Chair 1 mid-station, Mt. Baker, WA ? With 160?+ of snow capping the terra around Pan Dome, many resorts would call this a record January base. At Mt. Baker, they call it closing weekend.

As the sun shone through a clear sky, the early birds could be identified by their exterminator grins, having scored several inches of surprise pow from the cool night before. You?d think it was Aspen or Ketchum or something with the whole snow-at-night-clear-in-the-morn-program, but a quick drive through the Rainforest Riviera of Maple Falls and Glacier makes the differences clear.

As it was, the skiing was a perfect blend of hidden pow wiggles and soft, but not gloppy, spring snow. With both the pinky park and Chair 8 parks in full effect, a jib contest at the base, and a mechanical bull run by aggressive rednecks from Sumas, it was hard not to feel like the season was just getting going. Sigh. Visiting VIPs from Mervin Mfg?s Lib Tech NAS division included Steven Cobb, who was indicating the company?s new ?skate banana? designs may join the rocker vs. camber revolution in ski form next season.

With this much snow and this much stoke, Mt. Baker may want to consider a return to the Franz Gabl glory days of summer skiing, when visitors included Stein Eriksen and Tamara McKinney.

For the self-ascent and Hibachi crowd, however, this year?s season will be going well into July.