It was cold, dismal, windy, and very firm this morning with light snow falling.  I was woefully under dressed for the conditions, thinking that the 31Degree peak temp would let me get a way with just sunglasses.  No way.    Mineral Basin was already corned up, despite the cold.  Peruvian Gulch had fair tooth top to bottom, but needed some time to thaw a bit.  The Gad Side was really frozen solid, making it very tricky if you ventured there in the early hours.  The Sun began to break out at 11:00AM, which helped mitigate the cold and begin to  soften the dance floor.  Regulator took until 2:00PM to even begin to show signs of softening, but lower down on Big Emma, the corn goodness was delivering the goods. I lapped the West side just to get the sweetness of the lower mountain that I pretended was an out of bounds spectacular.  It was still cold as I left, but the lower sections of the hill were getting thick, though not in the least sticky. Nice!!  Tomorrow, look for much colder weather as a cold front moves through, bringing some precipitation and high winds.  It could be a very interesting day to say the least. Look for the low angle aspects for the best ride, as the firmness factor is sure to be pegged solidly for most of the day.  Here is a shot of the clearing over the Valley from the peak on the first Tram.  The Sun was a welcome addition to the day.  See you tomorrow for the early runs.  Be sure to dress for a Winter day.   Peace Out!!

There was a brisk breeze blowing on the peak this morning, but Mineral Basin was already offering sweet corn goodness, with White Diamonds buffed top to bottom.  The flats were soft and sorbet sweet and it was not going to last long with the Sun blazing.   The Peruvian Gulch was just this side of ready, so I hit the Forklift Restaurant to let it hit the perfect zone, which it did as soon as I came out to get after it.  The Gad Valley was later thawing out, but Regulator was fully ready at Noon, with perfect carving top to bottom.  The Wilbre Chair is closed for the season, so there is no going to the bottom, but you have to lap back to the Tram.   They have also cut off the return from Who Dunnit, requiring some climbing back up to the Chips return as it is all closed off at the  Mountain Coaster.  Just a word to the wise.  I did not know this, so I had to do the climb.  Doh!!!   Tomorrow, look for an interesting morning, as some type of weather is moving in, though it does not appear to have much moisture, but there will be some variability in relation to a Sunny day like today, so the timing will be iffy.   Look for the Groomers to still be offering the best ride, and look for the tenderizing efforts for traction.  The hill is still has great coverage, though the off trail still is sporting the low amplitude rumble, and if it does not thaw, that will be a bumpy ride.  Here is a shot of the the Essence beginning the return, as these icicles stretch toward the Big Cycle.  IBBY!!

As anticipated, the freeze was light, and the thaw went off early.  Mineral Basin was offering sweet sorbet right out of the chute, and I lapped that goodness until the crowd showed up.   Peruvian Gulch had been groomed nicely,  with only a remnant of the cold in the snow, and a velvet feel all the way down to the bottom.  It was not going to last long as it was very balmy, letting me go with a light shell and sunglasses.  I have been waiting all season for the total top down experience, and here it was in all it’s dessert topping goodness.  Regulator was still hard as a rock after all the Sun it saw yesterday, but by Noon it was sweet corn carving top to bottom.  The lower third of the hill started getting a bit sticky, so you had to slow the roll on the flats so as not to get caught napping.  The High North has been compromised by the recent warmth, and no longer holds the cold of the past weeks, so you will have to wait for it to break before it gets good to go, but it surely will if you wait.  Mineral Basin became too sticky and soft as the day progressed, so moving to the firmer aspects was the call.  Mark Malu was really the last to go off today, and riding the Little Cloud Chair was a bonus, keeping you up high and staying in the flow zone.  Tomorrow, look for another  warm one, with another rapid break, so get there early and follow the dial for the best of the day.  It goes fast, so get as much as possible as early as you can.   Here is a shot of the early signs of the BIG RETURN to the year long cycle, with these thin crystals struggling to move back into the liquid state.  Stay Frosty!!!

It did not freeze as hard as it has in recent days, so the break time was going off much earlier than anticipated.  The Groomers were offering the best early morning feel, but as soon as the off trail broke, it was workable and soft.  The High Pressure is firmly over the Inter Mountain Area, so we can expect another early break in the morning firmness.  It might be advantageous to move up your arrival time to get the best of the early thaw.  Still, following the Sun will be get the best results.   There was a return of the Sticky Factor today, especially on the lower elevations, so be sure to slow the roll when you hit the flat sections to avoid going over the handle bars.  Coverage is still holding up well all over the hill, and the High North is still holding the last vestiges of cold, so enjoy your favorite drops off the Upper Cirque.  Here is a shot of one of the Cat Mechanics, who was giving some TLC to one of the Kitties who needed his expertise.  He was a great guy and he, along with the entire Cat Crew, deserve a big thanks for giving us the BIG SMOOTH!!!  See you for first Boat of the day   Ciao!! 

It was a bit warmer this morning, but still had a touch of nip for the morning crew.  Mineral Basin had been worked, and still held some of the cold, but the effects of yesterday’s warmth was telling.  I moved to the Peruvian Gulch, finding a still cold but firm feel, which had obviously felt the effects of the warm up as well.  The Grooming crew did a nice job of tenderizing the lines, but I headed quickly for the Forklift Restaurant to let warming occur during a breakfast repast.  Gad Valley was really tough sledding, with the freeze up not yielding until 1:00 PM, and it was just not recommended for the morning session.  There was plenty of hill going off with the Sun warming the dance floor in order, so keeping in mind the aspects will pay dividends.  Tomorrow, expect another crispy start and a delayed start of your day won’t draw demerits, so let the Sun and warmth work it’s magic.  The temps, are expected to be significantly warmer, so the timing might be going off a bit earlier,  with Regulator going off last. The Gad Zoom Chair will be operating, so make a bee line to Mineral Basin to avoid the early morning gnar and take advantage of the goods in the back.  It will be a great Spring day, with plenty of coverage and no problems wall to wall.  Enjoy this late season bonanza, and I will see you Sunday.   Here is a shot of the Upper Cirque looking fat and still holding the cold.  Stay Frosty.

It was warmer this morning, but there was still a nip in the air.  The hill is still holding the cold on the North aspects, and the worked Mineral Basin sections were dry and chalky for the morning session.  The West side of the hill was really crispy, and it took until 1:00PM to get any softening going.  Peruvian Gulch had the best all day conditions, with the dry chalk holding up top to bottom, with the lower elevations softening slowly as the day progressed.  The High North off trail was still holding up, despite the low amplitude rumble, and offered a nice distraction from the hard driving Groomers.  The forecast is for continued warming throughout the weekend, so the thaw sequence will be accelerated as the day moves on. The sticky factor has held off nicely, but with the added warmth, the glue will crop up later in the afternoon.  Again, follow the Sun for the best use of the thaw factor, as today kept the goodness going all around the dial.  I think there will be a hard freeze again overnight, and the morning air will be cold again, so dress for cold with rapid warming.  I dropped the hat and heavy gloves after Noon, so look to drop layers as it warms up.  Here is a shot of Spring pushing the new buds to open on this aspen.  Click on the photo once, and then again as it will go to full page, where you will see the fuzzy buds getting ready to leaf out.  No stopping time I guess, though sometimes it would be nice.    IBBY!!

The cloud deck that moved in overnight moved off, leaving the sky clear and bright, but the air was still quite cold, though not nearly as cold as yesterday.   Mineral Basin offered a smoking job of Grooming on White Diamonds, that offered cold dry buffed corduroy that was as good as it gets.  I lapped that a few times, then moved to the front of the hill, where Peruvian Gulch was prepared nicely after yesterday’s cold left enough residual cold in the snow to refresh the dance floor, so the ride was velvet smooth all the way to the skiers bridge.   The West side of the hill had not fared as well, and took until 2:00PM to break.  It remained unseasonably cold, still preserving the quality, however, the lower third of the hill did begin to soften up a bit, but no stickiness occurred.  NICE!!!  There will be a hard freeze again tonight, and the Groomers will still be holding the cold on the Northern exposures, and Mineral Basin still should have good quality, but most of the off trail is getting set up and is demanding.  I went out and about testing different off trail exposures just to see, and it has deteriorated quite a bit, but the High North still is dry and chalky, though the low amplitude rumble is in full effect.  My knees were just not up to it, so I went back to the smooth and sweet sorbet consistency.   It was a great day!!!  Gad Zoom will reopen for Saturday and Sunday, so the uphill choices will be much better.  Tomorrow, follow the Sun  to get the best quality, as it will pay big dividends all day long.  Here is a shot down range looking to the West with the Pfeifferhorn looking massive.  See you in the AM. for more spring excellence.  Ciao!!

It was 12 degrees on the Peak this morning, with bright Sun, still air, and very nice Groomers prepared for the light turn out.  The clear night, yesterday’s overcast dusting, and cold temps, rejuvenated the hill back into a mid Winter feel.  The High North was still fully holding the cold, and was skiing nicely, with low amplitude rumble the only demerits.  Mineral Basin had been machine buffed, offering the steep drops that you could lap time after time.  The front of the hill was favoring the Peruvian Gulch, where the cold dry chalk was  making the runs smooth and consistent.  Only the very low elevations were crispy, but the small amount of dust gave some tooth to the turns.  The cold did not give way to the Sun until after 2:00PM. where even the lowest elevations were very slow to thaw out.  I kept hitting it until 2:30 PM and it was still good to go top to bottom.   The cold day went a long way in preserving the cold quality of the hill, and kept it from getting so saturated.  Tomorrow, look for continued great sliding, with only the bottom third of the hill problematic in the AM.  The High North will still be holding the cold and will be offering the best off trail lines.  The Groomers will also still be holding the dry chalk for the most part, however the West facing aspects will be much firmer.  There is a cloud deck moving in this evening that will hold what warmth was left over from the day.  I don’t expect it to be as cold in the AM., but expect firmness and a slow thaw once again if the Sun is obscured.  It was so clear this morning that it was breathtaking.  Here is a shot of the Great Salt Lake taken from the Peak on first Tram this morning.  It is unusual to get such a clear shot like this.  See you for the fun in the AM.  Peace Out!!   P. S. Sorry about the double image.   My bad!!

The last blast of the last series of storms hung on the hill this morning with cold temps, challenging visibility, a light dusting on the dance floor, and continued snow fall.  The off trail had set up and, in the very tough visibility, made it tough sledding.   The Groomers still had some of the dry feel despite the firmness, with the exception of the lower 1000′ that was very crispy, only saved by the light dusting that gave tooth to the turns.  I tried both sides of the hill, avoiding the Mineral Basin milk bottle, finding it was much more advantageous to stick with the trees for reference.  The snow flurries continued for most of the day, but I had bailed after the Forklift debriefing meeting to take care of pressing matters I have been putting off.  The clouds moved off later in the afternoon, setting up the next stretch of Spring weather predicted to stay for the next while.  Tomorrow, look for the Groomers to be offering the best on the hill, as the off trail will still be tricky, but at least you will be able to see it and make your own assessment.  Mineral Basin will be going off first, before the Sun gets a chance to work the material.  The lower third of the hill will still be quite crispy, so give it time to mellow, which will be some time after 11:00 AM.  I will have a more detailed report when I can actually see the dance floor.  Here is a shot of an interesting formation I took a couple of weeks ago during my forays out on a Lewis and Clark expedition.  See you for the rockin’ party in the AM.!!!!   Syrup won’t stop ‘Em!!!

It was still cold this morning, and that cold had pulled a lot of the moisture from yesterday’s product, making the feel today Winter cold and dry.    The Sun was shining unobstructed, but the cold air and stout wind kept the dance floor dry and chalky until 1:00 PM.  Powder Paradise and The Road to Provo had been held out yesterday, so there were fresh lines for today’s attendees.  Here is a shot of the Bookends looking as smooth and tasty as it was when they got the control issues handled.  The worked over off trail was lumpy with a low amplitude rumble, cushioned by the small accumulation, but it skied pretty well with a deliberate approach.   The front of the hill featured a stellar Grooming job, with the Big Smooth putting the icing on the cake, with smooth silky quality that had me salivating for another ground pounding descent.  Yummm!!!  The conditions seem to be as good as it has been all season, and everywhere you went you were treated to that late season goodness.  Tomorrow, look for the Groomers to be still holding the cold, however, the lower elevations and aspects that saw the direct Sun are going to be crispy, so look for the Northern aspects to be the first call.  There is some weather moving in for tomorrow, so the visibility could be variable and might hold off any thaw that might have occurred, but we will just have wait and see.  The traffic will be light, so the high vertical assault will be full on and easy to get.  See you in the AM.   Ciao!!