The corduroy was fast and fresh this morning, but attention to aspect was key in working the hill. Mineral Basin was offering the goods to kick off the day, and The Morning Crew pounded out a couple of fast laps back there before breaking out to seek different lines for the morning recon meeting at the Forklift. Regulator was a tad crispy to start out the day, after yesterday’s Sun had worked the pack. The off trail pack is beginning to solidify, with the High North still holding the dry chalky feel, and the direct Sun aspects absorbing the Sun’s rays. KJ and Harry Caston were on deck and stoked to get to the fresh lines in Mineral Basin. Harry, is the father of Marcus and Rose Caston, both of whom are bringing the Art Of The Turn back to skiing. Tomorrow, look for another great day of ground pounding fun, shaving the nap off the untracked corduroy. Be sure to keep aspect in mind as you plan your day, with Mineral Basin offering the best fresh carpets of Hydro Velvet for the early morning laps. All sides of the hill are offering great smooth groomers, but let Regulator soften a bit before hitting it too hard. Again, those High North lines will be offering the dry chalky feel since it is still Winter despite the nice warm days. I was driving with the top down all afternoon and it was a real treat. As a parting shot, I offer this view of Boundary Bowl looking exquisite in it’s untrammeled purity. That big Sun Dog I saw the other day promises changes in the weather as we dive into another Nevada Low. See the Line, BE the Line!!!
Archive for March, 2018
BONUS SUN
3-10-18
With a forecast of overcast skies as a front was moving in out of the North, the weather never materialized and we got a Bonus Sun day out of the deal. The Groomers were offering the goods with perfect corduroy that is still holding up as the snow has yet to be deeply affected by the Sun. Mineral Basin was good to go, with fun and fast buffed lines that were smooth and silky. The Lewis and Clark laps were vacant and let you dial it up and and dial in some serious edge angles. With total edge confidence, you can trust the surface to supply the needed traction to match the gravity. Here is a close up of the perfect nap that will let you explore your inner Ligety!! The day warmed up and the Sun did start working the direct aspects, which became a tad manky as the day wore on. Keep those aspects in mind for tomorrow, as they will not be the place to be when it has refrozen. Tomorrow, look for more great Groomers on all sides of the hill. Give Regulator a bit of time for the early runs till the Sun gets up over the ridge. The forecast is for a storm to be moving south of the Front, so I expect a nice morning, but do be prepared for some high overcast perhaps. Again, the Sun has been working the pack and keeping that in the back of your mind will help with line selection, especially in the AM. The High North aspects are still holding the cold dry chalk, so look there for the best quality. The hill is in great shape and there is a lot to chose from with such good cover. See you there for the early rippin’ lines with little to no traffic. Don’t Forget To SIZZLE!!
CARVING SMOOTH
3-09-18
It was a carving smooth morning with excellent machine worked runs on all sides of the hill. The Sun was working the Mineral Basin aspects early, and the smooth carpets over there kept the Morning Crew lapping the lines to get as much of the untracked corduroy as possible. On the Front of the hill, Peruvian Gulch was offering dry chalky carpets that were lightly covered with wind transported dust that added just a touch of luxury to each turn. Regulator came alive when the Sun came up over the ridge, and I took advantage of the thin dust covered goodness that lives on the fringes. Here is a shot of the East Twin that was looking mystical in the filtered afternoon light. The light was filtered by some high clouds that had moved in ahead of a front that will bring some quick changes for tomorrow. Tomorrow, look for that front to begin moving in and the visibility will be compromised a bit. Look to those Groomers for the spot on smoothness that will really help keep you going in the marginal light. That high frequency rumble still is widespread and the interference patterns are becoming more pronounced on those higher traffic lines. Work the chairs to keep moving up the hill if the Tram backs up in the AM. Dress for weather, but I don’t thing the temps. are going to fall too much, but I would be wearing my cold weather coat for the occasion. I will be taking the day off to rest up after a great week of snow sport sliding. The hill is in great shape and you will find good access to the more remote aspects. Stay Frosty!!
WARMING UP
3-08-18
The temps. are warming up, but I was still rockin’ a hat for the morning session as there still was a bit of a nip in the air. Once again, amazing Grooming efforts were on tap on all sides of the hill and all of them were good to go for the opening bell. Mineral Basin was offering the bright Sun and the silky corduroy was untracked and perfect. Lewis and Clark was being ignored by most of the early risers, so it felt like a private resort over on those wide open carpets of AHHHHH! A couple of explosive retorts in the morning air were mitigation efforts being performed on Twin Peaks. Here is a shot Mikey M took of the results hitting the apron. Light traffic kept the quality of the main lines very smooth and there were no hints of chop at all. Regulator was offering very sweet dust covered lines that held up even with all the traffic it gets off of the chair. Tomorrow, look for another great day of wall to wall ground pounding fun. The off trail is beginning to morph with the warming afternoon temps., so keep that in mind during aspect choice. The High North can be counted on for cold dry calk, and many lines are smoothing out a bit with the traffic. Keep an eye out on the ascent to get the best idea on what is going on. Coverage remains excellent, but care should be taken on the approach portion of the run as things change in a hurry. There ought to be plenty of untracked corduroy to explore your inner Ligety. Dial it up, Dail it in!!
CARPET CRUISIN’
3-07-18
It was wall to wall carpet crusin’ this morning on all sides of the hill after the Grooming Crew had lavished an extra helping of Love on the product. Mineral Basin was offering a bit warmer feel to the crisp nip of the morning air. We were taking advantage of all the un tracked corduroy that was spread out from one end of the hill to the other. And, with the low traffic, we were able to find fresh nap to shave wherever we found the fresh lines. I was able to get a totally untouched line of corduroy freshness at 10:45AM down the right side of Emma. What a treat so late in the AM. Here is a shot of Team Oklahoma. These ladies had never been to any mountains and they certainly came to the right place. When we got half way up they started to really GET IT. The hill held up well with the light traffic, and back to back Trams were easy and fast. The off trail is beginning to set up on those aspects that get the direct Sun, so begin to take that into consideration as the Sun is high in the sky now. High frequency, low amplitude rumble is widespread, with interference patterns becoming more well defined as those high traffic lines get worked over. Here is a shot of Team Powder Pigs, who are fellow veterans of the Dark Matter Wars. They continue to fight valiantly, but were able to spend some quality time here on the hill where Robot’s Rules Of Order do NOT apply. Tomorrow, look for another amazing morning of Hydro Velvet goodness. Soft lines can still be found on the High North off trail aspects, but be aware of the Sun and how it has been working the hill. Mineral Basin will be offering the Sun filled lines that will start the day off with a bang. Watch your SIX!
RIPPING LINES
3-06-18
The Grooming Crew put an extra helping of love on the hill this morning, with Hydro Velvet carpets that were wall to wall perfect. Mineral Basin was delayed, so the Morning Crew splintered off to check out a wider sampling of the day’s offerings. With the Sun high in the sky, now that we are getting further into the season, the cold morning air helped keep the pack fresh and refrigerated. When Mineral Basin opened, the wide open goodness was letting me explore my inner Ligety. Lewis and Clark had not been given the total treatment, but the off trail was still smooth and easy to negotiate. Here is a shot of the Twins standing in sharp contrast to the Ultra Blue sky! The day warmed up, but the quality of the pack remained soft and fast, with no signs of deterioration from the Sun. More new lines of machine work have been appearing on sections that have not seen the tiller, so it has been big fun dialing in the turns on the new offerings. Here is a shot of Team Markoff, who are avid readers of the site, getting started on the day. They were in for a treat and I am sure they got it all. Tomorrow, look for another great day of fresh carpets of Hydro Velvet wall to wall. Mineral Basin will be offering the early morning Sun, and the wide open ripping lines that just can’t be beat. Temps. are warming up and I was able to drive with the top down all afternoon. I think I might be able to start out the day the same way. We will see. As a parting shot, here is Mikey M standing at the top of the Baldy Chute into Alta. It was skiing really well with soft snow and low amplitude variations. That is some big V. IBBY!!
GETTING PHAT
3-05-18
The faithful were in full force for the opening bell, looking for the leftovers from this last installment. With the hill getting phat, it was good to go on all of the aspects, as the patrol opened the remaining areas. There was plenty of pressure waiting at the gate, so I took my time and brought up the rear, where I still found plenty of soft snow. The wind seemed to have affected the pack a bit, making it a tad variable, though some aspects did escape much of a hit. After yesterday’s heavy traffic, the worked areas were choppy, but the low moisture content and cold temps. kept the quality soft and very blastable. I was working the smooth lines that I had been scouting last week, but really, most of the heavy interference pattern sections were much smoother. Here is a shot I took from the peak looking West. The light was just perfect and the snow in Baldy Bowl looks tantalizing. Tomorrow, look for the off trail to still be offering soft lines with a fairly smooth substrate. The Groomers will be amazing with the quality of the new product to work with. The hill is in great shape wall to wall right now, and you can explore freely, but still be cautious of some of the traverse sections that might have been worked with the recent traffic. See you there for the shred fest in the AM. Don’t Forget To SIZZLE!!
ALL TIME
3-04-18
After what seemed like a very long wait for the storm to begin, it came in hard and long, leaving a heaping helping of the righteous Utah Light. Over 20” were reported and the Faithful got an early start to the day. The Patrol did an amazing job of getting the hill open from the opening bell with Mineral Basin opening at 1 PM. The ultra light Essence was totally blower and, as was echoed by many of my inside contacts, was ALL TIME. Here is a shot of Mikey M getting a full Powder Facial in South Chute. I won’t dwell on how great it was, as I stayed at The Trailer to avoid the push. Tomorrow, look for a bit more accumulation overnight, as Lake Effect flurries add to the pack. With the cold temps., the quality will remain excellent, so if you are like me and missed today’s offerings, we will get another shot at the goodness in the AM. The hill is in great shape, and you can now play in the expanse with unmitigated audacity. I have been waiting all season to see such wall to wall excellence. The Bird is back to it’s full featured greatness. Check the report for road access in the AM. See you there for more of the goods and a bit of Sun to make it High Def. Stay Frosty!! P.S. I got another shot from today I thought I would add. This is instructor Mike Hawks coming up for air and a look at the fall line before going DEEP!!!
STILL WAITING
3-03-18
I am still waiting for the other shoe to drop after all the hype this storm cycle has been getting. I am on a hurry up and wait mode and am holding my best visualizations for the coming front. There was fair visibility up on the hill and the clouds were high over the hill. I kept checking the horizon for the Wall Of Voodoo, but I “guess” it will roll through tonight, with more on the way going forward. Here is a shot of Timp. I took Thursday with that quick spot of Sunshine. Tomorrow, look for a storm day, which should be very interesting. The wind and snow will be a feature, so dress for the weather. When I left the hill yesterday, it was being prepped by the wind and the big North aspects were getting quite smooth, so look for a much better ride on the substrate. I expect fair pressure for the goods and I will be taking a very relaxed approach to the day in all ways. I like to finish my coffee after I went to so much trouble to brew it up just right. I am excited for the prospects for this storm and I will stroll in and get a handle on the situation. See you there in the AM for the freshies. See the Line, BE the Line!!
WARM WIND
3-02-18
High velocity warm wind was working the hill this morning, putting the Tram on hold and a delay on the Peruvian Chair. The Gad side of the hill was offering very low traffic, smooth Groomers, and some interesting variations on the off trail lines. This wind was filling the high amplitude interference patterns in those high traffic areas, making them much more inviting. There was Sun in the distance dangling the hope of better visibility, but the clouds hung on the peak and kept the vis. marginal. Here is a shot of the Valley looking clear and ready for the storm. I really like the contrast between the Sun and the shadow. The Tram fired up at 11:30AM., and the upper elevations had been really scoured by 100MPH gusts that transported any loose snow into the trees. The warm wind began to make the remaining pack a tad manky, which made for some squirly feeling surfaces. I opted to wrap up early and let the wind prep the hill for the next installment that is slated to move in overnight. Tomorrow, look for a storm day with overnight snow having fallen. Check the road report for access. Dress for cold as the cold front will have moved through. Much of the High North has been smoothed over, so you can expect some very nice lines under the fresh Essence. The wind is still roaring outside The Trailer, so it feels like it is going to be a big event. I will be taking the day of tomorrow, so be safe and make some turns for me. IBBY!!