It's Spring Break in Telluride, and the warm weather has really softened up the snow these last few days. Most of the mountain is open and skiing great, and everyone seems to be out having a blast on the slopes. As conditions are changing year to year, I find that on some years certain runs tend to do better than others and it seems to be constantly changing. For instance, last year my favorite runs off Chair 14 were Andy's Gold and Gold Hill Chute 1. This year I've been spending much more time in Dynamo and Elektra. They stay cold enough and are on the right aspect so they've been staying in great condition despite all the sun. In the morning, the bumps have been soft still, a nice dry powder. As the day continues, they've stayed soft and dry as the lower half of the runs starts to get very soft and wet.
The soft, wet snow is great to ski in and very forgiving. If you're looking for more softer and warmer snow conditions like that, you can head down lower on the hill. Chair 9 and Chair 7 are great spring skiing lifts to access the best Black and Double Black runs. These areas have been skiing fantastic and are usually soft early on in the morning. Mammoth, North Chute, and West Drain have been some of my favorites this year. On Chair 12, Prospect Woods and the short hike to Bald Mountain have been very fun runs. The snow on Bald Mountain has been great, and it's one of the best intros to Hike-To terrain that there is.
Over on Chair 4, 5, and 6 Blue runs like See Forever and Look-out have been the best. Boomerang has also been a great one, and Henry's as well. See Forever and Boomerang are the best for softer, warmer snow while Look-out has really been good at staying cooler and dry. Of course, this time of year everyone loves Milk Run, the infamous ski race run down to town. It's steep and groomed, and facing in the ideal direction for afternoon sun, giving it the milky creamy texture to the snow that earned it it's name. Ski that run all the way down then down Telluride Trail back to town before hopping in the Gondola to head up and do it again. Lapping this run is a great way to really max out vertical. Green runs like Double Cabins and May Girl have been great. This time of year it's always fun to take Galloping Goose as well. That fun run slowly works its way through some of the nicer neighborhoods of Mountain Village as it takes the most scenic route down.
