This was it for the season, with another nice morning on tap for the faithful who built into a throng as the day progressed.  The morning crispiness was an hour and a half softening, but when it did it was delightful.  The festive mood was over the top, with great costumes and pond skimming at the bottom of Anderson’s Hill.  On the plaza was a great party, with a fun band and great vibrations exchanged continuously as the faithful traded stories, summer plans, hopes and dreams, and high hopes for a great season coming right up.  The streams were flowing with the return to the Big Cycle where the water will be refreshed, restructured by the journey, and will once again return in it’s time.   Here are some shots of the great folks who dressed for the occasion, bringing the flair and energy to the day.  I will write a wrap up piece in the next day or so, but here now are the shots from today.  Syrup won’t stop ‘Em!!!

It was a slow start today, as the faithful waited until the softening window to arrive for the full festivities.  There was a high cloud cover that lasted until at least 11:30 AM, which helped extend the quality of the pack until later in the day.  As anticipated, the Bass Highway had melted off, leaving a solid 500′ of bare cat track to traverse.  I tried to sneak a little extra out of the vestiges, but ran out of snow and, because I did not want to take my skis off yet again, I opted to just give my skis a stone grind on the way to the last section out to the Tram.   Peruvian Gulch still had threads to get to the bottom, but they are tenuous and tricky at best, and as the snow got stickier, the difficulty factor increased significantly.  Tomorrow, look for still good cover on the higher elevations, with good grooming up there, but seriously minimal machine work is the rule below the Little Cloud chair.  The crews have done a great job of getting the best out of the hill, finding snow from stashes from the early season snow making, and I am amazed at how well they have kept the quality up this far into the melt off.  It has been great to see all the costumes and flair folks are bringing to the hill as the party atmosphere escalates.   Space Turtle was playing on the Plaza for the gang, slamming out some funky R&B, which got some folks dancing in ski boots. Fun stuff, and a great party scene for these last days of the season.  It should be clear in the morning, with the break going off around 10:00 AM for starters.  The Grooming will be offering some good cold granular to start, but the soft sorbet feel is soooo nice and worth the wait.   IBBY!!!

It was another great morning again, with only a marginal freeze.  I went with just a light wind shell for the first Tram and was just right.  The pack had firmed up, but it had been tilled on the upper part of the hill, making the turns negotiable from the start.  I hit the Forklift for a bit to let some softening occur, and that hour was the ticket.   The Gad side of the hill was good to go to the bottom, with just a stretch of the Bass Highway so thin is would not last the day, but for today it was make able.  The Peruvian Gulch had been worked hard yesterday, with interference patterns developing on the off trail sections, and even when things softened up it was still not the buff fest it was yesterday.  The break was fast, and the corn got heavy rapidly, but that did not deter the large enthusiastic crowd from flocking to the hill to get these last days in.  There was a great band on the Plaza, making a very festive atmosphere with lots of folks meeting and greeting each other for these last days of the season.  Tomorrow, look for another firm morning, with the popular off trail sections well worked, so you will have to let softening happen before hitting those sections because they will be rough in the AM.  The upper mountain grooming is still nicely done, but the back country sections have very minimal work, so don’t expect much.  You will have to walk on the Bass Highway, as I am sure it did not survive the day, so expect some walking over the transition sections.  It is going to be another festival of spring corn goodness so hit the window for the best of the day.  Here is a shot of the LCC gateway looking super 3 D in the morning light.  I pulled over to get this shot as I came around the corner.  Massive vertical to greet the faithful as they make their way to the goods.  See you on the first Boat.   Peace Out.!!!

Sorry about not posting yesterday, but I was not able to get the information I needed to post an accurate commentary, I found it necessary to wait until I had a first hand look.  I just can’t make it up.   The hill had benefited from last week’s installment, which still covered the hill with a nice corn finish.  With the hard overnight freeze, it needed some time to soften.   Mineral Basin had taken a terminal hit from the Sun, so it is now out of play for the season, leaving The Road to Provo and  the Peruvian Gulch the only open sections of the hill.  You could get to the bottom of both sides of the hill, but it was highly recommended to take the Tram back down after working the upper mountain.  The  lower Mountain is truly a back country experience, requiring extreme care to negotiate the variability and unmarked hazards that are cropping up with the melt off.  As the snow pack softened with warming, the pack developed into a delightful sorbet consistency, making much of the off trail a corn delight. The  low amplitude bumps that cropped up last week were still in play, but the spacing left easy turns.  Tomorrow, look for another overnight freeze, though I think it will break faster in the AM., so push you arrival up a bit to catch the window. Again, the lower mountain will be very tricky, so use care if you go to the bottom.  What grooming there is in these out of bounds areas is minimal at best, and after today’s extra warm afternoon, look for sections to require taking off your skis and walking.  Here is a shot of Etherea the Tram Goddess, who delivered us to the Peak this morning, starting our day out right.  See you in the AM.  Syrup won’t stop ‘EM!!

The Trailer was getting hammered by heavy rain this morning, but up on the hill it was snowing due to the much colder temps.   After yesterday’s installment had been machine worked, the 3 or 4” of medium density Essence had an early March feel.  The turns were smooth and easy on the Groomers, but off trail was very difficult after the super high density snow from yesterday had frozen up.  The Valley was clearing off, and here is a shot of the Valley with the Sun illuminating the Verdant new foliage.  The faithful were excited about the new installment, and were streaming to the hill continually.  Once again, I let the first untracked top to bottom run suffice for the day, as I had lots to do going into this next week.   Clouds hung on the hill most of the day, with windows of Sun peaking through from time to time.  The cold temps at the high elevations preserved the quality until later in the day when things got a bit sticky as the new snow set up.  More snow is in the forecast, and the snow pack will benefit from the addition, which will go a long way to making next weekend much better in terms of cover.  If this weekend had been a cooker, next week could have been marginal, but I think this new snow will help preserve the cover.  I will post again on Thursday with an update on cover and a first hand look at the hill.  Have a great week and Stay Frosty!!

The rain was po9unding on the Trailer this morning, so you know that meant snow on the hill, but at 7:30AM it was pouring on the deck, but by the time first Tram left at 8:30AM it was snowing with purpose.  The peak was offering 4 to 5 inches of very high density product that covered the hill with a frosting like consistency.  Getting off the top first, I held the right hand side of Regulator to stay clear of the full tram coming up behind me.  The untracked was very nice and felt very luxurious at this late date.  Regulator was the only run open for the first while, but Mineral Basin and the Road to Provo opened shortly afterward as the patrol got things squared away .  I have to admit that I bailed on the first run, taking advantage of my post position, getting untracked top to bottom.  My knees are really sensitive to the super dense snow, and as the product got tracked out is was going to work my knees hard, so I left it to the folks to enjoy.  The snow kept falling, building up to over 8” so it was great for the larger turnout that was streaming to the hill as I left to get things wrapped up for the move to the High Desert in the next while.  Tomorrow, look for some more possible accumulation overnight, and some freshly tilled Groomers to ply.  The off trail may prove to be a bit tricky after getting worked over today, but we will have to wait and see.  There are showers predicted to extend into the morning hours, so plan on dressing for weather.  Here is a shot from the peak yesterday, looking across at Superior with some cool clouds hugging the bowl.  See you for the first Bucket.  Peace Out!!

It was overcast and cool on the Peak this morning, with the cold front still a few hours out in the West.   The snow pack had not frozen overnight, and the grooming job had left some beautiful granular corn on the machine worked runs.  With Peruvian Gulch a back country area, only minimal grooming had been done, though quite a bit more than I expected.  The lower third of the hill was not worked, so when I ventured off trail I had to deal with the week old surface, which tested my skills.  Below the top of the Gad Zoom Chair is also back country, but the grooming had been worked a bit more, and there was good coverage all the way to the skier’s bridge.  Mineral Basin was still covered, but the cold wind did not invite me to venture down there.  Regulator had that nice corn feel, with good traction and consistent sliding with no sticky spots.  There was a fair crowd, and the Tram was running back to back, however, it was tough to back to back the Tram with the care required to negotiate the lower mountain.   Despite the overcast skies, there was a festive mood, where everyone was still in spring skiing mode.  Here is a shot of the TUTU TWINS who were thrilled to be getting this late season goodness.  They surely brightened the day with these colorful threads and beaming smiles.  Tomorrow, look for a soggy morning as the forecast is for precipitation in the AM.  Look for some overnight accumulation as well.  Be sure to dress for cold and windy conditions, as well as having your goggles ready just in case.  See you in the AM for the continued Spring festivities.  IBBY!!

This week saw a significant melt off of the snow pack, which was quite evident on the lower mountain as I drove up today to get a first hand look.  From the Canyon Road it looked as though you can still reach the bottom, but there may be some gaps.  I was not able to get up higher to see first hand, but I am betting, with caution, it can be done.  Peruvian Gulch and the mountain below the top of the Gad Zoom Chair will be considered out of area, and will be marked as such.  Mineral Basin and the Little Cloud Chair will be in operation to keep you going on the higher elevations, and that will be the best conditions on the hill.  It looks as if some weather is moving into the area for the next few days so be sure to dress for some inclement conditions.  Temps. should be moderate, but not super warm, so check the morning temps before heading up.    I have missed the daily adventures on the hill, and I am looking forward to getting back on the hill.  I will have the first hand report tomorrow, so stay tuned.  Here is a shot of Timp. down, South taken from my sojourn to the Far reaches the other day just to see what I could see.  See you in the AM.  Ciao!!

Today’s offering was a gift to the Mothers who showed up for the spring festival.  It was very warm to start off the day, with Mineral Basin soft from the first bell, but the Peruvian Gulch was quite crispy, though tenderizing efforts had been employed on both sides of the hill.  Off the tenderized lines it was quite firm for the first hour, after which it started to break, offering that shaved velvet feel.  Regulator had been tenderized, and it had that cold granular consistency that felt great, but the underlying firmness kept you on your toes until the thaw hit.  The coverage remains very good with only some rock pockets appearing on the Cat Tracks as some of the rock faces begin to spall with the heating.   I quit for the day at Noon when it got too grabby for my knees, but the traffic increased steadily as folks came up to partake of the last day of the full service.  I will be getting the Trailer ready to go up to the High Desert in the next couple of weeks after we get through the next two weekend openings.  I will post on Thursday and give  you the low down on the conditions going into the weekend.  The next few days are supposed to approach 90 Degrees here in the Valley, so we will have to wait and see how it affects the snow pack.  Here is a shot of the Powder Mafia on the peak with me just before we rocked Regulator.  Those guys really know how to party and throw down a good time.  It is a party where ever they go.  Rock on guys and thanks for the LOBSTAH!!   Syrup won’t stop ‘EM!!!

The mountain opened at 8:00AM this morning to an enthusiastic turnout.  Mineral Basin was prime as the warm morning temps. kept the freeze from hitting too hard.  I hit the front of the hill where it was certainly crispy, however, tenderizing efforts had been employed to give some lines of traction, but it was going to take an hour to get good.  Just after 9:00AM. the goods got good, and the sorbet effect was kicking in.  Shaving off just a half or so of freshness was a corn sensation that was only going to hold up for a very short window.  I kept lapping the front of the hill, hitting both gulches, where the consistency was sweet and carvelicious.  It took a bit longer for Emma to hit the window, but when it did, I was thinking lower Tri Chute apron good.  You just have to use your imagination, but it was that good.  Thanks Cat Crew.   Once again I took a quick time out to hit the Forklift Chair to let that window open.  Tomorrow, look for a similar timing on the break, excellent corn goodness during the window, and a really nice day of spring skiing no matter when you arrive.  Here is a shot of the Powder Mafia and the Jort ski crew getting together to salute the King of Rock.  Lake Effect was playing on the Plaza and was a lot of fun.  See  you there for the fun in the early AM!!