Snowbird Secrets Available at Amazon Today

6-26-13

Snowbird Secrets: A Guide to Big Mountain Skiing by Jackson Hogen and Guru Dave Powers
A Guide to Big Mountain Skiing by Jackson
Hogen and Guru Dave Powers


Snowbird Secrets: A Guide to Big Mountain Skiing is available for you to enjoy right now.


Get it at Amazon today.


SIMPLY SIZZLING

8-03-24

It has be simply sizzling here in the High Desert as I continue my cosmic adventures in the Beyondo. I have been dreaming of the cold Essence blowing over my head as I ply the steeps of The Bird to keep me chilled and stoked. I never try to hurry the NOW as it all flies by so fast, grabbing hold of each moment is key. My friend Andrew sent me a package of shots of the huge dump that was received at his home, Mt Hutt in New Zealand. They had had some marginal base for the start but got a solid 4′ of goodness to launch them into full on all Powder access. What a thrill to share the stoke, so I thought I’d pass it on so you too can share the images of deep times in the Southern Hemisphere.

Great visas of the Southern Alps in New Zealand stretching forever in the distance taken from the Summit of Mt. Hutt.
Fresh tracks in the new Essence off the peak.
Getting to the top of the lift and scoping the steep goods and possibilities.
Andrew, heading out on the first traverse of the season with nothing but AHHHHH ahead.

Thank you Andrew for sharing your great shots of Mt Hutt and I know you have a great season ahead. I’ll be making a quick return to The Wasatch soon to connect with the hill and see the wild flowers on the hill and soak up the Telluric Energy that blasts from the peak. Stay Frosty, Straight Ahead!!!

SUMMER HEAT

7-18-24

It is seriously hot here in the High Desert and my time has been spacious in these wilds. I came back to town to go up the the hill and enjoy the vibrations. The hills are super green, lush and vibrant against the blue sky. There was a great meeting with the Morning Crew at The Forklift with perfect temps, fun stories of Summer fun, and were joined by Junior Bounous. It was a great honor for us to have him join us to celebrate the great times we have shared for so many years.

It’s like we never left. Great times Bird side!!

I’ll be heading back out and up to the high desert to resume my explorations. The Bird is going all out to get the new projects done for next season. I was checking out the new chair alignment for Wilbre. It will be a great update. Oktoberfest is coming up soon, and in the mean time, the activities and the beautiful setting is well worth the time to get up there and soak up the Mountain Vibrations.

The crux of the biscuit is that, it is all happening NOW!!

Stay cool and stay frosty as we move ahead through the Summer activities. Syrup Won’t Stop ‘EM!!

LAST DAY

5-27-24

The last day of the season was full of stoke, fun, and sunny skies, with plenty of cover to let everyone get the most out of the day. The pond skimming was on tap at the bottom of Anderson’s Hill, which was surprisingly large having only been exposed just the other day. There was some very nice dry deep corn where tenderizing efforts had been performed, though those deep sections had a tendency to grab your ski.

A shot of the West Twin showing the huge amount of base still on the hill. With these cold nights, the pack up high has been slow to melt.

There was a lot of traffic and the narrow access lines were active with lots of folks getting the last of the rippin’ lines down the hill. Excellent music was happening on the Plaza Deck, with a band that had a great brass section. Nice touch. The Sun was warm and the Plaza scene was fun and festive.

The Powder Mafia was, once again, celebrating the end of another great year. This crew has a real blast with so much stoke it is inspiring. “Thank you very much!!!”

It is time to start gearing up for my journey to the High Desert for my time with the Universe. Lots to encounter and ponder in the coming months. Syrup Won’t Stop ‘EM!!!!

WINTER FEEL

5-26-24

After yesterday’s rain, snow, rain storm, the hill was covered with an extra dusting of cold dry fluff that gave the pack a real Winter feel. There was plenty of traction on the just firm surfaces and the off trail was offering some soft lines, though the static was interesting. I was sticking with the prepared lines on the front side of the hill.

Mikey M forwarded this shot of Professor Tom getting fresh lines on Baldy this morning

Visibility was excellent with the Sun coming out full force around Noon. As the Sun popped out, the dry snow began to get intermittently sticky. A great band was playing on the deck for the apres festivities and the Sun was warm and luxurious. Tomorrow, look for more good, last of the season turns, with plenty of up hill capacity to get you your fill going into the long hot Summer

Check out these boards fitted out with Pow Lights. They were glowing like a beacon!! Coming to skis as well.

See you there early for the best corduroy lines of the day. I expect some overnight chill, so it might be a tad crispy in the AM. Straight Ahead!!!

SWEET SORBET

5-19-24

The warm overnight temps left the pack primed and ready with sweet sorbet on all sides of the hill right out of the Chute. There was a high cloud deck that filtered the first sunshine, but cleared off rapidly. Mineral Basin offered untracked corduroy that delivered full platform engagement with every turn. I was pretending that it was a back country experience and dialed in as deep a turn as I could using the total positive traction that that sorbet provided. The front of the hill was soft and delightful as well and those early untracked lines were just insane and kept me doing back to back laps to get as much as I could.

Still plenty of snow on the ground, however, the pack at the lower levels in the Canyon are melting off quickly.
Coalpit and the Hyperdermic are still fully fat. Oh Baby!!!

Great tunes were on tap for the apres festivities. The temps were warm and the stoke was high. Such a great day and there is plenty of snow to get the hill to next weekend with great cover. Have a great week. Dial it up, Dial it in!!!

SLIDING RETURN

5-18-24

The sliding returns with this weekend turning of the lifts at The Bird. The Sun was out and shining early, warming the pack and priming Mineral Basin for an early break. The front of the hill was still quite frozen and the pulse of attention was placed on the back side. The pack got quite soft early back there and that was just the time the front side began to break.

Taking some quiet time to enjoy the Telluric Energy reverberating in this wonderful space
I have found there is a focus of Telluric frequencies under this middle ceiling fan which, according to my wacky observations is the PHI point in the room. Sit here and see what you think!!

Tomorrow, look for more great turning on the fat snow pack that is still on tap. Coverage is excellent and the Sun will be shining. Warm temps and great Spring conditions will be great to get you through the week of snow sport sliding withdrawls. The break should be very quick on the back side and the front quickly thereafter. There will be great music on the Plaza to party on after you get your fill. See you there. Syrup won’t stop ‘EM!!

LAST DAY

5-13-24

It was the last day of the full service daily season, with great visibility, nicely prepared lines, and great friends with which to share the stoke. With a light overnight freeze, the pack was just deluxe and hot laps were available on all sides of the hill. It was really nice to take the time to savor all the spots that we can carry through the Summer.

Kevin Canton sent this shot of perfect corn goodness out in the far reaches were few were called to be.

It was great to be out on the hill and connecting with friends who make the Bird experience what it is.

Wynonna and Reanna enjoying the sunshine and mountain air on the Lower Cirque.
The Gordons celebrating their anniversary where it all started long ago, but the hill, like the love they share, does not change.

Great tunes on the Plaza kept the party going after the snow had turned to slush.

So much fun being with friends and sharing the stoke of a great season.

Thanks to all the people who work so hard to make the Bird turn. It is always a marvel to me that despite all that transpires they make it happen on a daily basis. I look forward to these coming weekend visits to the high country coming up. See you next weekend, and I will be posting. Straight Ahead!!

GOOD TIMES

5-11-24

One more day of the season left, and today was a nice day to enjoy and absorb all the elements of the season as it comes to a close of full time operation. The prepared lines were offering the smooth dialable turns on all sides of the hill. I have been slowing way down and digging deep to extract as much of that mountain energy that will sustain me as I head to the High Desert in the not to far distant future. A cloud deck parked itself over the peaks, making for some flat light and there were some flurries passing through from time to time just to add a bit of texture to the experience.

Miami Mike sent this great shot from the Bird Feeder of a perfectly framed Tram ascent. A perfect place to take a moment to reflect on the season.
Kevin Canton sent this shot from his place at The Lodge with the Sun illuminating the West Twin.

Tomorrow, look for more Sun as the last of the storm energy moves off and the temps warm. I expect a slow break and I will be looking for the smooth again to work my extraction turns for more maximum Telluric Energy. I expect continued light traffic with walk on Trams and wide open lines on the hill. There will be music on the Plaza Deck and good vibes to share with fellow sliders. Take the time and the moments to interact with the hill in slow meaningful ways that you can bring up in your mind’s eye during the Summer transit. See you there early to get the most out of the day. Remain Standing!!!

LAST FRIDAY

5-10-24

It was a tad brisk this morning with little wind, pretty good visibility and some very nice smoothing efforts on the hill. There had been another light dusting overnight, which made the prepared lines and the off trail just a bit more luxurious. The Grooming Crew did a very nice job working the sections, leaving some great transitions which let you tie lines together seamlessly. With the cold temps, the break was going to take quite a while and the softening did not get fully in play till 1PM.

Jake went looking far afield and scored this sweet untracked line where the light dusting was perfect.
Neil sent this great shot of the entrance to Macaroni Chute which is fully filled and perfect. Oh Baby!!!
Steffi Eyerkaufer broke the 9,000,000 vertical foot mark for the season as well as racking up a seriously impressive attendance record. Strong work Steffi, Remain Standing!!

Tomorrow, look for more good conditions with Grooming efforts on all sides of the hill. The off trail will still be offering some soft feeling quality depending on aspect and time of day. That last cycle provided some very nice product that is offering some great feeling corduroy top to bottom. The very bottom of the hill may be extra crispy in the AM, but the higher elevations should still be offering good to go lines for the opening bell. Great cover top to bottom. Straight Ahead!!!

VARIABLE VIS

5-09-24

There was a light dusting on the dance floor this morning that really helped with the consistency as the variable visibility made it really hard to see detail on the upper half of the hill. Nice prepared lines were on tap and the off trail was offering smooth turning as well. There was access to the Baldy shoulder today, so there were places to find untracked even this many days after the storm let up.

Mikey M going far afield and finding untracked on Baldy Shoulder.
Doc floating on the smooth buoyant pack the wind work had left.
A break in the clouds let Steffi Eyerkaufer dial in a sweet explosive line on Alta’s vacant pitches.

There was medium traffic today and walk on Trams were happening, letting do back to back laps on the front side, with great prepared lines on Anderson’s Hill and Lower Primrose Path that had that sweet dusting keeping the line smooth and velvety. Tomorrow, look for more soft snow to be on tap, as the Sun was shrouded with only short windows of exposure on the pack. There should be more Winter feeling snow, so keep your eyes open for possibilities as the visibility gets a bit better. IBBY!!