Another delightful festival of corn goodness greeted the folks who showed up for the beautiful morning. I made bee line for the lower Bassakward line to get the fresh tracks that waited there. It was absolutely perfect deep sugar, that just felt exquisite with each deeply dialed in turn. Higher up on the hill, the break was already happening, with the groomed lines offering sorbet quality. I could not help but compare the conditions to some of the great back country corn I have had in the past. Here is a shot of Pipeline Bowl, with the Rasta Chutes looking fun and tasty. With the warm temps of the last couple of days, some of the lines that would usually be avoided have been attracting a lot of attention, as they are steep, direct, and quickly accessible. Here is a shot of the high amplitude interference patterns along the Little Cloud Sign Line looking formidable indeed. I liked the early morning Sun on the faces of this feature. The conditions held up the nice quality until around Noon, when it became a bit too thick for my knees. I left the hill to the capable folks who were working every aspect of the available terrain. Tomorrow, the snow is still holding up at the very bottom, and ski on access to the chair is no problem thanks to the fine snow farming efforts of the Cat Crew. The weather promises to cooperate for the last day. Conditions should be best for the first 3 hours or so, but the fun lasts all day. See you for the morning session. See the Line, Be the Line!!
Archive for May, 2016
BEAUTIFUL MORNING
5-28-16
It was a beautiful morning, with the snow just hitting perfect right off the bat. Only Regulator needed an hour or so to get prime. I worked a couple laps down low to get that Lower Bassakwards line that is always perfect and buffed, and this morning was no exception. Up high, Mark Malu was also offering a sorbet feel and I was dialing back the roll to extract as much juice from each turn I could. It had that back country quality that made me imagining I was out in the high reaches of White Pine. Here is a shot of the Dead End Chute looking super PHAT!The off trail was soft and workable, though the Rasta Chutes seemed a bit punchable, so I just stayed down lower and hit Hoopies just to check out the exposure. Up on the top of the Little Cloud Chair, the view was incredible and friends were streaming by as I took it all in. Here is a shot of Team Turville, with Toad Hill out in Mineral Basin as a back drop. They were so stoked to be up here for the great conditions. Some folks are shooting a movie, so there are some tantalizing features being built, but they are not for local consumption. Here is a shot of two guys putting the touches on a landing zone for a huge off the lip move. I forget what the Movie they are making is called, but there should be some very big moves on these features. We’ll just have to see. Tomorrow, look for more great conditions, but we will have to see what the weather will offer for the morning session. There is still plenty of snow to get to the bottom, with some creative snow farming being performed by the Cat Crew. See you there for the opening bell. Straight Ahead!!
SLEEPER SURPRISE
5-27-16
It was a murky morning as the clouds hung on the peak as the showers were moving through. Up on the hill, the folks who turned out were treated to a nice surprise as the clouds moved off and left Sun shinning on a very smooth snow surface, with a few inches of late Spring accumulation covering the goods. There were rave reviews coming down about how good it was. Jones Malone got this great shot of Regulator that is as good as it gets, just in a different type of perfect. I was amazing how smooth the surface got in just the last week. The folks who got the first of this were some of the luckiest folks of the season. Here is a look into Mineral Basin that has incredible cover. Needless to say, the conditions up on the hill will be very good for the morning session. There is snow access all the way to the bottom and right on the chair. Neil sent that last shot, and took this shot of the coiled old track cable that they will truck down this Summer. I am looking forward to this weekend, and hope to see you out there on the hill. I think the weather will cooperated for the morning session, but the unstable air pattern is bound to send a couple impulses through. Stay Frosty!!
STILL SNOWING
5-22-16
After a long week of dealing with the Dark Matter Wars that are continually on going, I was finally able to get up on the hill to make a few turns. The snow was falling briskly as the first chairs were loading, and the visibility was not too bad to with some promising breaks in the clouds. I went to the top of the Little Cloud chair, where I found the Groomers to be smooth and dialable, though the off trail was looking very difficult with the old frozen layer lying underneath the new accumulation. Here is a shot of the snow falling as I made my way to the lifts. Over on Gad 2, the lines were much softer, with the lower elevations offering silky smooth sugar that felt sumptuous. I was dialing in as many turns as possible to extract as much of the deluxe feel as I could get. The melt off has been significant during the last week despite the overcast that has hung on the hill every day. Still, there was plenty of snow to ski right on the lift at the bottom. There is still plenty of cover on the upper elevations, but we will have to wait and see what the week brings as far as melt off on the bottom. I return to further missions in the Dark Matter Wars this week, where I will deal sternly with the encroaching Archonic forces that have been relentless in creating havoc in and around this Solar System. No worries, as we are invincible and it is only a matter of TIME after all. Syrup Won’t Stop ‘EM!!
WARM TEMPS.
5-14-16
Very warm temps. and bright Sun opened the day, with a full break on the pack, and the high West facing aspects still crispy to start. Tenderizing effort had been employed on Regulator, but it still needed some time to soften up. Gad 2 offered a fresh till on Gadzooks, that felt smooth and corny, with very well developed corn down lower on Lower Bassakwards that felt delightful on those first two runs. Light traffic was happening for the first hour, but a lot of folks were showing up in droves after 10:00AM. Here is a great shot of two folks who were styling some serious flair for the Spring conditions. Offerings off the Road to Provo were excellent, with the Rasta Chutes soft and playable, though they did get a bit worked yesterday, so the smoothness factor was missing. When Regulator broke, the consistency was smooth and tasty, making numerous laps there the call before it went too far to the soft side. On the lower mountain, the sticky factor was an issue, so staying up high was the call. A couple of dry spots cropped up on the very lowest line on the hill, but there is plenty of room to bypass that small bit of melt off. Still, coverage remains excellent top to bottom. Tomorrow, look for some weather to be moving in as the High slides off and a Low approaches. I hope to see the Sun for the morning session before the clouds build in, so we’ll see. Warm temps. will be still in effect, so the pack will be soft to begin and not last long down low. See you there for the Spring turns. See the Line, Be the Line!!
SORBET MORNING
5-13-16
Perfect sorbet was the feature of today’s offerings up on the hill, as the overnight temps only firmed up the pack instead of a full freeze. Only the due West facing aspects were full on crispy, but the rest of the hill was perfect right to the top. Here is a shot of Regulator taken from the top of the Gad 2 Chair where we found excellent turns down a freshly buffed Zooks. Warm morning temps. guaranteed that the goods were not going to last long, but that hard freeze on the high West facing aspects extended the quality past Noon. Here is a shot of Zooks which was as good as it gets, I don’t care what other kinds of perfect there are. This offering, and the rest of the morning session, was as good as a powder day in terms of exquisite quality. I was dialing back the roll to dial in maximum turns from each run, which I was pretending was hard earned back country corn. Here is a great shot of Jones Malone, who was digging thegoodness with me all morning long. I have been skiing with him for 40 years now, and he skis better today than when he was a kid; A full on ripper. Mark Malu and the entire area accessed from the Road to Provo was also just off the charts great, with the off trail offering perfect consistency, which I found surprising. I kept lapping those line combinations out there for the second part of the morning. Regulator was the last to break which offered more perfect consistency for the early partakers. Here is a shot of TEAM BEER, who were sampling the sorbet and champagne that was being served up today. Tomorrow, look for another excellent morning of sorbet goodness, as the warming air temps. will not provide a hard freeze overnight. Opening turns will be good to go and will offer the great conditions of today tomorrow. Be there early to get the goods, as the lower elevations do not last long and get sticky around 10:30AM. Coverage is excellent top to bottom, with no bare spots to be seen. There is plenty of cover at the base elevation as well with no issues getting to the chair. See you there early for the morning laps. Syrup Won’t Stop ‘EM!!
STORMY DAY
5-08-16
A snowy day was on tap for the last day of the regular season. Rain was pattering on the skin of the Trailer all night, and when I got up and looked at the Snow Cams on the Bird site I decided to pass on the day. FB posts of the day looked very snowy and foggy, but spirits were high and the folks who were in attendance looked like they were having a good time. Cold temps. made dressing for storm riding a must. Yesterday, I was very under dressed, so I appreciated that a return to a Winter condition was in effect. Here is a great shot of Dave and Ed sporting the spirit of the King on such a snowy day. Great to see you rocking the snow in full regalia. Thanks for such a great Crusty Fest last night. I would give a word on tomorrow, but that will not happen as there is no lift service until next Friday. I will post going into the Weekend, but I have been called back into service fighting the Dark Matter Wars, which is ongoing, and which I had hoped not to be redeployed, but someone has to do it, so I will soldier on. Syrup Won’t Stop ‘EM!!
SPRING SHOWERS
5-07-16
Temps. were fairly brisk as the early chairs were filled with the assembled early risers. The pack was fairly crispy, especially above the mid mountain elevations. Clouds were hugging the Twins, but the visibility was good, however there was a cold wind blowing that left me under dressed for sure. I found a bit of a break below the Mid Mountain restaurant, and followed that line to the bottom, taking advantage of the low angle lines that had been ignored. As the morning progressed, the festive feel began to arrive on the hill as well as more softening of the pack. Since the Tram was not running, Lexi was on hand with here Red Tram cohort to keep the vibe alive. I had made the morning laps and was waiting for the Skiing Elvi who were on the way. Here they are in full regalia, ready to take on the corn goodness that was waiting for them on the hill. They are a great group of folks, who really get into the spirit of the season. I forget how many seasons they have celebrated this tradition, but I always look forward to their arrival on the hill. Rock On gang!! Tomorrow, look for more unsettled weather. The temps. have fallen in general in the past day, so I expect the pack to be fairly crispy to start off the day. The pack is still holding up, with only the fringes becoming a bit thin, but the main runs are full on good to go. I will have to look at the weather and decide about weather to make it up in the AM. Stay Frosty!!
WEEKEND WEATHER
5-06-16
Thunder and lightning were resounding early this morning, with some serious showers pounding the Trailer. The temps. were still quite warm in the Valley, so there was not going to be much of a freeze up on the hill with all that cloud cover. The showers moved off as the lifts opened, and the pack was already for a sorbet delight right out of the Chute. The Sun would make an appearance from time to time, but clouds would fill in and keep moving through throughout the day, until around 2:00PM. when the rain began to fall. Traffic was very light, and I was one of the folks who did not make an appearance today due to the looks of the sky. I took the opportunity to clear some of the broken and dead fronds of this Bamboo patch that grows here next to the Trailer along the corral fence. The heavy snow of the Winter put the hurt on some of the fronds, but as you can see this grove is looking quite luxurious. Tomorrow, look for more showers to be moving in and out during the day, but, like today, some Sun make peak through the clouds now and again. With the warm Southerly flow, the pack should be ready to go for the opening bell. Those smooth freshly tilled lines are going to be perfect. The higher elevations may be a bit more frozen, but lower on the hill should be good to go. These are the last couple of days of the regular season, so be there for the smooth carving. Peace Out!!
CORN SENSATION
5-05-16
Clouds threatened to darken the morning, but moved off, letting the Sun shine on the dance floor for the morning session. With a base temp. of 53 Degrees, it was slightly warmer than yesterday, and the freeze was not nearly as deep. Sorbet goodness was going off on the lower elevations of the hill, so the Morning Crew stuck with the Zoom, Gad 2 laps while the higher elevations began to break. Once again, Gadzooks had been given a fresh till, which felt great for those early turns before the warming made it all too soft. Later, around 11:30 AM., the upper elevations began to break, with some nicely tilled lines offering smooth sorbet goodness. Here is a shot of Regulator from the top of Mark Malu, which still had not quite broken and a solitary snowboarder, who we saw having a tough time on the Cat Track, is seen here doing a slide for life on the yet unbroken line. Not to worry, he got up and shook off the dust and kept going. After Noon, staying up high was the call to avoid the sticky factor going on down low. Tomorrow, look for another day of corn goodness, though the sky may be a bit more overcast as a weather system is moving in. There will be stout South winds associated with the approach, and there may be some snow in the mix. We will just have to see how it all shakes out. Coverage remains excellent top to bottom with no thin spots anywhere. IBBY!!!!