Those afternoon thunder bumpers yesterday dumped some rain on the snow and saturated it.  The early snow up high was crispy and needed a bit of time to thaw out.  The lower mountain had become sludge, so the dividing line was  the last 1000′.  Sunset gully was still the route to the bottom on the Peruvian side but the run out was very sketchy and little willow bungies were sticking out threatening to grab hold and knock you down.  Obviously by next week end the walk down will be manditory on both sides of the mountain if you opt to ski to the bottom.  The High elevations thawed rapidly and the groomers were nicely granular and smooth.  The off trail began to break by 10:00 AM and the traffic had made these areas much more negotiable.  Entrances have melted out  in most aspects so a down climb is required in the upper Cirque.  West facing is all but gone off the Cirque traverse so next week will be completely gone.  Good cover remains in the Little Cloud bowl area and Regulator is holding on , but the middle section is going away rapidly.  The Bass Highway has long sections of walking now and by next week you can count on it being totaly gone.  That is redundant I know but I reiterate for emphasis.  See you next week!!!   BACK TO THE HIGH DESERT!

Saturday morning was a touch crispy, though the heat was on as the sun is really high in the sky, which thawed out the chill in record time.  Regulator held off the longest and was very edge-able right from the word GO.  Off trail was holding off a touch as well ,but by 10:00AM upper Peruvian was getting there.  The lower mountain cable shot is still the only direct shot to the bottom and the Bass Highway gap is getting much longer by the hour.  Another section lower down will be gone by tomorrow, so expect a bit more ambling to get your skis back on.  The dirty snow on the cat tracks is sluggishly slow and requires pole pushing to keep things going and even the folks with wax were in on the fun.  The upper mountain is best for the best quality .  A Free Style Camp is set up on Hoopie’s Crotch so that area is cordoned off, however, a lane is accessible to the right hand side of the course.  Look for some of the more used sections of off trail for best sliding as these areas have had natural traffic grooming and the sun cup roughness is not as bad.  It seems as if the consistency was getting softer a tad earlier this morning so for best conditions plan on an early start or if you like the guish later will do.  Tomorrow should be about the same and the walks will be just that much longer .  The 20 minute Trams are still make-able but by seconds only, so no lolligaging or you will have a 20 minute wait.   See you on the early buckets!!!

Hi there! I am back for a short duration to take advantage of the last days of the season.  Friday was clear and cool with an 8:00AM first Tram.  The overnight temps. did not freeze up the snow pack, however, it was certainly supportable.  The off trail is super sun cupped making for some rough riding.  By 10:00AM the softness began and off trail became more manageable and invited a bit more adventurous lines.  Significant meltage has occurred over the past week leaving some shots, which had good entrances last week, unapproachable without down climbing .  Very minimal grooming has been done in the out of area sections and the routes to the bottom, and mandatory walking is required to traverse the ,now melted clean, sections of the cat tracks.  The Bass Highway is one such section so plan on a bit off a hoof, and care should be taken going into this area as the width of the remaining snow is skinny and will only accept cautious deceleration.  One of my good friends was brutally clocked last week end by an up hill skier jamming the section.  Unfortunately both were injured and took a ride through the rocks and stumps.  Be aware!!  !The dirty snow is very slow and the whiter snow is a bit faster, but do not let that lull you into a false sense of wild abandon, as a nasty double eject could have your name on it.  The dwindling terrain and congested skiable terrain presents hazards so I am only mentioning this as I want every one to go into the FUN summer season injury free.  The Peruvian side is doable and there is one solid way down the cable lines on the lower mountain , however, the lowest run out section is undermined by rivulets and you can break through at any time.  Again, care should be taken.  Walking is mandatory coming out of the Chips section as well as Who Done It.  Twenty minute trams are a bear to make with the walking and the variations, so the most quality will be found up high.  Mineral Basin is closed for the season.   Go early and get the best of it because it goes fast.  See you tomorrow!!

Well I went and got my Pick up Truck for the summer festivities, I was free to get up early Friday morning for the morning corn.  Very warm overnight temps. had Regulator going off from the get go, so dalliance will be problematic.  The glue effect began coming  on at 10:00 AM, to give you an idea of the timing.  Very minimal cat work in the out of bounds areas limits the best conditions.  The off trail snow is heavily sun cupped and was very punchable, sending me back to the groomed section to take advantage of some semblance of solidity.  The catted area was only one pass wide, so the emphasis is on the upper mountain, which was very nice and Regulator was wonderful.  Again, it reminds me of Red Baldy when it is like that.  Mineral Basin was good, but getting soft even earlier, with grabbiness on the flat areas.  One could seriously double eject if one were not careful.   By 11:00 Am the lower mountain was really sloggy and I had to bail.  It is possible to get to the bottom on both sides of the mountain. The lower return out of Peruvian gulch has melted out ,so it is wise to use the lowest road which comes out of Who Done It.  Who Done It tis still covered, but is going fast.   Be sure to do a bit of scoping on the Tram ride up to get a handle on coverage.  The Bass Highway is still covered and full, but gets Goopy and very slow.  Big Emma is still covered, and it too is going fast,  so be aware.  The weather is moving up from the South, so the forecast is not promising.   I will make it up again tomorrow and will post the latest , however I will not be there Sunday or Monday , so you will have to make the turns for me .  Ciao!!

I checked the Snowbird site before leaving the trailer and the peak was reporting 44 degrees. Any thoughts of a tour were quickly dispensed with.  I hit the Forklift chair first thing ,so that I would not miss the window, short though it was.  Again, minimal grooming in the back country areas left little to work with, but it certainly was enough.  The lions share of folks took advantage of Mineral Basin and left the front side to the top to bottom crew.   20 minute Trams gave way to a casual back to back program making the laps much easier to negotiate.  The off trail was still pretty rough and took slow careful turns to get through it.  The Baldy access was open and lots of takers were going for the Baldy chutes.  The temps. were warm and getting warmer, and I had to bail at 12:30 PM when the dreaded glue spots cropped up. It is usually that time of day that the high North gets going, but I was mowing the lawn and getting the swamper going before the heat wave hits.  A very nice day, and I had fun.  The Paving Season begins officially tomorrow for yours truly, so I will say so long for now and think cool thoughts for me, Thank You!!!

Well, I thought I would not be posting any more due to the full season end, but I was asked by so many folks what the deal was that I decided to keep the commentary going on each day I attend.  Today, being Saturday, was great right off the bat.  The temp. on the peak was 31 degrees on first Tram and Mineral Basin was well into the softening.  A very eager group continued to stream in and fill each Tram, forcing the pace to move up from 20’s to casual back to backs.  Mineral Basin was the early call for most of the folks looking for the goods as the front side was decidedly crispy, and Regulator , which had been re-tilled, was edge-able, but could not take any velocity if you were smart.  The magic time was 11:00 AM for the first glimmering of softening to begin, but regulator held off the sun’s assault for much longer.  The Peruvian side of the hill is now OUT OF AREA and all markings are gone.  All terrain below the top of the Gad Zoom chair is considered OUT OF AREA as well.  There is also very minimal grooming, and I do mean minimal, in these areas.  That is not to say that it was not good just very limited.  The off trail was really unskiable until at least 12:00 Noon on some aspects and much later on due North facing.  Mineral got too mushy and folks started migrating back to the front side, but there was still walk on trams for all.  After 1:30 PM.  most of the off trail became good to go and you could depend on  the solid base to buffer the nasties.  Serious sun cupping was profuse and made for a very bumpy ride, so off trail  was not optimum.  Regulator became sumptuous and reminded me of Red Baldy if you sipped it as a fine wine.  Tomorrow should be very similar so get there early for the most vertical or wait and get there for the softening window, your call.  For myself, I am going to get it all and chuckle about it. How about you?!!!   P.S.  A very good band was playing on the plaza, making a very festive party time.

Today is Sunday and it is Mother’s Day.  Did you remember?  Good!  My Mom  was the first to put me on skis when I was 5.  The skis had straps that went over your galoshes.  We had a small hill in the back yard and she taught me to shuffle around and climb the hill with a side step.  I still use those techniques every day, so thank you Mom!  Today was a day a Mom could be proud of.  The groomers were buffed and expansive.  Mineral Basin went off early, as the overnight temp. was a bit warmer and the morning warmed up rapidly.  11:00 AM was the magic number for front side softening and 12:30 PM saw Regulator beginning the process.  The lower mountain was very sweet and stayed nice for a long time.  I called it quits when the cat tracks began to get the glue spots going, but the pitches were still happening well after that.  The Trams were full, however, a back to back program could easily be maintained with an effort, if you were so inclined.  High clouds moved in and filtered the sun a tad, but that did not cool things off much.  Well that is the last day of the regular season, though I did hear a rumor about another week perhaps.  Check the Web site in the AM for an update.  So it is time to hook up the trailer and pull it up to the high desert,  all the better to get those TRANSMISSIONS.  Great season, hope you all had fun.  We will do it again next season, until then keep your foil hat on whenever possible!!

That’s right I was actually present on a Saturday.  Folks noticed and asked what the deal was, so I’ll just say that it is the last couple of days left of the regular season, and I thought I would take advantage of a beautiful day to get a first hand taste.  Tasty it was, as the expanded grooming included  a re-till of all the major runs giving them an edge-able surface.   Mineral, of course, was softening soonest, but the peak temp. was still none too balmy.  The cold overnight air set things up for the morning, making the re=till effort all the more welcome.  Good skiing was available from first Tram on.  Flawless blue skies and very light winds were just icing on the cake.  The softening began around 11:00 and turned the nice to great as the corn morphed into a dessert like sherbet.   Regulator was the last to go off at 12:00 Noon , but was very slow getting to that sweet stage.  All the better, as the goodness lasted that much longer.  By 2:00 PM the glue spots cropped up in a few locations, so I called it to spare my knees.  Tomorrow’s forecast looks very much the same and the timing should  be close too, so plan you attack accordingly.  The Off trail held off longer today as well , but suffered some damage from late tracks left in the slush from yesterday.  The smooth goodness is gone ,but a few spots still hold some good lines.  The Tram line was moving briskly with walk-ons the rule, although lollygagging would cost you a red light, so for a back to back program a good pace was a factor.  This time of year,though, who’s worrying.  Should be good fun tomorrow so see you early!!!

Friday morning was cold.  I could see my breath as I stepped out of the trailer and surveyed the morning.  The temp. on the peak was 17 degrees with a brisk NW wind.  I hit the Forklift chair first off to let softening occur and checked on the Twins situation, which was clean and green to stay open for a bit longer due to the cold.  I took a Mineral Basin recon run to check out the aspects and get a handle on the timing, but decided to forgo the tour to take advantage of the expanded grooming and retilling which had been done overnight and early this morning.  The retilling gave the groomers a edge-able consistency ,but each turn drew up the cookie crumbles.  They were later mashed with the warming of the sun, but certainly not by the air, which stayed cold and crisp long into the morning.  With the wind factor, the air stayed down right cold.  Regulator finally broke at 12:00 Noon and was really special with granular sugar wall to wall.  The lower mountain remained buttery with out the dreaded glue spots developing, even on  the cat tracks.  The off trail became workable as well as the afternoon progressed, giving the hill much larger scope.  Still the Western exposures are too marred by slide debris to ensure any real lines, so the North and the East sections offer the best off trail skiing when the softening occurs.  Keep a watchful eye out to catch the short window.  The  peak temp was still only 28 degrees at 1:00PM to give you an idea of the overall air mass.  Tomorrow might come in a tad warmer , but the skiing is great right off on first tram, so get the most out of these last few days of the regular season.  And hey, dress for how you want it to be!!

A beautiful Thursday morning told me to get after it.  A nip in the air, as I parked in the lot, indicated that  a  tour to the Twins might be in order.  I hustled out of the locker room and made a bee line to the Forklift chair to start the day out right.  I  put together a small party and mounted up.   Winds on the peak were moving briskly and the Temp. was a lot warmer than I had hoped.  A quick check into Mineral Basin found that the south aspects had already had become too soft to traverse the East Pass.  Adding that to the significant wind from the north, left no alternative than to bag the tour and stay in area.  Grooming had been significantly expanded overnight, covering all the old usual standbys.  The warm morning had left all the elevations spring time smooth and delicious.  The North wind held the warming effects down, so a much longer window was happening of all fronts.  Mineral was the first to go away, but the front had lots of time to stay fresh before the saturation hit the wall.  No waiting for a thaw, as it was good to go  where ever.  By 1:00 PM the slush factor got fully engaged and the off trail was happening if you were so inclined.  The glue spots were sparse and not too much of a hindrance , though the straight up cat tracks became intermittent with a major loss of glide.  The open terrain is smooth and workable in the soft state.  The West exposures have major wet slide and goo ball damage.  Hit one of those toasters or micowaves and your day is over, guaranteed!!  Take  a tour around and scout the exposures before heading off trail to avoid an unpleasant descent.  Tomorrow will be more of the same, so I am going to be there early and make a game plan then.  First Tram rocks!!!