As predicted, Monday was frozen solid.  Though the temp. in the parking lot was 39 degrees at 8:00 AM., there was no hint of softening on the hill.  The National Academy is here through Thursday so plan on getting in line a little early if you want to catch first boat.  They all went out to Mineral Basin first off so the Tram was not busy after the first wave.  The heat has affected all elevations and exposures so you will want to take that into consideration for the morning session.  I detected slight softening beginning at 11:00 AM on the front side, so there is a significant lag in the skiability.  The Cat crew has been cut back , so the grooming is not as extensive as before, though the main sections are being addressed and continue to be good, though firm, even during the morning noisy part.  The Forklift chair, again, offered a perfect venue to wait out the crunch.  Tomorrow will be a repeat of today, so no hurry if you want to arrive for the softening.   The canyon was also under a watch today, after Noon, due to warming and slide danger, bear that in mind as you plan.  I had to leave early to take care of my critters and I could not get caught by a closure.  See you early tomorrow !!!

Sunday is the beginning of the high pressure bubble, which is moving into the area for the next while.  I dressed for” how I wanted it to be” and was handed an ice cream headache for my assumption as the morning was rather brisk.  I took a run out in Mineral Basin, looking for the early softening, but was greeted by rather crusty conditions, which were quite a while from softening.  The Peruvian side was a touch more edgeable, but the lowest sections were BULLET PROOF.  I made a bee line for the comfort of the FORKLIFT CHAIR, which can always be counted on for goodness.  It seems that many others had the same idea and we all had a great time conversing and waiting for softening to occur.  By 11:00 AM the sections began to get softer making for very carvable lines.  The crud sections were going to require more heating to become negotiable.  The high north sections still had vestiges of cold snow , but the bumps were rising so care was required.  Full on sun is the rule today so the morning will revisit a similar scenario.  Let the hill soften and take your time as the spring cycle is here in earnest.  A bit of information you should be aware of:   the Gad Zoom chair will be closed for the season, beginning tomorrow, and the lower half of Big Emma will be closed due to work being done in preparation for the summer season.  You will have to exit Big Emma via the Bass highway to get back to the Tram.  Wilbre chair will still be open however, but , no doubt, there will not be shuttle service out of Gad valley, so don’t get stuck down there; it’s a long walk back to the center.  OK,  that’s about all for now, see you tomorrow.  I still have some time left before… well let’s not think about that shall we!!

Spring time has been held at bay for an incredible length of time, but there is no stopping the the inevitable march of time.  This week promises to give us a serious dose of high intensity sun, so we can look forward to a nice corn cycle, which can be another kind of perfect.   The morning sessions are most likely to be crusty and firm until softening occurs, but I like the quiet attendance and ground pounding speed.  Snowbird offers so many faces that softening events can be chased around the hill for hours as the sun takes effect.  Mineral, obviously, sees the first direct shot of warming so that is my favorite choice on such days.  I think the Peruvian side is still going to sport soft snow on the groomers down to 9000′ , but care will be needed for the lower aspects.  The forecast warmth will, perhaps, accelerate the softening on the Western exposures, so just keep an eye on the options and maybe do a recon run… somebody has to… and report!  We always appreciate a good tip… all for one!   It looked like, from the trailer, that the visibility was touchy during the AM. , but I feel certain that tomorrow will be stellar.  See you on first bucket!!!

Friday was my first day back after my trip to the brief encounter with the dark side, and glad I was to be back.  The Tram traffic was light, crowded only by the members of the Academy and National Ski Patrol, all who are here for sessions this week.  Walk of trams were the rule all morning, so no worries  The overcast and stout wind made the peak interesting and the high North aspects were picking up some transported snow helping to soften the existing crud.  The surface of the snow was covered with a reddish dust, which had blown in from the South as the storm moved through.  It gave the surface a kind of strange dullness in the variable light.  I opted for the groomers, which were soft and carvable, but jumped off into the crud just to check it out.  Though it was workable , it had been brought up to short choppy bumps which my knees did not agree with, so I made a hasty retreat back to the smooth and rippable parkways.  The visibility remained problematic , but got better toward the bottom and against the trees.  The Gad 2 area opened, but without the lift access so a long traverse was required.  The temps. were quite cold all morning and began warming up as Noon approached.  The lower mountain started to clump up as 1:000PM arrived leaving the groomers a tad lumpy, so I gave my knees a break and called it good to go.  Tomorrow should see improving and warming weather, so I anticipate great skiing.  Be aware of the groups on the hill and give them a wide margin as they are doing evaluations and there is no need to interfere with that process.  Go for first boat and get the most out of the morning!!!

I was not present at Thursdays festivities due to off world obligations,  but I have been advised, by highly placed sources, that the conditions were, again, note worthy.  The canyon opened at 8:00AM and the faithful were in full attendance.  Sunny skies gave way to overcast and then light snow later in the day.  Baldy, Mineral Basin , and Little Cloud opened with a full storm’s worth of product for those who attended.  The Tram line was full on until the other areas became available and the Tram was eased up considerably.  The snow quality was excellent and very skiable as the temps. remained rather cold.  I will be there tomorrow , so a more detailed overview will be forth coming.  I hope that those of you who did attend had a great time. No time to hang them up yet!!!

The rain pounded all night on the roof of the communications trailer, again, keeping me awake.  This was gonna be big, I thought, and I was right.  The faithful converged on the hill after holding off for x-many days and made up for lost time.  Yesterday’s high density product created the perfect foundation for today’s snow, which was deep and perfectly blastable.  There was at least knee deep shots wall to wall as each area opened in due course.  The bump features, having been flattened in the past days, left the big shots shredable and so those that could did.  I rode a Peruvian chair, due to a packed Tram line, and watched as the full court press was in full effect.  Cliff launching and hard driving was the game plan where ever I looked.  Quite a sight. The morning session skied much like a mid December storm, but with out the cold.  The relative warmth, however, began to set the product up toward noon, when the dreaded ratchet chop came up on the lower mountain.  The sun tried to poke out but was quickly obscured by continued snow, which intensified as the afternoon progressed.   The storm should continue to pile up the goods for tomorrow, so another epic morning is in store.  For myself, the long arm of the dark side has required my presence off planet for tomorrow so I will not be able to partake, but know that I will be keeping watch via the Hyper Space viewer;  I know you all will make me proud.  I must walk through the Star Gate now!! IBBY!!!

The weather Tuesday moved in much earlier than predicted. The rain resounded off the roof of the Air Stream off and on all night.  The precipitation, during the drive up the canyon, was rain and continued to be rain as I kept an eye on the temperature.  Finally , just before entry one, the rain turned to snow and that was a good sign.  Only 20 hearty members of the congregation were on hand for first Tram and fortunate they were to be greeted by boot top depth though marginal visibility.  The density increased as one moved down the hill, becoming a bit challenging in the last 500′.  After 3 runs the lower part of the hill had light drizzle falling which really set up the new snow to a gluey type consistency, however, by 11:00AM the temps dropped and the snow continued to fall once again.  This is just the first wave of the set and there are peaks lined up to the horizon so don’t get caught inside for this one.  This is just the first coat of cushion upon which the , increasingly light snow, will pile up to cover the crunch underneath, so this is an essential component in the product structure.  My , tip of the hat, to those who were able to stay and do the trowel work, but my knees could not take the wrenching.  Be sure to check the canyon status in the AM .  Winter is still trying to stick around and we can only oblige by helping it along.  Till tomorrow ; shaka!!

No problems this Monday morning as only a handful of folks made first Tram.  Anticipating this eventuality, I opened the hanger doors and rolled out the UFO’s.  Previously stationed at AREA 51, they made a rare appearance today and I got a chance to take them through their paces with blistering effects.  The Peruvian groomers were hydro velvet smooth down to the last 700′ of vertical so I took a low altitude pass for final approach and landed successfully.  There was no stopping me after that, until the requisite breakfast stop, when I parked them due to too much ground traffic.  The Mineral Basin was graced with some big scale groomers which were ” down hill” good to go.  Very light traffic and nothing but blue sky.  The high North aspects still had the cold winter softness going , so there was plenty of  challenging variety for every one.  I think we will get one more day of good snow on those exposures before the next instalment, which is slated for the middle of the week, brings us more tantalizing freshness.  The frozen aspects began breaking at 12:00 noon and became sumptuous butter by 2:00 PM.  The Gad side had been bullet proof until then, so it would be wise to avoid that side in the AM until softening occurs.  Mineral will be a good option as well as the groomers on Peruvian.  I feel certain that early traffic will, again, be light so if you like it hard and fast the morning session is for you.  There may be some overcast moving in so lighting may be an issue, so bear that in mind.  Keep your eyes open for those UFO’s as you never know when or where they will appear.  Well, there is an incoming message from the BIG GIANT HEAD so I better take my tin foil hat off now!!  From the award winning communications Air Stream; END TRANSMISSION

A beautiful Sunday morning greeted the very few faithful who were on time for today’s festivities.  The 7” of frozen rain drops felt as smooth as silk, I would go so far as to say that the snow was STUDIO!!! Turning was like frosting a cake with a paper knife.  It felt like floating on a cloud with no bottom to be felt.  The sparse attendance enabled those few to run rampant over untracked shots with unmitigated audacity.  Run after run of untracked goodness was  totally danceable with absolutely no pressure; what a treat.  The sun was shining on the high North section, so the visibility was pristine, but the clouds held fast to the Western side preserving the quality from the radiant heating for most of the morning.  The visibility was interesting at times on the Gad side and Mineral Basin as well, however, the buoyant quality of the sugar made each turn feel effortless.  A few spots were a tad thinner and bouncy on the West faces, which required turn strategy as you charged your way down the hill.  The attendance picked up after 10:00AM and the clouds moved off giving the faithful full visibility on all fronts.  Lots of wide opened shots remained untrammeled well after 11:30AM, so the late comers were not totally denied for their dalliance.  Earlier in the season this would not have been possible as it all goes so fast in this environment.  The bump factor has really been mitigated with the low traffic and winds smoothing out the big shots, giving the hill back it’s back country feel.  The sun really kicked in after 12:00 Noon, so the snow set up rapidly and I bailed to get the Holiday meal in the oven.  It is smelling really good as I write this.  Tomorrow will present some crusty issues on the sunny exposures, so plan accordingly.   I hope you all have a great Holiday and had a fantastic day of skiing.  See you tomorrow!!

Saturday morning looked promising to start as I went out for the paper, but quickly, out of the South, the dark clouds rolled in and dropped down so that it became apparent that  visibility was going to be an issue.  I made a couple of calls to strategically place sources  who told me that traffic was light with light snow falling.  You had to know that the groomers were going to be the best call.   For me this was a good day to take a break.  The forecast is for continued unsettled weather and we can only hope that it brings some fresh product to the party.  Tomorrow could be interesting , though I think we are still in for some treats in the week to come so keep your enthusiasm  high cuz we are way above normal now so anything can happen… and probably will.  CIAO!