off nice and sunny albeit with chilly early morning temps in the teens F.  It did warm up nicely as the day progressed making for some nice mid winter ski conditions.  However, as the day progressed, the high clouds did start to gather and get thicker and by noon is was downright overcast making for some flat light conditions and the mandatory tree skiing ensued.  I got started this morning with a few warmups on the groomers up high.  Reds Run up from Ruthies was rolled in the last couple of days and that was very fast and smooth.  I also hit the usual spots to get warmed up like One and Two Leaf, North American and Silver Dip.  After I got some blood to the legs, I decided to ski runs today that I haven't skied all year.  I immediately headed for Northstar where the usual bumps were waiting for me.  In pretty good shape and not too much poking through.  I continued down to Gent's where I went through the trees in between Glades 1 and 2 popping out near Glade 3.  A little bush whacking through the middle part and down to Copper Gulch.  A barn burner to the bottom and another lap.  Up top I headed to Tourtelette Park and the beginner bumps in there are some of the nicest on the hill.  I took that to Chair 6 and headed up to the Ruthies side.  I skied Reardons and Rochs as well as the lower part like Super 8 Gully and Slalom Hill to the bottom.  Another lap had me up on the Ruthies side again where I dropped in to the Dumps not from International but from the next level up through the trees.  Just enough coverage to not destroy my skis through the forest.  I chose Last Dollar down the right hand side.  The coverage is getting a wee thin in there but not so much as to worry about it.  Just a couple of little rocks here and there but nothing to worry about.  I did hear some folks on the gondola on one of my trips up and they told me Snowmass is starting to show thinness in some of the most heavily travelled areas.  They mentioned that Aspen had the best coverage of the 4 mountains and I would have to agree.  Everything from the groomers to the steeps are in fantastic shape and with nobody to share the runs, head on over to Aspen.  Check out todays photos and with some snow on the way, maybe a powder day is in the future.

This is a little chute between Rochs on the left and Reardons on the right.  I think it used to be where an old poma lift ran back in the day.

Taking Chair 3 up early this morning. Dipsy Headwall is in the background.

This is Gent's Ridge heading down to Glade 3

The beginner bumps of Tourtelette Park.  Notice Bonnies mid mountain restaurant in the background.

January 26th

It was snowing pretty good on top of Aspen Mountain over the weekend

After patiently waiting over two weeks for new snow, we've been rewarded handsomely with three days of snowfall.  We haven't had the huge dump that we all wish for daily, but we have had several nice days of accumulation.  Over this past weekend the snow kept coming making for some great boot deep days.  Monday, the sun finally came out letting us see the mountains and all their glory covered in a nice fresh coat of powder.  I hit the mountain with some friends visiting from Australia and had a great morning of skiing.  We started the day with a couple of groomers getting the legs warmed up after a long respite from the slopes.  With fatherhood getting the margin of victory, my skiing has suffered.  However, on this day skiing was the only thing on my mind.  The upper slopes of One Leaf and Midnight led to mild bump runs like Pump House, Sunrise and Reds.  After a few warm-ups, it was off to chair 6 and FIS.  The Ruthies side was every bit as good as the rest of the mountain as we found bits of boot deep fresh over there as well.  Back up top and it was time to get serious and head to the good stuff.  We found the nice gentle tree runs like Back of Bell 1.5 very tempting and took that over to Gent's Ridge and Glade 2.  Mostly trees and boot deep pow.  What a run.  Once again, we were back up top and deciding what to take for the last run of my ski day.  A quick decision was made and off to the Dumps we went.  More boot deep bumps all the down Perry's Prowl.  One of the best runs on the entire mountain and not another person to be seen for the duration of the run.  Check out the pics from today and stay tuned as X Games rolls into town this weekend.  You can check out live broadcasts on ESPN Friday and Saturday nights. 

The sun was out early but it didn't last but two hours.  Nice freshies on Pump House Hill

Around 10am the clouds moved in but it didn't put a damper on the day.  This is Upper International

Look at how good this line looks.  This is Perry's, Dumps

Back of Bell in the trees.

There's an ugly looking lot.  Thanks for the ski guys. 

January 18th

Checking out the Face of Bell from the top of Ruthies Run.

I'll be frank, we've gotten hosed in the snow department for the last two weeks.  We had two good storms that looked promising but one went to the north and the other went south.  There is a large high pressure dome over Aspen giving us beautiful deep azure blue skies and mild temps in the 30'sF but no snow.  It is getting challenging to find entertaining snow right now but yes, you can have fun out there.  Don't get me wrong, skiing here in Aspen is still way better than skiing on the east coast and most of Europe.  With the current snow conditions I've been doing some alternate activities to keep occupied and in shape. I've been hiking up Smuggler Mountain in Aspen and also going out to the cross country center and having a skate ski.  Great cardio and a nice alternative when you need a day off from skiing.  Let's be honest, none of us can go skiing 7 days in a row any longer, can we?  Check out some pictures from the mountain this week and I'll let you know when the snow starts back up again. 

Tortilla Flats near the bottom of chair 3

January 7th

I shot this from the gondola.  This is the upper portion of Aspen Mountain on a bluebird day.

I never made it skiing yesterday.  Call me spoiled but it was overcast and foul with very flat light.  It was supposed to snow but it never materialised.  I took the day off but I'm not going to leave you hanging.  I took so many photos from earlier in the week I thought I would put some more on today so you can drool on your office computer. 

Ridge of Bell with Back of Bell 2 off to the right

FIS looking good in the morning sunshine.

January 5th

Checking out the top of the Ruthies chair.  Reds bumps all the way down to chair 3.

It was was supposed to be a foul overcast day but as luck would have it, the sun was out making for a nice ski day.  Once again, the slopes were uncrowded and the snow is in fantastic shape.  I did some exploring and tried to stay away from the same runs I always find myself on.  I switched it up and skied runs like Back 2 and 3 in the trees over to the Ridge of Bell.  I skied Glade 3 along the rope line to Super 8 gully.  I also headed over to the Ruthies side and hit that little area just to the right of the lift as you start up.  Aztec was skiing well as well as Spring Pitch.  The runs just below the 1A chair are also in good shape as I always(as well as most people) forget about just how good the 1A side can ski.  I had about 3 hours today and took full advantage and when my time was finished so were my legs.  All was not roses and puppydogs however.  I did find some rather big rocks in Perrys Dump and on the Face of Bell. No edge blowouts but some mangled bases that are in need of attention.  We're supposed to get another good dose of snow later today into tonight.  As I always say, I'll count it once it's on the ground.  Stay tuned as I have a few hours to ski tomorrow afternoon.  Hopefully it will be a powder day.

Standing on top of Pump House looking at Tourtelotte Park.  Notice the perfect beginner bumps in there.

Marilyn says it's 20 degreesF. 

More bumps.  I think this is International.

January 3rd

I took this standing on the Face of Bell with the Ruthies lift in the background.

Normal service resumed.  For the last two weeks our little mining town of 8000 people has been inundated with debutantes, royalty and celelbs(remind me why Paris Hilton is famous again?)  and now they're heading for the hills in their G4's.  Once again I now have a place to park my own plane and have the mountain to myself.  For the earliest part of this morning Aspen Mountain was empty.  Granted it was snowing and there was about two feet of visibility which keeps the fair weather skiers at bay.  The sun did manage to come out at about noon but by then my legs were cashed out and I called it a day.  I got in three good hours with no lift lines and high speed quads; there was a lot of skiing to be had.  I even had a huge stack on Ridge of Bell as I couldn't really see and ate it.  I'm chewing on Aleve and a Guinness as I type this.  The mountain is in relatively good shape considering how busy we've been the last two weeks.  It's hammered in a few spots but overall not too bad.  I skied the entire mountain today and there was a few standouts.  I skied the Back of Bell in the trees and took that over to Gent's.  There was still a decent amount of new snow from the last two days and overnight we got just enough to make it soft.  Next up was Face of Bell to Chair 6 to the Dumps.  First Dump was Perry's.  A few rocks here and there but really nice skiing.  So good I did another Face to 6 to the Dumps.  Next Dump was Last Dollar.  Long and in even better shape.  The little runs up top like Pump House, Summit and Dipsy Face were all also skiing real nice.  I don't think I skied anything I didn't like today.  Tomorrow I also have about 3 hours to ski before work and I"m hoping it's another good day like today.  On an interesting note, I read an article in the newspaper today that was stating Vail and Summit County areas like Breckenridge are kind of hurting in the snow department.  The article stated that only about 50% of the available terrain was open.  I just wanted to let you know that we don't have that problem over here.  Most of the terrain is open here and the stuff that isn't doesn't ski real well even when we have piles of snow.  You can see from my photos that we don't have a snow problem here.  I would also venture to bet that we have more available expert terrain open in the state than anywhere else.  If you take into account the Highlands' Bowl, Steeplechase, Oly and Aspen Mountain steeps, you won't be able to go anywhere for better skiing.  I'll wager a four pack of Guinness that I'm right.  And with that, I"m out.

Back of Bell 1.5 in the trees

More Face of Bell skiing down to Chair 6 in the background

December 28th

I took this standing in Zaug Dump looking back at Face of Bell

Another cold and sunny day on the last Sunday of 2009.  Aspen Mountain is in great shape and the skiing couldn't be better right now. We even have some snow on the way for this week so hopefully we'll have some powder days in our future.  Today was a great day for exploring so I headed to the nooks and crannies of the mountain and found some terrific skiing. I missed the opening of the Dumps earlier this week but it didn't matter as several of the runs still had some powder that needed my attention.  I ogled the runs from the gondola on the way up this morning trying to figure out which to hit first.  I skied the Face of Bell down to Chair 3 and up to Ruthies.  Once up there I took International to Upper Short Snort to Zaug.  This being one of the shortest Dumps, I thought I would get this under my belt to see how the snow is.  The entrance was 'interesting' as there are several mine dump entrances that are only half covered with snow just waiting for some unsuspecting skier to come by and fall in.  Once by, the gut of the run was nice and soft with some firm underneath.  It was so good that I took the gondola back up and did another. This time it was Last Dollar, the longest dump.  Surprisingly the legs held up the entire way down and just as in Zaug, nice soft snow and not that hollow.  And finally, I did Percy's just to get in another one.  In the 'also skied' column and worth mentioning here were Ridge of Bell, Slalom Hill, FIS down the gully, Pump House and my nemesis, Summit off of Buckhorn.  A solid two hours of skiing today and I wish I had more time but parenthood called.  Tomorrow is my last day to ski for 2009 and I have no idea where I'm going yet.  Check back later this week to see where I went and how much new snow we got. 

Standing at the top of Last Dollar with Shoulder of Bell in the background

Upper Short Snort off of International

December 27th

You can never go wrong with lunch at Cloud 9 at Highlands.  Check out the Maroon Bells and Pyramid Peak in the background.

How in the world has a