The word from Aspen is that all of the X-Gamers have departed and things are getting back to normal.  That means that the full Owl Creek course has been groomed and it looks good so far.  Temps have been high, but the snow has been staying relatively cold and dry, so it is still fairly fresh.  The weather outlook as of Tuesday evening is for warm Wednesday and then cooling and becoming unsettled Thursday.  Thursday-Sunday currently show 20-30% chances for snow with temperatures on race day of 18-39F (-8 to 4C) in Aspen.

The race organizers will groom Friday afternoon to let the course set up.  If it snows overnight, they will most likely use snowmobiles to pack down the trail.  The majority of the race course generally stays a bit colder than Aspen, so expect harder waxes to work well with high-fluoros coming into play to handle moisture and dirt.

At this point, we are guessing Swix Moly, then LF6, then FC1, but HFBD6 could also be excellent.  Toko LF Moly, then HF Blue covered with JetStream Moly or Helx Cold seem likely.  Start HF Green would also will be in our test lineup as it performs well this time of year when we get this weird Colorado snow that is sort of transformed, greasy and glazed by the sun, yet sort of fresh and powdery at the same time.

The field for this year's Owl should include a strong contingent of Supertour skiers seeking points and cash.