The skies have been perfect for star gazing this week, as the nights have been crystal clear and dark. The waxing crescent moon sheds little light, as it moves to the next full moon on Feb. 12,and there has been a steady procession of planets as a super bright Venus rises in the west at dusk, followed by Saturn and her rings, and Jupiter glows low in the southern sky.
But for me, the real parade of lights is generated by the snowcats as they work their magic in a nightly display on Snowmass Mountain that I can see from my window. From my vantage point, they move as a highly choreographed collection of machinery, silent in the dark. When I go out to look at the stars in the sky, the array of lights on Snowmass literally looks like they are another constellation of bright stars -- although they move much faster than those in the heavens above.
It has been a difficult season for our four local ski mountains. Big storms at the end of November raised hopes that this would be a winter full of prodigious snowfall and powder days. Instead, we have had drips and drabs, with most of the few storms that have rolled through the state going either to the south or north.
This has presented unbelievable challenges for the drivers of the snowcats, who are expected to do more with less each and every evening. No one wants to see it snow more than the swing crew that starts their shift when the lifts close, and then drive deep into the night manicuring the slopes for our pleasure.
When I checked the grooming report for Snowmass this week, I saw a message on the front page that read, "Trails with manmade snow are groomed nightly. Grooming on all other trails is limited until we get more snow. Our operators are working hard to deliver a great product, but conditions are challenging during this dry spell. Think snow!!"
There was a 43-inch base, and I counted 31 trails that were checked as having been groomed the night before.
And yet, the mountain is skiing great, albeit a bit firm. Somehow, the snowcat drivers have managed to use the manmade snow to full advantage and keep the slopes in solid skiing shape with minimal help from Mother Nature. Yes, the most important component in keeping this year's season alive are the snowcats and the people who drive them The procession of Prinoths -- those sexy, Italian-made grooming machines that I watch each evening as they light up the night -- provide more than just a celestial image; they are the nuts and bolts that are saving skiing on Snowmass as we go into February.
Snowcats have a long history on Snowmass. Did you know that before there were ski lifts on Snowmass, there was snowcat-served skiing on the pristine and near-private slopes? In March 1963, nearly four years before the ski lifts would open on Snowmass on Dec. 17, 1967, the Aspen Skiing Corp. offered skiers the opportunity to ride snowcats up the mountain in a pair of 10-passenger Trackmaster Snowcats. They guaranteed skiers to make two runs minimum to the summit each day, and they skied untracked powder on good snow days.
"The service is available only to capable powder skiers. For them, it's a fabulous experience," the company wrote in a monthly newsletter, which introduced the service. There are photos in the Aspen Historical Society that show the Trackmaster Cats sitting atop Sam's Knob in 1965.
When you ski Snowmass this weekend, pray for snow, and thank your lucky stars for those who drive through the night: the snowcat drivers.