Discussion: Firm surface

I like the idea of many fewer skiers beating up the snow. May escape the drifts of sugar snow on the climbs. Will it likely be better on day 1 or day 5?

Depends completely on the temperature and snow type. Pray for cold, because all the skier traffic and repeated grooming will firm things up then. Whatever day you choose, start early in the day if you can...

As long as it's below freezing at night, moisture is probably the biggest key. With enough moisture, it will freeze up overnight enough to provide a decent surface for the next day. By wave 5 it might be a mess, but with 1/3 as many skiers on most of the course, the first few waves will be pretty solid.