Moss drops in just past the end of the Knife Ridge staircase…

Words and photos by Mike Thomas

Coming off the heels of a huge storm — even for Wolf Creek standards — that blasted the ski area and the pass with six feet of new snow, the mid-winter 100-plus-inch Wolf Creek base was upon us. With consistent big storms delivering all winter, Wolf Creek’s propensity to extract every possible drop out of most storms and consistent cold temperatures has made for soft snow even days after the storm blows out. Moss Halladay came down to visit and take advantage of our Southwestern good fortune and we headed over to the ski area to meet up with Josh Oxner and ride one of the cloudiest days of the year so far. But it’s amazing what three inches of new snow can do sometimes, especially if you mix in a little bit of wind. Even though Wolf Creek had failed to see any new snow in nearly a week, we found some deep spots, especially once we got to the sidecountry.

…and slashes the exit.

Josh playing around in Dog Chutes…

…and wheeling out.

Moss bursts through.

Blower stuff.