Light snow was falling on the hill this morning and the clouds were hanging low, making the visibility a tad flat. There was a half inch of Essence covering the dance floor wall to wall. I started out the day by hitting the Peruvian Gulch to get as much of the untracked corduroy as possible. That half inch offered and extra helping of soft and it was silent running top to bottom. Out in Mineral Basin, visibility was tricky up high, but as you dropped in elevation it became much better and it was like a private resort back there. Here is a shot of the Sun and clearing skies moving slowly in our direction. The skies cleared off and it became a blue bird day with great snow everywhere you looked. I stopped in to The Summit and checked out a Slab O ZZah, with Elizabeth serving up the goods, and good they are!! Traffic was light all day and back to back Trams were easy and fast to make. As the Sun was warming the air, some of the aspects began to become manky and the lower elevations started to feel sticky, but the consistency was good so it really did not matter. Here are two of my most favorite people, who I ran into while at The Summit. It is so fun to run into folks who I have not seen in a long time. Tomorrow, look for a stormy day with precipitation settling in for the next couple of days. The hill is remarkably smooth overall, and only the most heavily traveled lines are hosting interference patterns. Thank you to the team at Mystic Media for working under the hood of the site so I can post photos again. Thanks guys. Don’t Forget To SIZZLE!!

A high cloud deck filtered the morning Sun making for a quasi sunny morning. You could see your shadow and the details were easy to see. Mineral Basin was offering amazing carpets of AHHHH, and the Lewis and Clark explorations were empty and rockin’ for the first hour. On the front of the hill, the Cat Crew did a great job of freshening the smooth lines they put up yesterday. I had to lap that Peruvian side of the hill to get the big steep drops that were so perfectly prepared. The Sun did come out full force later in the day, but it did not do too much damage to the pack, leaving the goods smooth and silky well into the late afternoon. Regulator was also sporting some incredible velvety smoothness that kept me doing laps there as I wrapped up the day to get all I could before the next cycle begins. Here is a shot of the trees flocked with the Essence! Tomorrow, look for more smooth cruising on still silky smooth machine worked lines. We will have to see how the sky looks, but the real weather is still a day away. All the off trail lines are still holding soft snow on all aspects, but don’t push your luck on those due South exposures. I am still working out my site issues, so stay tuned. I will try and back load the photos would have put up when I get it fixed. Stay Tuned!!

The conditions were amazing wall to wall, and stayed great all day long. Cool morning temps. kept the Sun from morphing the new snow, leaving all the leftovers as good as ever. All the closed areas opened in turn, offering quality that is picture perfect. Powder Paradise, Bookends,and Sunday Cliffs began the morning festivities. I opted to work the Lewis and Clark lines that were being generally ignored. The front of the hill was offering excellent lines, with Lower Primrose Path getting the first of the season grooming call. I had to work that numerous times while it was still smooth and silky. The Road to Provo was opened as well, offering more of the same exquisite cold smoke that got worked over in minutes. It did not really matter what line you hit today, as the conditions were soft and picture perfect wall to wall. I even hit a line I have been bypassing all season, finding it, now, smooth and well covered after this cycle. The Exotic Trees were a feature that opened lastly, and it was smooth, deep, and wide open all the way to the top of the Baby Thunder Chair. Tomorrow, look for more soft snow, especially on the High North aspects, killer groomers top to bottom, and, I am willing to bet, a fresh buff on the lower Primrose Path. There are so many good lines now it is just a matter of how ambitious you are, however, great lines are close at hand and you do not have to go far to find the goods. I am still having problems with the visual media, but I am back piling the photos and will start adding them to the mix when I get it up again. IBBY!!

More freshness fell overnight, and it was snowing for most of the day off and on. The Faithful were in full attendance for the festivities and they were not disappointed, with plenty of soft deep snow to explore wall to wall. Areas opened as the mitigation work was completed, but I avoided the push for the first tracks and went looking around to get a better feel for how the hill has changed with all the new Essence. The Junior Freeride Comp was being held on Silverfox and it was interesting watching the kids throw down some amazing lines. Though the harbor chop began to develop, it was easy to work through with a long round approach, so as to not get worked by the rapid variations. The snow did remain soft and blastable, and it stayed good to go top to bottom. Here is a bit of whimsicality in honor of the Irish. Tomorrow, look for a sunny day, with cool morning temps. The Groomers will offer the perfect carpets to explore your inner Ligety. There are still a couple of areas that are still waiting in the wings, so keep an eye out for some additional openings. The hill is in great shape wherever you go, so get after it and go to the places you may have not yet visited. There are a few areas I will be getting out to now that the cover is ample. I am still having issues posting photos, but I will get it worked out soon. See you there for the morning fun fest. See the Line, BE the Line!!

More of the Winter Snow Vibrations moved into the Front overnight and kept coming all day long. With a fresh installment covering the hill, The Faithful were treated to more of what this cycle has bringing. The quality was excellent and, on top of what has fallen in the last days, conditions are full on wall to wall. Last night was another of Kazoodi’s epic Pizza Tasting Parties that included some very exotic offerings. Here is a shot of Chef Mikey M as he prepares one of the designer pies he has made especially for the occasion. Tomorrow, look for more snow to have been added to the hill overnight. The hill is in good shape and anywhere you choose to go will be rewarded with goodness. I will be back on the hill tomorrow and will be looking around to see how it is all shaking out. Stay Frosty!!

It was a clear cold morning with a touch of wind working the ridge tops. On the hill, the Groomers were off the chart smooth, with that perfect density of the last installment. The leftover sections opened, with incredible powder that, if you tried to describe it, would seem like an exaggeration, yet it was all real. Here is a shot of Mikey M on Baldy getting the powder blast that came with every turn. The air stayed cold despite the Sun, which kept the quality nicely refrigerated, however, there were aspects that were affected and became a tad manky, but they were isolated and the hill remained soft and smooth all day long. This last installment really helped out the conditions in a big way, with the higher density followed up by the lighter density Essence that fell overnight. Tomorrow, look for the storm to begin moving in. Traffic will probably be quite brisk, so work the chair options to get up the hill faster. I did that yesterday when the Tram backed up, and it was quick and fast to the top. Look for the Groomers to be offering the best smooth lines that will let you dial in that inner Ligety. As a parting shot, I off this unusual shot of the Powder Bird landing on the ridge during an epic day with Wasatch Powderbird Guides. I was very honored to be included on this day of a lifetime. I will be taking the day off tomorrow, so enjoy the incoming storm. Don’t Forget To SIZZLE!!

When I left the hill yesterday, there was thunder snow happening that put the lifts on hold. When I got down to The Trailer, the sound of the pounding rain on the skin of The Trailer was thunderous. This morning on the hill, revealed a high density coating of Spackle that smoothed out all the rumble, filled in much of the interference patterns, and cushioned the substrate to a degree that it was no longer in play. What a treat to have the hill prepped and primed for the next part of this cycle. The hill opened up and there were amazing lines of floaty goodness that were just delightful. Here is a shot of Brian Beck getting the full effect out on The Keyhole. As the day wore on, the cut up snow was still blastable and resisted the harbor chop stage. Everywhere I went I found smooth feeling lines that had been filled in by the snow and wind. Here is another shot of Brian Beck, taken and sent by Mikey M., getting some air into a fully filled and smooth upper entrance into Great Scott. THAT is the money run of the season, as that entrance has been dodgy all season and here it is full and fantastic. Tomorrow, look for a bit more snow overnight, with some Sun poking out now and again. It would be good if the Sun stayed shrouded to keep the pack fresh… We’ll see. The hill is in great shape and there are still some fresh lines waiting in the wings. It will be a great day for snow sport sliding. Stay Frosty!!

Strong storm vibrations were evident out ahead of this incoming storm cycle. There was fairly good visibility for the first hour, however the details on the carpet where hard to discern. There was a dusting all over the hill from a flash flurry that passed early, leaving smooth carpets of AHHHH for the early laps. Regulator was in good shape as a nice till had been worked and that dust just set that pitch off in spades. Mineral Basin became clearer after the clouds moved out and The Morning Crew worked the Lewis and Clark lines to take advantage of the brief window. Flurries moved in and the clouds lowered, making the visibility marginal, with rain falling on the last 150′ of vertical. As the temps. dropped the lower elevations got a tad squirly, and I bagged it to get some things done here at The Trailer. Here is a shot of Team Schenk, who were stopping in at The Summit to recharge for the afternoon session. They are all avid readers of the site and it was so fun to meet them and share the stoke. Tomorrow, look for storm riding, with some fresh Essence overnight. The off trail will be improving with the new cushion, but the rumble will still be in the mix here and there. This looks like a very exciting cycle and anything can happen, we’ll just have to wait and see. Check the road report in the AM. Speed Safely!

It was a warmer day as the South wind was keeping the temps. balmy, which is not to say that it didn’t freeze overnight…. it did. However, Mineral Basin was offering nicely machine worked lines that were dialable and had plenty of tooth to arc some righteous turns. Lewis and Clark was like a private resort, with no one around for the morning session. On the front side of the hill, Regulator was very crispy and needed some time to break. The Peruvian side of the hill had a more chalky feel, but the lower elevations were quite stiff to begin. The one shining pitch on the lower mountain was Lower Chips Face, which was offering a smooth tilled surface that made me think of that steep pitch in White Pine when you are shaving crystals off the surface. Magical. Here is a shot of the dappled light on Powder Paradise taken from the top of Baldy Express. I was driving with the top down from the word GO and the day kept warming up nicely. Regulator broke around Noon, offering a Spring like feel with smooth machine worked lines that made me think of Red Baldy’s West face. The lower mountain softened as well and by 1PM. there was a chiffon feel to the pack that made dialing in deep turns a real treat. Here is a shot of two of the industrial smoothers parked on the peak. It is fun to get up close and personal with these machines and think about how nicely the operators work the hill for our shredding pleasure. Tomorrow, look for the incoming weather to make itself known as clouds, wind, and some flurries are expected ahead of the big installment that is waiting to unload. The pack will be crispy and the light will be marginal. The Promise Of The Wasatch is about to be kept, so get ready for a big cycle. Syrup Won’t Stop ‘EM!!

After yesterday afternoon’s warm temps. and a fair overnight freeze, the hill was a tad crispy this morning. Mineral Basin was offering the best lines for the opening bell and the corduroy was smooth and consistent, but there was a definite float to the lines that kept you honest. The Morning Crew made several laps out there to take advantage of the Sun, warmth, and open lines that made it feel like a private resort. Here is a shot of the Morning Crew at The Landing. On the front of the hill, Regulator needed a lot more time to soften as the Sun rose up over the ridge. The Peruvian Gulch was holding the most dry chalk, so I stayed with the peripheral Cat passes to get the untracked corduroy that was being neglected. The off trail is getting more solid as days pass and the high frequency rumble makes you keep turning to smooth the ride. With the warm temps., a Spring like feel to the air is evident and here is a shot of The Jersey Boys sporting a whimsical look for such a nice day. Tomorrow, look for another crispy morning, as today’s warm temps. and direct Sun got to the exposed pack and will be very tricky in the AM. Stay with the tilled lines for the best consistency. Mineral Basin will be offering the Sun and the first break in the pack. Even warmer temps. are predicted for the day, and I am looking forward to driving with the top down again as I did today. The High North is still holding the cold dry off trail lines as they did not get too affected by the Sun or warmth. See you there for the morning corduroy goodness. IBBY!!