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.


WINDY SLEEPER

3-28-24

It was a windy sleeper today with very light traffic, high wind, and smooth surfaces as the pack got smoothed out. It was a free refills kind of day and those who showed up for the festivities were rewarded with excellent quality, however the visibility was marginal. With good internal mapping, that was not too much of an issue for the intrepid who got the goods and made the day all come together. I am having issues uploading photos to the site as I am still having glitches. I will post these shots when I get it straightened out. Tomorrow, look for overnight accumulation, a very stormy day with variable visibility, and increased pressure for the goods. Dress for storm sliding and use caution. The forecast is for unsettled for the next few days, so get ready for fun. Thanks Mikey M for sending the great shots of today’s festivities, I will get them up ASAP. IBBY!!

SWEET SOFTNESS

3-27-24

This morning was quite cold on the peak, keeping the fresh snow soft and sweet while The Faithful went full on for the goods in Mineral Basin. All of the Bookends and Sunday Cliff were wide open and perfect. Other amazing lines had been prepared which really were special with just a light dusting to top them off.

Mikey M threading the gap on Baldy Shoulder.
Jaden Shand coming out of Hanging bowl
Mike McCarthy sent this wind wave pealing and looking meaty.

With the cold temps, the quality remained quite good and stayed consistent and fast. The hill is still in fairly smooth condition as we move into another active weather period beginning tomorrow. Tomorrow, look for approaching storm conditions, with some wind, and some overcast. The prepared lines will be offering amazing quality and will let you dial in your inner Ligety. I had some site maintenance happening the past couple of days, so I could not post yesterday. Thanks to all at MYSTIC MEDIA for all the support of the site and hosting domain. I am woefully lost in the computer world and I so appreciate all they do to keep me getting the posts out to the world. See the line, BE the line!!!

SUNNY MORNING

3-25-24

The day began with a sunny skies, deep fresh Essence wall to wall, and moderate temps that kept the snow from baking the new product. I dropped into Mineral Basin to start things out, which was offering the full array of aspects that felt luxurious and knee deep delightful. What shot to choose was the only issue as they all were offering great quality.

The Sunday Cliffs looking perfect and featuring a nice line down the middle.
Jake sent this great shot of the Sunday Cliff’s line. Nice line and delightful quality.
Jaden Shand exiting a full immersion experience in the Tower 3 Chute

Clouds and flurries moved in later in the morning, making the visibility and issue for the remainder of the day, with some very heavy impulses dropping accumulating goodness by the minute. The new installment was medium density though soft and buoyant, but began to develop the harbor chop texture that demanded a lot more torque to negotiate. Roundness is key. Tomorrow, look for a little more accumulation, machine worked lines on all sides of the hill offering stellar carving surfaces, and continued unsettled impulses moving through. There are still lots of soft lines and treasures to find, so keep your eyes open for possibilities. Looking at an unsettled week, so more goodness in on tap. Dial it up, Dial it in!!

FRESH SUPPLY

3-24-24

This storm moved in with a lot of juice and dumped a fresh supply of Essence over night. More than a foot of freshness covered the dance floor and The Faithful mounted a full court press for the goods. The old layer was still an echo under the new installment and seemed to be a tad deeper in the Peruvian Gulch, which was feeling soft, smooth and dialable. Visibility was marginal as flurries were still moving through all day.

Smooth turning and soft pile made the day one to remember.

The Canyon was closed at 1:30 PM for Mitigation efforts, so you got to know it a was full on storm sliding day. Tomorrow, look for more accumulation overnight, a slow start to the day and some wonderful snow to play in when you get there. I’ll be checking the road access in the AM to determine my ascent plans. More snow is on tap for the week, so get ready for more soft snow and great turning. See you in the AM. Straight Ahead!!!

STORM SIGNALS

3-23-24

Overcast skies, stout winds, and visibility issues sent some storm signals out ahead of the front that is moving through right now. This will be a long run of unsettled weather for the next few days. The wind got wild today, with wet snow falling, and plenty of wide open lines to work. It was important this past week to get a good look at the pack, looking for static, rumble and the interference patterns that have been building up, but also have been mitigated by some of the wind work in the past days.

John, AKA Leopard Man watches over the hill and the festivities daily. We miss him dearly. His wild and gentle spirit lives on.

Tomorrow, look for some fresh Essence delivered overnight as the meat of the storm is moving through. Stay with the smooth lines that have been prepared, and the wind worked lines that have developed recently as well. The old layer will still be in play, so expect variations and inconsistencies from turn to turn. Visibility will be a concern, so stay close to the trees for best contrast and reference points. Dress for storm riding and prepare for wind as well. IBBY!!!

WARM MORNING

3-22-24

It was a warm morning with bright Sun, many great prepared lines on all sides of the hill and fairly light traffic. Silver Dipper and Lower Lonestar were given the industrial smoothing efforts in Mineral Basin that were spectacular and just getting the break from the early morning rays. It was great to get a look at the entire hill with high resolution to get a handle on all the smooth wind worked lines that will come into play when we get fresh Essence in the next few days. The front of the hill was a bit firm to start, but as the day warmed up, the prepared lines became soft and dialable top to bottom. Got to love that.

Timp looking large and in charge to the South in the morning Sun shine.

Tomorrow, look for clouds, developing weather as the next low pressure works it’s way into the Front for the next couple of days, which will deliver over a foot of fresh Essence and more upstream next week. Winter is not over yet by any stretch. The hill is in great shape top to bottom and it is great to have all the entrances and traverses with plenty of cover, but there are small sections that need to be given care while treading the fringes. Remain Standing!!!

FLASH FRONT

3-21-24

Sunny skies were on tap as I parked the car in the lot this AM. and I prepped for another day of driving with top down. When I got to the Tram deck snow had begun falling, and by the time we all got to the peak it was snowing like crazy. There was an inch of fresh that had fallen in minutes and I was caught flat footed with no hat and sun glasses. That flash front delivered and canceled the visibility I had hoped for. DOH!!!! That front was looming in the Valley, but I thought I’d get at least a lap in Mineral Before the hammer came down. The pack was really firm and quite crispy, so staying with the known smooth lines was the call and slow and steady kept you standing upright. What a wild couple of opening Trams. Visibility improved with time but was in and out.

The Jazz Man as returned to his East Coast home, but his wisdom is still revered with his quote noted by the Gad 2 Crew.

Tomorrow, look for better visibility as partly cloudy skies are predicted. Look for the prepared sections to be offering the best feel, though the inherent firmness is still in play. I’ll be looking toward Mineral Basin if visibility is good, and I expect some smooth prepared lines to be on tap and ready for fun. There is big weather in the forecast coming this weekend, so prepare by checking out the pack and aspects for beta for the coming precipitation. The hill is in great shape, and Winter is not over yet. Keep it tight!!!

TOP DOWN

3-20-24

I was driving with the top down right from the first Tram and there was no turin’ back all day. White Diamonds was given the fresh till for the opening bell, offering untracked corduroy on the right side which made dealing with the morning crunch a bit easier and the smooth was consistent and breaking slowly. On the front of the hill, that Anderson’s Hill – Lower Primrose Path combination was stellar and totally uncrowded as everyone was in the back bowl. Regulator was not going to budge till 2:30 PM, so I stayed clear of that pitch. Pipeline was open again today and was getting a lot of attention.

There was a full court press for the goods up on the West Twin today with a lot of folks lined up for their turn.

There are still a lot of dry chalky lines with low amplitude rumble still available if you look on those North aspects, but the aspects that see the Sun first thing are the go to lines to start out the day. The prepared lines in Peruvian Gulch were still quite carvey, but you wanted to have it dialed back when you hit the transitions.

The Bookend Chutes looking smooth and tempting in the morning Sun.

Tomorrow, look for some cloud cover to have moved in, with some snow showers later in the day. I am hoping for a glimmer of Sun for the opening bell to get a look at the pack. Go for the prepared lines and give those direct aspects a wide berth as they will be quite crispy in the AM and will not soften if the Sun does not shine. Coverage is excellent top to bottom, and I expect light traffic. Stay Frosty!!

SPRING JAMMIN’

3-19-24

I was driving with the top down from the first tram, while celebrating a day of Spring jammin’ top to bottom on all sides of the hill. Silver Dipper was given a fresh till right from the top, which was just amazing, with plenty of room to move, beautiful corduroy to feel underfoot, and a top to bottom challenge to keep the intensity up right to the bottom. Quite a work out. On the front of the hill, Anderson’s Hill and Lower Primrose Path was offering more top to bottom fun, with dry chalky corduroy even though it got soft yesterday.

Jake sent this great shot of the corduroy carpet of AHHHHHH at the top of a Lewis and Clark extravaganza!!
A nice morning view of the upper Peruvian Gulch with the sweet buffed lines on Lower Chips front and center.

The pack is very firm and has been taking a lot of time to begin to break, so don’t think you can rush it as the core temps are still cold in the pack and is keeping the ride pretty crisp in places. Still, there are plenty of lines that still have the dry chalk. Tomorrow, look for another great day of Spring Sun and fun top to bottom, with high resolution visibility, delightful top to bottom machine worked lines on all sides of the hill and still light traffic. It was walk on Trams all day today. Nice touch.

The daily recon meeting after a rousing morning of aspect testing. We all go different lines and report back.

The pack is holding up nicely despite the warm temps, and having the hill less crowded is a real plus. Syrup Won’t Stop ‘EM!!!

SPRING BREAKING

3-18-24

It was cool this morning, with a light wind, bright Sun, and lots of amazing prepared machine worked lines that were steep, long, and velvety for the morning session. Lone Star and Silver Dipper had been tilled from the top of each, which made them the go to lines that let you feel each turn’s sweetness. On the front of the hill, Anderson’s Hill and Lower Primrose Path were offering real dry chalky textures with no one around. Walk on Trams were on tap to let you do hot laps and get as much vert as possible. Pipeline opened today and there were a few takers, who were able to find some of the best quality I have every seen to work the descent.

Mark Herath working each step up the spine to the East Twin
Mark Herath making his first turns in Pipeline and finding perfect dry chalky quality top to bottom.

The day warmed up as the Sun rose up in the sky and revealed a blue bird day with total resolution.

A long shot of Pipeline looking fat and challenging.

Tomorrow, look for more great industrial smoothing to be on tap on all sides of the hill. I expect some real crispiness on those direct facing lines, so follow the Sun for best results. The Front side of the hill will be offering the top to bottom lines that will test your stamina in a non stop effort. I expect continued light traffic and good skiing. I skied with the top down today and was very comfortable and I was loving that Spring feel. Stay Frosty!!!