The Deal

One of my favorite things to do at Treble Cone is to explain to guests who are good skiers and who have arrived at our resort for the first time precisely what the deal is, why our mountain is so different. It's hard to articulate so often, simply and with enthusiasm, I merely give them directions to the Saddle Basin: get off at the top of the Six Pack chairlift in the Home Basin. take a right and follow Saddle Track back underneath the lift, across the top of Powder Bowl and all the way to the Saddle Basin. The ridge line that separates the Home Basin (which has extraordinary terrain and definitely can stand on its own) from the Saddle Basin is quite sharp, so as we ski along Saddle Track, the basin doesn't come into view until we're practically on top of it. Then we see the whole thing, the whole deal, arrayed before us. It's absolutely breathtaking, and that's before making a single turn in it.

This morning I was able to escape the world of the Snow School for a couple of early morning runs, just after Patrol had dropped the ropes which had closed the Saddle Basin for the evening and morning sweeps. The photographs here show most of the skiable terrain there, looking from left to right from the ridge line entrance. There are more great steeps in between where I was standing and where the ground disappears in front of me which cannot be seen in these photos. The pictures also don't do justice to the Motatapu Chutes and Hollywood Bowl, home of some truly awe inspiring steeps.

It's difficult to really capture the scale of the place and the quality of the ski terrain in a series of still photographs. My hope in posting these is to give you a small sense of it and, therefore, a small appreciation for why I enjoy skiing and working at Treble Cone so much. Click on the photos for a full-size version and please don't blame me if you get caught day-dreaming in your office while looking at the Saddle Basin.