It was a clear cold morning with some light wind stroking the hill and moving some of the goods hither and yon.  Wind lines were beginning to manifest, with a few of the big drops offering supportable wind slab sections that kept you going back for more.  Mineral Basin was offering that nice bright Sunshine that helped take some of the sting out of the cold morning air.  The Groomers back there were the perfect place to try out a new pair of skis and lay down some trenches in the perfect carpet surface.  The front of the hill was offering smooth lines with the off trail sections still holding up, but a low amplitude rumble continues to be widespread.  The wind did a lot to fill in the troughs, making new lines appear as the day progressed.  I am always looking for the smooth.  Here is a shot of some of the goodness still waiting in the wings for another day.  Tomorrow, look for continued cold conditions, great Corduroy, early morning Sun in Mineral Basin, and fairly light traffic after a night of New Year’s festivities.  I expect the traffic to increase later as folks get moving, but the morning session should be fun and fast.  There was a wild cloud formation that formed over the the Mineral Basin that looked a bit like an old timey Flash Gordon type space ship.  It was there only for a minute at best.  It was leaving a nice vapor trail behind it.  One might think I used Photo Shop for this shot, but I assure you that is NOT the case, as evidenced by this shot of the same cloud taken by my buddy Neil when he was out in the Basin at the same time I was taking this.   A very sychronisitous series of events placed me at the peak to get my shot off, and it seems just as sychronisitous that Neil took this one as it was such a momentary manifestation.

Who knows, who knows!!  It could have been THEM, but remember;  Syrup won’t stop ‘ EM!!!

There was a cold mist hanging in the air this morning, with very cold temps. and clearing skies.  The wind was up, but seemed to be blowing hard on the very high peaks, leaving Hidden Peak only being grazed by the flow.  It was wise to dress for the conditions, with any exposed skin at extreme risk of frost bite.  Here is a shot of a gentleman that was sporting a full on face mask to deal with the elements.   The wind had transported the new snow here and there, with the Groomers being covered with a silken dust that made it feel smooth and soft.  The quasi light of the early morning Sun, mixed with some high clouds, made the visibility very flat, and the details very difficult to discern.  Off trail,  soft lines were everywhere with not much in the way of slab development.  This cold air is preserving the quality of the product, keeping it from going South during the day.  That is what makes this time of the year so special.  Tomorrow, look for continued cold weather with the wind still working the hill.  The Groomers will again be offering stellar quality that will let you slide with unmitigated audacity.  That is a treat that can’t be beat.  Off trail will still be soft, though there is some low amplitude rumble developing with the holiday traffic.  The high traffic areas are building the interference patterns, but the cadence is easy to keep.  The Exotic Trees are becoming more approachable with the new snow pack, and the underlying Gnar well covered for the most part, but do not let your guard down.  See you there for some of the morning laps.  I am bringing out the new skis now, as it is time.  Speed Safely!!

Snow fell all night long and it continued to fall all day long as today was one of the days that everyone dreams of getting.  Mineral Basin opened up, where very deep and luxurious Essence made the turns feel all floaty and sweet.  The bottom was not as much of a factor as yesterday.  The faithful were in full attendance, but the uphill capacity kept things going, however, with the freshness, the Mineral Basin Express backed up for a while.  High Baldy opened as well, where epic depth and consistency made that area one to write home about.  The conditions are hitting all time quality, with all your favorite lines good to go.  There are still areas that are still closed, but they will be open just as soon as the conditions allow.  All this is waiting in the wings.  That give me something to dream about.  Of course, my dreams have been coming true with this cycle as it demonstrates that you have to watch out for what you wish.  In this case it is very GOOD!!  Here is a shot of the Powder Goddess Altaria blowing the wish into the Materium last week.  Your wish is her command.  Tomorrow, look for amazing quality on the Groomers, continued soft snow off trail, and much colder temps as the cold air mass sinks into the area.  There is also heavy East Wind associated with the storm moving East, so some of those exposed aspects may be quite wind affected.  With the clearing skies, you might be able to see the affected areas just by looking at them, but there is no way to really know till you go.  We are full on in the Snow Zone, so be here for the goodness.  Dress for cold!!!!   See you in the AM for the next dance.  Stay Frosty!!

This morning was a bit warmer, with wind and snow causing some very challenging visibility issues all day long.  The front of the hill was offering 6 or 7” of freshness to cover the dance floor, but the bottom was fully in play.  Staying with the know smooth lines helped with the consistency.  Low angle seemed best as the 6% product provided a bit of cushion, but did not fully buffer the crunch.  Out in Mineral Basin, a full on white out was going on, and, of course, I had to see what was going on out there just for fun.  If you could  have seen back there it would have looked like this, but It was all you could do to make out any detail at all.  The Lewis and Clark section was fully knee deep and therewas no one around, so we kept lapping that low angle powder bonanza for much of the morning before hitting the Forklift Chair to recoup some equilibrium and compare notes on different aspects that were coming back from seekers who had been far and wide.   Here is a shot of Desmond Trunch, who was sporting this fashion forward one piece suit for the deep conditions. Looks cozy in there.   Seriously heavy snow fall began to dump around Noon that sent the visibility on the front of the hill into the marginal zone, so I bailed on the day at 1:30PM to make my way down a very greasy Canyon.  Tomorrow, look for a Canyon closing to delay the early morning ride up to the hill.  It should be real deep, with snow continuing all day long with possible Lake Effect kicking in.  Be aware of buried features underneath the new snow, but all the lines are looking fat and getting fatter by the day.  I felt I was finally able to throw down a full on fall line assault on some of the lines that I had been hedging on in past days.  It felt great to uncork the power into the fresh accumulation.  This is it!! See you there when I can get up for the full Powder experience.   Syrup won’t stop ‘ EM!!

It was a clear cold blue bird morning as the Tram hit the peak.  Mineral Basin was calling with bright Sun, however, the wind had blown out most of Powder Paradise, leaving it wind slabbed and difficult.  Other exposures back there were favored and offered some soft boot top deep goodness.  Today was my first Lewis and Clark sojourn that was quiet and fluffy.  Nicely Groomed lines made it feel luxurious.  Here is a shot of Timp. in the distance with the Sunday Cliffs up close and personal.  The coverage back there is excellent and so much more trustworthy than just a few days ago.  There are still  a few high points that should be skirted, but by and large it is go time back there.  Fairly light traffic kept the lifts line free and the Tram moved the folks up as fast as they came down.  Nice flow overall.  On the Front of the hill, the Groomers were very nice, though they felt a bit firmer than just the other day.  Interference patterns are building rapidly in the high traffic areas, but there is plenty of smooth to go around if you look.  Lower Baldy opened with some very sumptuous snow that just felt like Winter had finally arrived. Tomorrow, look for the Groomers to be offering the ground pounding fun that you can get when you have this kind of product to work.  Off trail will still be soft, though there will be some wind affected lines that might be a bit grabby, with other lines soft and blastable.  The Middle Cirque is looking fat as well as the West facing, which is very doable now.  Dress for continued  cold, with snow showers building in all day long.  Traffic should still be moving around the hill quickly.  See you there for the morning vertical session.  IBBY!!

I stepped back through the Hyper Dimensional Portal to find myself amidst the horses in the corral just a few feet from the Trailer that was covered in very light Essence. The horses were quite perplexed at my sudden appearance.  Back here in the Wasatch, the goods were delivered in abundance for all the faithful who were waiting for things to kick in.  Temps have dropped, bringing some of the very light snow traveling on the Northwesterly flow over the lake, to drop lightly on the Front.  Nice touch.  Up on the hill, there had been additional accumulation overnight that was fluffulescent.  Having been off Planet for these past few days, and the Quantum Foam turbulence having kept me from posting, I will wait till tomorrow’s post to get the first hand look at the hill.  Here is a shot that my buddy Neil sent of his peak experience the other day.  That is post card perfect.  Folks have been asking me if I thought that it was going to be getting good after the first weeks of training conditions.  I always hold the Promise of the Wasatch in my mind, and it seems like we have been gifted indeed.  Tomorrow, look for some light overnight accumulation, cold temps, awesome conditions and  fairly busy traffic.  I anticipate all of the aspects that are open to be soft and good to go.  Be sure to use the lift system to optimize the uphill pace.  The High Speed lifts have changed the game plan wall to wall.  See you there for the early turns.   Peace Out!!

The road was open earlier than  I expected and I was able to drive right up, no problem.  The faithful were there, and on the way to sample some of what Mother Nature provided.   There was  a delay in the opening of the hill for control work and here is a shot of the faithful looking at the goods and dreaming the dreams.    The heavy density early snow was covered by a medium density cold snow that felt like silk on off trail sections, which were very well covered by this new installment.  Take a look at this shot of  Lower Silver Fox and see how fat it is now.  I did not look like this the other day, but it is looking fat and fun now.  The hill was getting worked over very quickly, but it seemed to hold up nicely, with a soft silky feel.  Tomorrow, look for more of the mountain to be opened and excellent conditions wall to wall.   Care still needs to be taken, but the cover is getting good enough to let fly.  I am getting my new Dynastar Shams waxed up to try out on this new surface.   I will be entering the Dimensional Portal to another part of the Galaxy for the next few days, meaning that I might not be able to break through the Quantum Foam to post.  I will try my best.  New snow coming for the holiday. These are the best days of the season and the snow stays good all day.  Speed Safely!!!

After a late Canyon opening and a full on powder panic, the Bird was not going to open for the day due to the wild blizzard that has been raging for the past couple of days.  Ultra high moisture content, combined with powerful winds, made for some dangerous conditions.   We all have been focusing of getting snow on the hill, and we are getting it in spades.  The wind was just ferocious and you could tell from the deck you did not want to be hanging on a chair in those conditions.  I rode the Forklift Chair until the road cleared out and did some shopping.  This snow is going to really set the base up for what is yet to come, as there is much more in the forecast through the Christmas weekend.  With the last ergs of energy in my camera’s battery I was able to get this marginal shot of the faithful lined up for the Canyon opening.  It is hard to tell, but the line extends way down around that last corner and beyond.  Pent up demand!!The Canyon will be closed again in the morning, so lay back and drink some coffee while everything gets sorted out.  A big thanks to all the folks on the hill who were working their tails off trying to get things open.  The Staff at the Forklift were really doing a nice job dealing with full house pressure.  Thanks gang, the breakfast was great.  When you do get up on the hill, expect some challenging snow conditions that have been whipped by the wind.  The high moisture content will make the new snow tricky, but the Groomers should be really nice and consistent.  Off trail, much improved cover will open up lots of lines that I was avoiding and the interference patterns will be buried for a while.  There could also be some very nice wind slab that, perhaps, will be supportable.  I will be looking for those lines for nature’s finest buffage.  This is great, and those who were sweating if the conditions would be good for the Christmas vacation are now going to quite pleased.  See you when I get up there in the AM.  Stay Frosty!!

The rain was insistent with the patter on the Trailer a welcome sound that kept me sleeping deeply.  Up on the hill that translated into 4 or 5” of perfect Spackle on the hill.  This is exactly what we needed to receive to build the base and put the rocks well underneath the pack.  The wind was howling and it was seriously dumping, but the Tram was operating all morning long.  Regulator was the only run open off the peak, but the other chairs in the Gad Valley were offering access to the freshness.  The high moisture content made it a very wet day to ski, though it was not raining, you almost needed a Bagner to stay dry.  Harbor chop built up quickly on the main runs, making a slow and careful line through the variations advisable  to avoid being beat up by the rumble in the very poor visibility.  The Peruvian side of the hill remained closed for the day, and the Tram closed due to high winds in the early afternoon.  I bailed to beat the Canyon conditions that were deteriorating quickly.  Tomorrow, expect the Canyon to be closed for control work in the AM, so check the Bird Site for updates. This weather system is predicted to continue through tomorrow, bringing additional accumulation all day.  Be sure to dress for chair riding in case the Tram is delayed.  The conditions are a real Holiday Present for all of us, and the hill will now be good to go wall to wall as soon as it begins to open up.  I will be bringing out the new skis now, and heading out to everywhere.   Here is a shot of some of the Santas that were converging on the hill in a display of holiday fun. It reminds me of the spring time Running of the Elvi.  This was just one group of Santas that were making the scene on the Plaza.   While I was riding the Forklift Chair, Scuba Santa walked in to get some breakfast.  Here is a great shot of him just after he shook off all the snow that covered him.  That is one jolly elf.  Tomorrow it will be time to begin the process of troweling the new product into the hill, so be prepared to get this new Essence on you.  See you for the fun when the Canyon opens.  IBBY!!!

The hill was overcast this morning as the weather is just beginning to move into the area.  A light snow fell on and off and the visibility remained variable.  Groomers were offering the best consistency, but the off trail is becoming much more approachable with each additional installment.  It is great to have all the new terrain to peruse and ply in advance of more snow.  At least we will get a good look at the lines for when the goods are filling the dance floor.   Weather forecast is still looking good as I write this, with the clouds beginning to lower in the West.  That is a good sign.  Here is a shot I took the other day when the sky was ultra Blue with these frosted over branches looking cool in the sharp contrast.   I just had to stop and take this shot.  Tomorrow, look for weather to be a factor as the system should be well ensconced by tomorrow, with precipitation lasting through Monday.   I am expecting this to put a totally new face on the hill and all areas will need to be re scouted for accuracy.  I will be going out and about with more confidence now that there will be some much needed frosting to spread around.   I will be back with a first hand look tomorrow after my day of rest and watching the Utes work the magic.  Go Utes!!!!