It was sunny and warm this morning as I got on the second chair going up the hill.  The Grooming crew had done a nice job preparing the usual sections on the front of the hill, with the addition of a rarity that I left for later.  Mineral Basin was soft to start out, but the off trail needed just a few more minutes before the off trail became creamy enough to charge the lines.  It was not going to last long back there, as there was no real freeze at all.  The Grooming back there was beautiful, but not too extensive.  The West facing had set up enough that it was going to take until Noon to break.  Once again, following the Sun was the way to get the best of the day.  There is some medium amplitude interference patterns developing in some of the heavily traveled sections, with some very well defined single lines, which is put in by  a very dedicated bump meister.  It is hard to miss, but it is also being enjoyed by others, who also enjoy this particular cadence.  The clouds began to start moving in around Noon, holding back the inevitable stickiness by obscuring  the Sun’s direct rays, but the green house effect finally took over, achieving that glue factor.  I tried some of that BOGOZ SNOT WAX, which seemed to alleviate some of the drag.  The thunder storms moved in around 2:30 PM., with a shut down due to lightning at 2:30 PM., ending the fun for the day.  Tomorrow, look for another great day of spring sliding, and get there early for the best options. Remember to follow the Sun around the dial to get every bit the hill has to offer.  See you there early.   IBBY!!

Bookends

Well, it’s spring going on summer, and I got fried, deep fried.  The Sun was out and cooking from the first bell.  Mineral basin offered back country quality corn goodness, where the East facing was offering 2” of deluxe softness.  The key was to follow the Sun and keep just ahead of the full bake.  Turns needed to be smoozed for best results, otherwise you might punch through the crust and grab an edge.  Smoozing worked well, and kept the fun quotient high.  After Mineral got worked, it was time to start hitting the front of the hill, where, by 11:30 AM. the sticky factor started getting tricky on the lower third of the hill.   West facing was the last exposure to go off, with the sticky factor moving to the top at 1:30 PM., and my

West facing debris

knees could take no more.  Tomorrow, depending on the overnight temps., will offer excellent sliding on the Groomers, as the off trail got fully worked and tracked out with the softness of the afternoon.  The off trail should return to approachability as the Sun works the sequential exposures, so follow the Sun.   The West facing aspects were heavily damaged with slide debris, leaving very few lines between the debris fields, so sojourns out the Cirque Traverse will not be particularly rewarding on those Exposures.  The North facing was quite punchable, and did not develop the good supportable crust the other exposures were offering, so be aware of that bit of complexity.  I think that the early risers will get the best of the day once again.   Plan on starting early and ending early, as the sticky fly paper effect could/will be seriously problematic in the later hours.   I am putting up these two shots to illustrate the sweet goodness in juxtaposition  to the seriously compromised West facing.   See you in the AM.  Ciao!!

We have 3 days to get back to heaven after the last stretch of down time.  I drove up today to check things out and sit on the Forklift Chair, where I was the only on on it; it felt like a private club.  On the hill, the recent snow, rain, and general fog had left only faint remnants of last weekend’s traffic.  Reports from hikers, that had been working Alta during the week, indicated some layering issues with some punch-ability on the off trail.  Today’s warmth may help solidify the situation if it freezes overnight, and with the clear skies, that is a distinct possibility.  I was told there would be extensive Grooming efforts to accommodate the faithful, so I think we can expect some very nice sliding indeed. Peruvian Chair, Mineral Basin, and the Little Cloud Chair will be open, so it will be a super loop to get a full shot from the top, but that is what makes a super loop so much fun.  The hill is still Fat, Fat, Fat, so with the softening around the dial, it should be fun and beautiful with the forecast sunshine.   It will be great to get the gang all together again in the Fun Zone, so be there early to get the most of the day, even if it is a bit crispy to start things out.  You can always wait for softening to occur on the Forklift Chair, where it is always good.  See you early.   Peace Out!!

SUPER SONIC

This was the day, the last day of the Tram of the biggest season we have ever had, and I think that every one participated as fully engaged as was humanly possible. The equipment, the clothing, the new level of technical talent, and the unmitigated audacity in the imagination of the IMAGINERS, made this probably the most significant season ever on any level!. Just going back through some of my posts brings back all the mental images and feeling of the Essence washing over me as I dialed the fall line, and I know that all of the faithful have the same inner sensations etched indelibly in the mind’s eye. I could not be there for the last day, but it seemed to be a challenging one, with overcast and no softening to speak of. More snow is coming in a big way, so it is not over yet as far as accumulation goes, and we can look forward to some additional smoothing for next weekend, mitigating the low amplitude rumble that had been developed. Have a great week and I will be posting on Thursday to give you a heads up. Ciao!!!   P. S.  Here is a shot of me taken by Jay Dash of Powder Shots.  These are THE WINGS, or POWERS FOILS as I call them, which develop a lift dynamic in the hands, resulting in a powerful platform from which to rip the fall line.  Yes, they look stupid, but these things are serious fun!!!  Thanks Jay!

 It seems like just yesterday that I was taking pictures of the light dustings on the highest peaks in anticipation of this season.  That was the first part of the cycle that got us all pumped up.  That is the thing about cycles, they keep on moving and there is no stopping them no matter the frantic visualizations to the contrary.  So begins our  snow pack’s return to the liquid state, though on the very positive side we have a mother lode to keep us hiking and getting those weekend openings in.   Today was another beautiful day, though it is my day off, and I am sure it was just as much fun as it usually is.  I saw some clouds moving in over the high elevations, but that probably held off the sticky factor, though I was not there, and all my inside contacts were not answering.  Tomorrow is predicted to begin some snow showers, so the visibility may be an issue, and the thaw times may be much later or non existent, but it is the last day of the regular season and the official Last Tram.  I will not be able to make it, however, but I will be there in spirit.  I have had a blast writing this piece every day and I have felt very connected to all the faithful who have spoken with me and given me such great positive feedback.  I will continue to report on the week end sessions to keep you posted on the conditions  as the cycle progresses down stream.  I’LL BE BLASTING YOU!!

Well, it finally happened, we got a full dose of full intensity Sun along with mild overnight temps.  Even though the base temp. was 47 degrees at 8:00AM. the snow pack froze solid with the residual cold.  I took advantage of the light traffic to fly the Wings once again, where I was able to achieve MACH 3 at times.  The Mineral Basin side was going off first, but the front side was waiting until 11:00 AM to begin breaking.   Regulator held out until 1:30 PM, but that is West facing and you have to follow the Sun.  Later in the day the off trail became very accessible, with the High North aspects still holding a touch of the cold, but it is also holding that low amplitude rumble, and the folks I saw charging it were getting thrown around quite a bit.  The day got so hot that the Canyon closed when some wet slides came off the South facing gulches.  The hill also got very sloppy, so any early morning assaults will leave you skittering across the grooves.  That could spell trouble if you happen to catch an edge at high speed.  OUCH!!  I think the 11:00 AM threshold will still offer the best timing for the main breakage, but Mineral Basin will again let you get a jump on the day.  They have been treating some very fun shots out there lately, using the huge base to go where they never have before!!  There is some weather coming in for Sunday, so take advantage of the margin before the lights go out.   See you Sunday!!

 I got there early this morning to take advantage of the vacant Groomers and fly my wings with no traffic to deal with.  The cold of yesterday made the Grooming  job very velvety and smooth on the upper mountain.  The Lower part of the hill needed quit a bit of time to thaw out.  The Grooming crew did a beautiful job of providing a number of great surprises that kept me hitting the front side of the hill.  Mineral Basin was going off first with the Sun and higher temps. of the morning, so there was good sliding there right off the bat.  Tomorrow, look for the cold overnight temps. to have frozen all aspects up, so waiting for the thaw is prudent.  Today the hill began to break at Noon, with Regulator waiting longer to go off.  Big Emma was also long in the process, but when it did break it was delicious. I like to let the softening to occur  by spending some quality time at the Forklift Chair.  The skiing is great and I find it hard to believe it is almost over for the regular season.  Get there for the greatest season  ending conditions in a very long time.   Peace Out!!

 It was a beautiful morning, but it was very cold.   The Grooming crew was out early doing some tenderizing passes to aleviate the hard pan, which did work to some degree, but the cold air was not helping the softening process at all.  At 12:00 Noon even Mineral Basin was rock solid with no sign of a break.  I took refuge on the Forklift Chair to let softening occur after 3 tries to find a line that did not rattle my eye balls.   By 1:30PM there was a glimmer of softening, but the goods did not get good until the closing bell.  The day was beautiful, the snow was fat, the energy was high, but I just could not find the groove, even though I stayed around until the end.  Tomorrow,  there will be a Canyon closure until 8:30 AM to do a Gun test, so don’t go rushing up there.  Of course, things will be very crispy again, so anytime will be a good time.   I am bummed that this will be the last week of full week operation, what with all the snow pack, but it will open again the following weekend.  Get there when you can, but be waiting for the softening, as it is not that fun skittering across the frozen cat job.  See you there.   Ciao!!

  There were snow flurries this morning for first Tram, but they gave way to very nice Sunshine as the morning progressed.  The Grooming crew,once again, out did themselves in providing 3 lower mountain drops, as well as some fun surprises up high.  I took advantage of the uncrowded hill to fly my Wings for the first 5 runs of the morning, during which I got to light up the after burners and go super sonic!!!  Yeow!!  The grooming crew had also done some very nice tenderizing in Peruvian Gulch to give things a bit more traction, but the cold temps. of yesterday left most of the Grooming very edge- able, though the Gad side of the hill was significantly firmer.  By Noon the warm temps. really thawed out the dance floor, and by 1:30 PM. the apron on the lower mountain began to get quite sticky indeed.   Tomorrow,  look for the Groomers to be very crispy, but look for some tenderizing efforts to have been made. The off trail had absorbed the heat and will be very difficult on most aspects until softening occurs.  The Sun will be out in the morning, so follow the Sun for best results.  Mineral Basin will be the first thing to soften, so plan to start there on the East facing shots.   I like the morning crispiness and the low traffic patterns to fly my Wings, so I will see you there for first  Bucket.  IBBY!!!

This morning was Sunny, but seriously chilly to start things off.  A major creative Grooming project was in evidence as the morning crew checked out the special preparations. Lower Silver Fox, and Lower Primrose Path were offering steep edge- able goodness, as the temps yesterday did not seriously degrade the Winter cold in the snow, so things were good top to bottom.  Hot Foot Gully was also given the treatment, which included a push down the entire length of the Gully that has never been treated as long as I have been here.  WOW!! Mineral Basin was offering velvet smooth Groomers, that kept me lapping the loop before moving back to the front of the hill to start pounding the ground for vertical accumulation.  I came across the inimitable Flex La Luge, who was doing his best Carvesaurus Rex Demonstration, leaving deep trenches with each bite of the hill.  Impressive!!! The day remained cold all day, and only started to truly soften at 3:00PM, when the lifts closed for the day.  Tomorrow, look for an overcast morning with some crispy Groomers on the lower mountain.  The upper elevations should still be holding the cold on the North aspects.  The High North aspects are still holding the cold, but have developed significant medium amplitude  interference patterns, which kind of detract a bit from the full on charge lines we know and love.  Be sure to pay attention to the obvious direct Sun exposures, as those off trail shots will be very difficult to negotiate.  I saw some intrepid individuals plying some of those aspects out in Mineral Basin, and it did not look like any fun at all, but that is me.  They may have been having the time of their lives.  See you there for the first Boat!! IBBY!!