Mouintain green

The Bird is beautiful any time of year, and it is spectacular right now.  The wild flowers are beginning to come out now, so it is a perfect time to get up there and commune with them on a one to one level.  No picture can fully relate the beauty of being there.  I went up to get a nice charge from the general FIELD FORCE that I have been missing by not being there daily.  You all know what I mean, as we all get charged up every time we attend.  I took a couple of shots to share, with the upper chutes still holding snow, and Hellgate looking massive framed by the surrounding green.  The Bird is presenting free music on Saturday night from 6:00 to 8:00 PM, so perhaps go up early and make a day of it and cap it off with some high mountain tunes.  I have been having a great summer doing research and have been finding very fun material.  Time is moving so fast that it is hard to GROK, but that seems to be the way of time.  Stay tuned.   Ciao!

After the extended record season, I finally got the Trailer moved up to the HIGH DESERT, where the sky is clear, the air is dry, and the TRANSMISSIONS are not interfered with by the clutter of the electromagnetic confusion of the city.   As I was stowing the ARRAY, polishing the skin of aluminum, and getting things in order for the transport, I reflected back on the season, so I thought I would post some of my overall impressions of this legenday time.  The collective Consciousness of  The Faithful was prime to manifest this continued delivery of Essence that graced us in full effect.  I think that this is interesting evidence of the power of creative visualization.  It all started with the early dustings in the high elevations, then came the Dumps that sent signals around the globe, getting everyone stoked for what was to come.    Right out of the chute the energy and performance level was off the charts, as if each participant was grabbing as much of the Groove Sauce from The Source as was possible.   There were so many vaired textures, qualities, temperatures, and events that it really is all just a blur.  Remember the big Rain Event in January?  I thought that was going to be a real problem for a long time, but it healed almost immediately, though there were some significant releases on that layer. Then there were the Wind Events, which smoothed the hill to a dance floor perfection.  The continued accumulation kept the hill in  a smooth overall condition, keeping the bump factor to a dull roar.  That feature no only helped out my knees, but it enabled a full throttle charge to the fall line without the interference to the descent.  It was amazing at how filled in every aspect became, where huge spines were covered, chutes became open slopes, and tight tree shots opened up as the depth covered them all up!!!  It was really fun to see the energy that everyone was bringing, and the expressions of delight after experiencing full emersion in the Essence.    I was able to get some wonderful lighting shots with my camera, which I will be posting to my Photo Album when I get my act together, as I am still woefully computer illiterate.  It is my intention to get more adept at this piece of technology, because I have plans to expand the site to add much more content, so stay tuned for developments.  I have been posting my current DEEP research finds on my Twitter account – guru dave powers- , so if you are at all interested in some of the concepts that I am following check out the links I have been TWEETING.  Be advised, it is going to be a wild ride!!   I will be posting on this site as the Summer progresses so keep checking back for insights into the hiking and wild flower season. Be safe, stay stoked, and I’ll Be Blasting You!!!

There was a two Tram wait for first Tram this morning with full Trams delivering the faithful to the peak to celebrate the 4th and ski the hill with a near full snow pack in the upper elevations.  There was light rain to begin, but it backed off and the Sun tried to burn through but didn’t quite.  All the aspects were soft and workable, with no crustiness, but the supportability held up where ever you chose.  That South facing Cat Track was  fully melted off and required a down climb.  Here is a shot of the folks making their way down the scree.  That was the only glitch, except perhaps the weather, which threatened and moistened the attendees.   The shear volume of participants was astounding, with the Tram line extending all around the Plaza deck and across the skier’s bridge.  Here is a shot of that line extending right through the Pancake Breakfast and beyond.  There were full Trams going up and full Trams coming down.  It was quite an energized time I can tell you.  It is a bit sad to see it all come to another conclusion, but it is only a short while until the Cycle begins again,

DOWN CLIMB

INCREADIBLE LINE

with a brand new fresh coating for us to massage into base.  The wild life is enjoying the melt off as their life is back after being buried under many feet of snow.  All the little critters are digging out and scurrying around, ecstatic to begin the Summer.  The wild flowers will be coming out soon as well, so there is plenty of great times to be had at The Bird this Summer.  I will be posting from time to time with shots of the Summer season and views from the TOP!!   BE WELL ALL!!!

It was very warm this morning for first Tram, and there was a full compliment of faithful to fill it.  The South exposed Cat Track, directly off the top, has melted off and there is no more snow on the peak to mitigate the damage.  There was only a thin strip holding on on the East side, which made the descent down to the top of the Little Cloud chair problematic.  Tomorrow, this section will require a down climb unless the Cat Crew can find some more product somewhere.  Other than that the hill is holding up quite well with the off trail offering some nice lines after the traffic of the last couple of days has smoothed the Sun cups off.  Mineral Basin has a nice bump line down Lone Star all the way to the bottom, and there are numerous other lines that have been worked by ski traffic.  Just look around and you will see the white lines in sharp contrast to the surrounding dingy snow.  With these warm temps., the early runs are the best before the glop factor sets in too heavily.  The first Tram will depart at 7:30 AM in the morning to get an extra jump on the day, and accommodate the expected heavy holiday crowd, so if you plan on making the first Bucket get an earlier start.   All the exposures were  already good to go for first Tram, so there is no need to wait for the breaks now. The only firm spot I found was the Cat Track out on the Road to Provo, which was quite crispy, but broke as I moved on to the sunny part.  Going all the way to the bottom is becoming more challenging by the day, and I, personally, am taking the Tram to the bottom.  Enjoy the Sun and be sure to get an early start as the glop factor is in full effect after 10:30  AM.   Ciao!!

Another full Tram went up the first time this morning with the faithful looking for the goods.  There would be no waiting for the break to occur as it never froze to begin with.  Mineral Basin was sultry and soft, so I went looking to see if the North facing might have smoothed out a bit.  The shot under the Bookends was slow and smooth, but quite fun and not too bouncy.  Little Cloud was offering great turns off trail without waiting, so I took advantage of the early low traffic to get some of the lines I have been holding off on.  During your explorations, just be careful of some of the cracks and strange week spots out and about.  Watch near the rock out croppings, and on the flats where the streams are undermining the pack.  You will see what I mean as you move about.  Tomorrow, look for continued great skiing as the cover is quite ample to supply many variations on a theme.  Going to the bottom is still doable, though it requires walking to varying degrees, and the Tram ride down was my choice once again.  Here is a shot of Regulator from this morning, showing full cover and nice back lighting.  Here is a shot of some snow patterns I came across, but it looks likes sand.  Funny how patterns repeat in different environs.  IBBY!!

MORNING REGULATOR

WIND PATTERNS

There was a significant turnout for first Tram this morning , where the energy level and anticipation of a rare occurrence brought the faithful out to partake of the waning vestiges of the ESSENCE.  Mineral Basin was fully ready for the first push of eager fun seekers, with soft carvey  untracked Grooming that was nicely consistent, but well on it’s way to saturation.  9:00 AM saw Little Cloud breaking into a perfect granular feel, which once again, made me slow down to pretend I was getting the Red Baldy drainage after a long hike to get to that stair step treat.  Regulator went off at 9:45 AM with nice dry corn crystals building up as each turn added to the material to grab hold with my dull edges.  The open, melted off area on the upper Cat Track had been filled and was fully good to go.  On some of the lower Cat Tracks there is some fine rocks mixed into the snow that might seem to be problematic, but at this stage of the season does it really matter?  Tomorrow, look for a similar timing for the breaks, so getting an early start will pay off with a much longer window.  Many folks exited the hill by going to the bottom, but there were precious few lines to get close.

FIRST TRAM

BULLWINKLE J MOOSE

Both sides required walking to some degree.  The lower bottom area, under the Tram, got you the farthest down the hill, but the ultra thin cover made that line tricky and tough to negotiate.  I chose to take the Tram to the bottom to avoid the situation all together.  Still folks were having fun with the adventure.  Here is a shot of the full First Tram that kicked things off, as well as a shot of a Moose that was hanging out by the pond across from the parking area.  Fun stuff!!!    Ciao!!