Aspen, CO — Highlands Bowl 1.19.19. Photo: snowbrains

With steady snowfall totaling 24” over the past four days, conditions at Aspen Highlands had been improving and then some.

Saturday morning started out bluebird. Forecasts seemed to agree that skies would remain clear through the morning. However upon reaching the top of Loge, a wide band of clouds began tearing across the horizon, resembling the rippled water surface in a strong rip tide. It was beautiful, but we knew it meant our bluebird day was about to end just as quickly as it began.

The bowl was on hold as blasting was underway all morning. At the top off our third lap we stopped for a second to finish sending an email. In that 30 seconds, Patrol started walking toward the rope… Bingo!

The Aspen crowd means business when it comes to hiking. And that bowl yields serious return. The culture of that business though is what’s unique and the vibes were going off. Encouragement and thanks on the hike and abundant hoots in the bowl!

White Kitchen — Highlands Bowl views. Photo: snowbrains

+12,000’ high, +1,000’ decent, near 45 degrees, well over a foot deep, blower on top of hero, sun out. Yes, it checked every box.

Powder — Bonus stash with a little help from our friends. Photo: snowbrains

Stopped for a quick breather above the apron and got a nice “follow me” from a friendly stranger. Skiing has the ability to pull people’s best qualities out while pushing them together. We love moments like these!

Another hike led to more soft turns off Grahamster’s, however slightly trickier conditions required quick adjusting. E through NNE aspects were loaded while E through SE were semi-baked.

The top two thirds skied very well. Soft groomers, soft moguls, plenty of stashes.

Temperatures are expected to spike Sunday before the next wave moving through the state Monday afternoon through Tuesday.