I took a Tram to get a look at the cover in the upper elevations.  The lower 1000′ is very melted off, offering very sketchy threads to the bottom, all of which will require some walking at the very bottom.  There is significant undermining of the snow pack where the water is running underneath, presenting some very dubious lines.  The upper mountain is still holding up nicely and will certainly make it through the weekend.  The only spot that looked problematic is just down hill off the top of Mineral Basin Express on the cat track, where the running water has melted a large area, leaving only threads on either side.  They may be able to farm some extra snow from the peak to cover it up, but that spot will be thin and rocky.  The forecast is for a nice weekend, though the temps. are going to be a bit high, so the early hours will be best.  I was on the peak at 1:00PM, and the pack was very wet and sloggy, so the 11:00AM point will see total saturation.  Depending on your taste in consistency, that is the outside of the box for me.  When it gets that sticky I head for the Forklift Chair.  Some folks seem to be having success with TURTLE CAR WAX applied thickly and left to dry in the Sun before heading up.  No buffing required, so maybe bring a can with you and try it out when things get too sticky.  It can’t

Little Cloud

Mineral Baisn

hurt and it is much cheaper than ski wax, though Superior over in Christie’s Sports is doing a wax treatment that seems to work well and it is quite affordable.  Plan on staying up on top, as the lower part of the hill is no bargain.  Just my point of view.  See you Friday!!!  Ciao!  Here is a shot of Little Cloud and Mineral Basin taken today, Wednesday.

Another beautiful morning  began with a slightly cooler feel, though the timing was just the same as yesterday.  Mineral Basin was the place to start things off before the other exposures got the Sun working them.  I ventured out the Traverse to the Bookends, where there was supportable softness, with rocks that had fallen from the spires above littering the pitch.  They were not difficult to maneuver around, and the feel was like a slow motion dream.  I have included a shot of the spires just above the long shot, which seem so majestic and have been watching over the proceedings all season.    The Road to Provo went off as usual, offering the same corn goodness that you want when you hike for it.  Regulator held off until 10:00AM, after which it too began to offer the goods.  Finally the West facing off trail began to break , which opened up quite a few more shots to caress before they got too soft.  There is the magic window of opportunity, where like morning porridge it is JUST RIGHT; not to hot, not too cold!!!  What was nice about some of the off trail, is that it had been skied the past couple of days, and the  Sun cups had been sanded down making the ride that much more approachable.  This week is forecast to bring some warm temps., so going to the bottom will become problematic, as the Bass Highway will not have cover toward Wilbre Ridge, and you will have to walk that stretch, as well as the last section by the Big Tree which was barely passable today.  Up high, however, there is still plenty of cover for next week on both sides of the hill, so it will be  another rare opportunity to celebrate the 4th, and be there for the end of the longest, deepest, legendary season.   I will get a look at the hill later in the week to update the site with the latest info., so stay tuned.  IBBY!!!

ANCIENT SPIRE

Last week was the first day of Summer and it is in full swing at the Bird.  This morning was a bit cooler to start things off, but the timing worked out to be just about the same as yesterday.  The Groomers are still the best quality on the hill, with the off trail being just marginal fun.  Mineral Basin was soft and carvacious for the first hour, after which it became a bit too sticky for my knees.  I took a traverse out to the Bookends to check it out, but the dirt on the snow made it like super slow motion.  Again, the Groomers are the best for me.  The Road to Provo went off next at 9:00AM. offering perfect corn consistency, with a fresh mow.  I pretended I had hiked to red Baldy and was savoring the Drainage, which has many of the same terrain features.  Fortunately, I did not have to endure the GRUNT it takes to get to the top of Red Baldy, so my internal visualizations served me well  in this instance.  Regulator had frozen up quite solidly, and did not begin to break until 10:00AM, after which, it became carvable and quite fun, with the corn granules blasting down the hill with each turn.  That was especially cool with the back lit Sun shinning through it.   Tomorrow, look for similar timing for the morning session.  The early hours are , for me, the best, and the traffic is much lighter on the limited space available .  Lower down on the hill, it is still good to go without walking, but I think that a hot week will melt off much of the Bass Highway, so plan on hoofing it for a stretch there.  The lower mountain was also incredibly sticky and sloggy, so trips to the bottom are not recommended, especially with the limits on  re lifts.  There is still lots of snow up high so next weekend will still have plenty to play on.  Here is a shot of the bump run under the Little Cloud chair in the early morning Sun.

Morning Wake Up Call

My knees just ache looking at them, though they were a big hit later in the morning as there were many takers to try them out.  See you tomorrow morning IBBY!!!

I got off first Tram this morning with a 50 degree reading on the peak.  Mineral Basin offered good grooming on Powder Paradise and Lupine Loop that was already quite soft, but felt good before it got worked over.

Dirty and Soft

I made 5 laps there before moving over to The Road to Provo, where there was a bit more solidity and still offered a good edge ability, though there was a bit of punchability to negotiate that was easily mitigated by a solid smooze turn.  I went off trail to sample the consistency there, but it was only marginal at best, but considering the date it was good over all.  By 9:30 AM Regulator was beginning to break after having been quite crispy early on.  Tomorrow morning will probably be similar in timing, so get there early for the best of the day and the greatest choice of line.  The lower mountain is still well covered, but the snow pack is receding rapidly, and going all the way to the bottom is no bargain, with the sticky factor being quite nasty past the half way point.  Staying up high is much preferable to going down, especially considering the surcharge being levied on relifts.  There are significant areas of undermined snow pack, especially on the lower mountain, that need to be anticipated if you go down.  There are large gaps, holes, cracks, and depressions that loom up in many places as the snow pack shrink wraps to the terrain, so be aware. There is still full cover  to the bottom on both sides, but there may be some sections on the Peruvian side that might make you have to back track if you choose the wrong line.   Here is a shot of Mineral Basin looking rather dirty but quite well covered.  The off trail was no bargain here as well.   See you there early.  Ciao!!

FULL FLOW

HUGE POWER

The BIG RETURN is fully underway, with the run off pressing the creek to near flood stage.  I drove up the Canyon to get a first hand look at the hill, finding the snow pack receding quickly, but still plenty of cover to get to the bottom with out walking.  Up high,  the cover is still looking very well covered, with the high North faces still looking fully fat.  The day time temps. are quite high, in fact they are above average, so the overnight freeze will be dubious, but I think the early runs will be firm overall.  The Grooming crew, no doubt, will be paying attention to the tenderizing efforts to provide the best conditions for the morning crew.  This week will keep the attendees on the upper mountain, limiting the trips to the bottom with a sur charge.  Check the Bird site for details.  On my trip up the Canyon I stopped by the creek to get a look at the volume, and it was impressive, with the sound of boulders being moved down the bed making these deep impact sounds.  Here are two shots of the creek flow going big.  See you there for first Tram!!! IBBY!!

The Trailer got hammered with rain beginning early this morning, and did not let up all day.  I was on deck for First Boat, but decided not to suit up due to the very heavy down pour hitting the Plaza deck.  I made a bee line to the Forklift Chair to get a handle on the situation, and get a heapin’ helpin’ of the Power Spuds.   The reports from the Patrol indicated 5 or 6” of fresh snow up high, snowing down to 9000′, and really nice skiing even through the rain band.  Still, this was not enough to persuade me to suit up and partake.  It rained all day long here at the Trailer, and I can only imagine that the snow continued in the higher elevations, so those intrepid folks were treated to a late season powder event.  The folks coming off the hill looked so soaked that I just did not have the inspiration to make the attempt.  This new snow might help mitigate some of the Sun cupping for next weekend, but there is no telling.   I went way out to Ski Patrol Gully on Saturday looking for the last vestiges of Corn, but the Sun cups made that tour a bit disappointing.  While trying to exit the old same way back to the chair, I found that last week had reduced the snow pack by at least 5′ over the due South facing exposures.  This eventuality sent me to the bottom of the Gully, necessitating a long climb back up and out to the chair.  Since I have never skied all the way down there, it was a treat, with a super steep face at the bottom .  Thank goodness there was enough snow to exit, as there was no telling if there would be after what I found up higher.  Here is a shot of the rock band that was fully traversable last week, with Timp. in the background.   Here is an interesting shot of the Sun cupping on the way out of the gully. See you next week.   IBBY!!!

TIMP. from the NO EXIT ZONE

SUN CUPS

It froze overnight, but not for long and not  too deep.  The Grooming crew did a great job providing some very nice re-tilled granular to make the first runs quite nice indeed.  The East facing Mineral Basin shots were velvet smooth, and I slowed down to pretend I had hiked for it.  I grabbed the early window to visit the Forklift Chair and get some breakfast, and upon retuning to the hill found the softening hitting it’s stride.  The off trail was seriously Sun cupped, requiring a tolerance for some rumble with the corn texture.  The cover is still holding up well, but the lower mountain is showing the melt off all over.  They did fill in that 4′ depression at the bottom of Anderson’s Hill, so that bit of excitement was mitigated..  Tomorrow, look for the weather to have moved in and the conditions to be a bit more challenging on many levels.  The Beer Fest is in full swing, and I had a great time listening to the music while enjoying the high mountain air.  Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there.  Here is a long shot of Regulator today.  It still has plenty of cover for the fun loving.  Peace Out!!

REGULATOR JOHNSON

A fast moving cold front moved through the region, freezing the snow pack deeply for this Friday morning.  The Groomers had been tenderized on the Front Side and Mineral Basin areas to give an edge for the early risers.   The Eastern Mineral Basin  exposure responded to the tenderizing by softening first.  The Front Side was going to take a while to break.  I took advantage of this window to visit the Forklift Chair and let some softening occur.  At 9:30 AM there was the beginnings of the break in the freeze.  The off trail was really sun cupped and was going to have to wait for significant softening to mitigate the rumble.  The Groomers were the place to be, as they offered some very nice corn consistency, though there were some longitudinal ruts that needed to be negotiated.  With the melt down, the snow pack is shrink wrapping to the underlying terrain contours, which can produce some radical variations where there had been smoothness last week.  I came rolling off Anderson’s hill a bit too quick and got surprised by a 4′ depression that traversed the run out.  Yikes!!  There are more open holes developing in various locations, so be aware of these as they could be tricky at best.

BOOKENDS

With the hard freeze, the hill held up for much longer overall, but the stickiness finally made the bottom of the hill tough to deal with the constant drag feature.   I was slowing way down as I got into the glop to avoid the slam dunk that was lurking with too much speed.   Tomorrow, look for a lighter freeze, with another 9:30 AM beginning break.  Mineral Basin will go off first, and get too soft quickly.  Following the Sun in key, with the West facing going off last.  Stay high as the day progresses to avoid the severe stickiness on the bottom half of the hill.  Here is a shot of the off trail damage due to slide debris and the dust concentration on the surface.  See you on first Tram.   IBBY!!!

Well the lower mountain is showing the distinct signs of the RETURN CYCLE.  Lower Silver Fox is looking rather spotty now and one would have to pick a way down that exposure.  For the most part, the coverage is looking pretty good, with the upper mountain still holding quit a bit of solid base, a but the direct Sun exposures are taking a beating.  The sun cup issue is a feature that began to be noticeable last weekend, creating a rather bouncy ride where the variations make the ride very bouncy even on untracked sections.   Because of the melt down conditions, caution should be exercised , by watching out for steam bed fractures in the snow as it get undermined,  crevasses near rock outcroppings, rotten snow in unexpected areas, tree wells, and the sink holes that seem to pop up as the snow melts.  This will be the last week end of back to back Trams, as the snow pack is becoming more dangerous down low, so enjoy the full mountain experience before we are relegated to the upper mountain.  Here is a shot I took today of the West facing Gad valley shots, where the melt off is advancing quickly with the direct Sun exposure.  See you there first Boat.  Ciao!!

MELT OFF

With the overnight cloud cover I was not expecting any kind of freeze, but Mineral Basin and the upper mountain was very crispy.  I dove off the first Chips Cat Track and immediately felt like a pig on ice.   Whaaaaaaa hoooo!!!  Fortunately, the Grooming crew had tenderized the Grooming job a bit further down the hill, giving me the traction that I was scratching for higher up.  On the lower mountain,  Adager had been given the Grooming treatment and was velvet smooth, feeling like great back country dessert.   I lapped that a number of times then moved back out to Mineral Basin to try and revisit the corn fields I have been frequenting.  The flash freeze offered only a tentative supportable crust, punching through with the slightest over articulation.  It was not long before the freeze broke, and the softness, and later the stickiness, returned. My knees were feeling the torque from the high moisture content and I bagged it to listen to the great music happening on the Plaza.  The melt off is becoming more evident on the lower mountain, and there are indications of the melt off up high as well, particularly the dust  residue from the melting pack as it leaves the flake seeds on the hill.  Remember, it takes a dust nucleus for a flake to form around, so they must be left to lend nourishment to the coming wild flowers.  The Canyon Creek is really boiling, and it is fun to stop and watch the fierce return of the sow pack back into the BIG CYCLE.  This week I am going to set up my video camera and let it sit in place absorbing the sight and sound of the torrent.   I will be updating the site as we move through the week to keep you on top of the melt off developments.   IBBY!!!