It was a beautiful Sunny Sunday morning with a nip in the air, but I went for the sun glass and top down approach.  The overnight freeze was heavy and the front of the hill was really slick, while the Groomed sections of Mineral Basin were offering some granular tooth to get an edge in.  There was little traffic for the first hour, and the Baldy Express Chair had been tilled with low angle smooth to work while the front waited for warming.  The deep freeze was going to take until Noon to begin breaking on the front of the hill, and the corn effect began to happen around 1:00PM where the soft smooth feel was intoxicating.  The sticky sections did not crop up at all, even on the flat, which was a welcome feature that made the day last longer.  There were nice lines on the High North as they thawed slightly, as the marginal saturation of the pack kept these lines worth visiting after Noon.  Tomorrow, expect overcast skies and significantly colder temps, so any real thaw might be dubious, so go knowing that the day will be a challenge on all exposures.  Tenderizing efforts should be sought out to aid in the early morning runs, where the mat will be firm, and use your best averaging turns to smooth the angular momentum.  Traffic should be markedly lighter, so that will make the dance floor much more realistic with the absence of cross town traffic.  Here is a shot of Perfection just beyond the open area, which is in sharp contrast to the heavily worked sections just adjacent to it.  I know it is the same section I posted just the other day, but the beauty of this snow scape deserved a fresh shot.   I love the smooth and shaded texture.  See you in the AM!!   IBBY!!

It was a beautiful morning with bright Sun and warm temps. to get the spring break going.  The morning Groomers were firm, but tenderizing efforts gave the mat some tooth, but following the Sun was going to get the best results.  Mineral Basin was going off first, with consistent lines of machine worked product, and the front of the hill was firm on both sides.  The timing was similar to yesterday, however, it went off a bit earlier and moved to the sticky side as well on the lower mountain.  The cloud deck built up over the hill around Noon, shading the hill a bit, but the ambient temps were not slowed by the clouds.  The High North is getting more affected by the daily temps as we move forward and the dry chalky feel is going away, but the interference patterns remain marginal and are still resisting a further increase in amplitude.  Tomorrow, look for the Groomers to be firm again in the AM with a similar timing on the break, and the off trail to be very rasty if you venture there before it softens.  I was watching some folks who were negotiating a South facing aspect in the full on frozen crust out in Mineral, and it just looked painful to watch them rattle and bounce over the GNAR!! DOH!!!  As we move into the Easter Holiday I want to reflect on the unstoppable push of Spring as we move to the last part of the season, and pay Homage to Mother Nature, who not only brings the Essence, but also the New Life bursting out around the Trailer.  Here is an image I took of one who wears and embodies this energy.  See you in the AM.   Stay Frosty!!

I under dressed for first Tram this morning, as it was quite cold and snowing on the peak as the Tram docked.  Overnight, the temps did not get low enough to put the hard freeze on the Groomed runs.  Mineral Basin’s offerings were velvety feeling, with plenty of tooth into which a solid edge could be set.  Baldy Express had some of the best feeling corduroy of the day.  The front of the hill was also benefiting from the light freeze, with some of the lines offering the smooth feel as well.  Off trail, only the High North was worth the effort, with the rest of the exposures needing a long time to thaw.   After 11:00AM.  the mat started to break over all and the ride got better for the next couple hours.  The Sun came out, illuminating the dance floor, but there were still some clouds moving through that threatened more light precip..  Here is a shot of Timp. with one of those low clouds that were spitting and shrouding the Sun.  Tomorrow, look for another nice day, with the Groomers, once again, the place to be for consistency, and follow the Sun for best results.  There were still some dry cold lines on the High North, but those shots might be getting a bit more interesting with each day of heat.  The Exotic Trees are still offering nice lines in the shade, but the interference patterns are building up in those easy to access lines.  The timing will be similar again if today was any indication, and while those early morning runs are worth getting up for, waiting for softness to occur will pay dividends, though the window of goodness will be much shorter before the snow gets really sticky. My day off tomorrow will let me rest my wing after a full week. See you Sunday.   IBBY!!

Though the thermometer said it was balmy, it seemed colder than it was with a fair breeze blowing.  After the warm up yesterday, the hill has set up in a big way as anticipated.  Mineral Basin was the best call with the Groomers offering a fair tooth on the prepared surfaces.  All of the off trail was going to be along time breaking.  I found some nice lines off the Baldy Express chair, which seemed to have recovered the best from the heat.  The front of the hill was very firm, and it warranted a cautious approach.  Even the tenderizing efforts demanded attention to deal with the granularity of the till wash.  I retreated to the Forklift Chair to let warming occur before going back out to deal with the developing thaw patterns.  It is best to follow the Sun during these days, as the South will be going off first.  It was 1:00PM before Regulator showed signs of softening, and laps on the Little Cloud Quad was the call to take advantage of that break in the mat.  Lower down on the hill broke at Noon, but still had that hard glaze underneath the paste, so there was a dual feel to the consistency that required a long averaging turn to maintain roundness.  Tomorrow, expect more of the same as today, with the Groomers  out in Mineral Basin to offer the best bet in the morning, but a delayed arrival will save you the wait time on the break.  The High North is still holding the cold only on the upper third of the hill and the flat sections have been worked by the Sun, so the transitions can be rather abrupt, moving from dry and chalky to crusty and glazed withing a few degrees of incline, so be aware.  I will be there for the opening bell, but I will take a break for the break on the Forklift Chair again if warranted.   Here is a shot of a throwing lip on the first wave of the set!!   See you in the AM.  Ciao!!

This morning it was 34 Degrees on the peak, but there was still a nip in the air, and it payed to have my hat and goggles on.  As anticipated, the hill has held the cold and the Cat Crew did a sweet job preparing the dance floor on all sides of the hill.  Mineral Basin was bathed in Sun, and  white Diamonds was set up for smooth high speed rock and roll, with cold chalky corduroy to dial in the fall line.  With the Sun so high in the sky that South facing shot was not going to last long, so I took advantage of the vacant acreage and got as much as I could.  The front side of the hill also offered a ground pounding extravaganza, with the Big Smooth buffed and velvety.  The nip in the air held the Sun damage off until Noon, when the snow began to paste up under the solar assault.  It was not until 1:30 PM that the ambient temps began to hit the North faces, and the flats began to develop glue spots at which time it was wise to dial it back a bit going into the flats to avoid going over the handle bars. Tomorrow, expect another sunny day, with warm temps again working the hill.  The Groomers might get one more reprieve if the tillers pull up some of the deeper cold, but  you should expect real crusty lines on everything but the North faces.  Off trail is consolidating, with the High North still workable, but the low amplitude rumble is widespread,though that  poses no real issues.  Here is a shot of the early morning shading on the far reaches of the hill.   Stay Frosty!!

It was significantly warmer this morning, but a very stout wind was blowing keeping the chill factor low.  Overcast skies predominated, but the early runs in Mineral Basin were illuminated by a short window of Sun before the lights turned out, making the details disappear into a white sheet.  The Groomers were once again dry and chalky, even on the Southern exposures, with the corduroy  was offering sweet edge control.  Mineral Basin seemed like a private resort for the first hour, so taking advantage of the ground pounding pace was a given.  The front of the hill was highlighted by an excellent job of buffage on the Big Smooth, where the consistency held up all morning and made the flat light situation a mute point.  The traffic was light, but by Noon the attendance was building, but no hold up on the uphill attack.  There is minimal rumble on the High North aspects, as the wind seemed to be filling in the troughs slightly, and there were nice lines developing especially close to the trees.  Tomorrow, look for the warm temps of today to have set up the off trail quite a bit, with the North exposures still holding cold, but are becoming firmer by the day.  The Groomers will still be very nice, but watch  for the South and West facing shots to be a bit firm, though the tenderizing efforts will mitigate that issue no doubt.  There may be more visibility if the Sun makes more of an appearance, but if it does, expect the consistency to get a bit pasty as the mat warms up. Here is a shot of the early morning Sun hitting the Canyon walls before the cloud deck cut off the detail.  See you there for the ground pounding fun of the first hour of light traffic.  Peace Out!

There was a mist hanging over the hill this morning, filtering the Sun and making it look ethereal, with fine flakes of Essence falling out of the mist.  It was cold again on the peak at 8 Degrees, and the Groomers were dry and chalky, having been worked to a fair thee well by the Cat Crew.  I did 4 fast laps in Mineral Basin to take advantage of the buffed, vacant carpet, and dial up some speed since my wing is beginning to feel better after 3 weeks.  The Big Smooth had been prepared on the front of the hill, offering a ground pounding extravaganza that exhibited no vestiges of the crunch of the old layer.  Nice!!!  That line was worth lapping as many times as possible before the Forklift Commiseration. The off trail was still soft and winter like, with only the West facing aspects still harboring the underlying crunch.  Interference patterns have been mitigated in most sections, though there are still some signals coming through in the most heavily traveled lines.  Tomorrow, look for the cold to still be holding up in the morning hours, overcast skies to hold the Sun’s rays off the snow pack, full on dry, chalky Groomers to rip on, and off trail lines to still be good to go.  The Sun only came out late in the day, and the heat build up was minimal, so only the South off trail exposures should exhibit much damage, but check around and get a sense for the consistency, as that is the only way to know for sure.  Coverage is good and the Winter vibe is still holding up.  Here is a shot of a snow swell feathering as I was scratching for the outside.  I had to duck dive this one or get sucked over the falls.  Syrup won’t stop ‘EM!!

The cold flow was still streaming out of the North this morning, with the peak temps. cold enough to be sure your face was covered.  The sky was overcast and the visibility was variable, which all combined to preserve the goods that had been deposited by the recent impulses.  The Groomers were, once again, off the charts excellent, and the off trail was providing soft snow on all exposures, with only minimal contact with the old layer.  The interference patterns have been mitigated for the most part, but the rumble still exists in the high traffic areas.  The clouds moved off later in the afternoon, but the cold temps kept the snow from setting up in any serious way.  Tomorrow, look for the Groomers to be killer again, and the off trail still will be soft and blastable on most exposures.  We will have to wait and see what happens with the Sun as it moves across the exposed areas, so get to those sensitive shots early to get them before they set up.  The High North will still hold up all day, but the lower mountain will get the warmth later in the day.  I was unavoidably detained from getting up on the hill today, but I will be there for the first Boat, and I will get the first hand look.  Here is a shot of some interesting wind slab that was happening last week.  I love the way the wind sculpts the snow into these surface patterns.  See you in the AM.  Peace Out!!

As anticipated, the Great Salty kicked in and continued to deliver the Lake Effect that brings the very best Essence that characterizes the Promise Of The Wasatch.   The Trailer was covered in 5” of ultra light feathers that were lighter than light.  Here is a shot of the trees flocked with the goods.   Up on the hill, it was a powder festival that we dream about.  I missed the fun, but it was full on fun, with most of the mountain opening in rapid succession.  The faithful were in full attendance, with the Tram line backed up, but the High Speed Quads were up to the task and moved things along nicely. The bands of lake effect kept pumping through as  the day progressed, however, glimpses of Sun peaked through, with discernible warming with each glimpse.  The quality remained fluffy, but later in the day the product began to set up a bit.  Tomorrow, look for the Groomers to be off the chart buffed as the new product gets worked into the mat, and perhaps some additional light accumulation.   Most aspects should still be soft, but watch the Sun and get to those direct exposures before the rays set them up.  Coverage is good, and reports from the High North were very enthusiastic, so look there for the best off trail.  It seems the  old crust is only barely in play, so take advantage of this spring Powder extravaganza.  Ciao!!

There was not very much overnight accumulation, but the front that was moving through as the day began promised to remedy that.  The visibility was marginal with the intense snowfall, and the groomers were covered with a nice coating of high density dust that provide very nice arcing, but still let the bottom leak through.  Light traffic made the back to back pace easy to make.   The Big Smooth had been given the treatment, which was good to go for serious ripping.  Mineral Basin was nice as well, and when Powder Paradise opened it offered the goods to those who missed out on yesterday.  The Road to Provo also opened, and with the light turnout, it was nice to be able to relive the old days with unhurried lines that stood up so you could lay down another line next to the one you put down before.  Now that is rare.  The accumulation continued to build, adding depth to the still soft off trail areas that were still delivering the goods.  Impulses kept moving though all day, and the flow is still unsettled.  Tomorrow, look for additional accumulation, smooth lines on the Groomers, and increased attendance to take advantage of this spring delivery.  The hill is in good shape, even after all the warm weather, so all this new Essence will add to the base building, and snow sport fun.  I am off tomorrow, so I will see you Sunday.  Here is a shot of a gentleman who has my moustache beat by a mile, and he had it flocked with the fresh delivery. Stylin’   Peace Out!!