Archive for May, 2019

EARLY CHAIRS

5-31-19

The air was cool this morning and the early chairs were the ones to be on, as the window was going to be short with the warm temps and overnight rain. There was a light glaze covering the pack and felt granular underfoot. I was looking for the smooth corn faces and found Money with some low angle sections that were as perfect as it gets. Here is a shot of some lonely turns that were put down some time ago.

These turns were put in some time ago, but the smooth surface was supportable and pristine. Lewis and Clark keeps delivering.

A lighter grooming effort had been made due to the warm temps and hard to work product. As the temps rose, there were some sorbet feeling lines that were fun and felt back country excellent. Here is a shot of the Provo Peak area with the Sun shining on it in between the clouds.

Look at all the possibilities down South in the Provo Peak area.

On the front of the hill, the break was held off a while, but happened fast when it hit critical mass. I was staying with the groomers for the best lines as the off trail was quite punchable. As the Big return happens with the pack, here is a shot of a large chunk of the rock calving off as the mountains erode back to sand. You wound have never have seen this perspective it had happened during the Summer, it would have gone unnoticed.

As the mountain melts to sand.

Tomorrow, look for a nice morning, with the groomers offering the best lines. The early chairs will offer the best lines of the day, and I don’t think there will be much of a freeze. See you there dark and early for the corn goodness. Straight Ahead!!

THICK FROSTING

5-27-19

Four inches of thick frosting covered the dance floor this morning, which was surfy, consistent and smooth on the machine worked lines. The off trail was very difficult after yesterday’s product had frozen up. I stuck to the prepared lines and the ones I knew were smooth from yesterday. There was a quick glimpse of The Sun first thing. Here is a shot of the Morning Crew checking out the view as we run the clock out on the season.

When the lights go out, staying with the trees gives some great reference points. Safety First!!

I left after the first four runs as it was getting too stiff for my knees, and enjoyed a recon meeting with the crew at The Forklift. Here is a shot that Jake took the other day of The Twins in that quasi light we had.

This is a shot you will want to file in your memory, either in your brain or electronically, as this is about as fat as it gets. Fatty, fat, fat!!

Tomorrow, carry on with the alternate reality, and The Big Return begins, as all this snow will make it’s way back around till it returns again. For it to return, it must leave. I will spend this week looking into the chaotic dynamics of Quantum Foam fluctuations. That aught to keep me busy till next Friday. As Joe Man The Snow Man says, ” Don’t Skimp On The Groove Sauce”!!!

NICE VISIBILITY

5-26-19

After days of storm clouds and fog, the morning offered nice visibility, with filtered Sun through high thin clouds. The Road To Provo opened, offering smooth frozen lines that were just barely supportable and felt velvety smooth, and required a very soft touch. Here is a shot of The Rasta Chutes looking super smooth and all filled in.

The Rasta Chutes totally filled in and perfectly smooth for today’s offerings.

Mineral Basin was offering very nice machine worked lines and light traffic for the first hour, but became more active as folks showed up, but there were plenty of options to stay ahead of the push. Here is a long shot of the view from the bottom.

Beautifully machine worked lines made the cruising smooth and reliable.

Slightly cooler temps kept the quality good for a long time and let you pick and choose different options quickly and with confidence. On the front of the hill, The Peruvian Gulch had been worked, with Hot Foot Gully getting a surprise till. Lower Primrose Path felt smooth and velvety and only later became a bit manky. There was great music on the Plaza to keep the festive feel going.

These guys were great and delivered a great set selection, and had great dynamics that made each tune really stand out.

Tomorrow, look for a stormy day as a Low Pressure system is moving in and will bring more precipitation to the hill. Dress for weather, and expect limited visibility. Look for the machine worked lines to be offering the goods, with the off trail looking very dubious. See you there for the morning offerings. IBBY!!!

TRAM DAY

5-25-19

It looked overcast and cold on the peaks this morning. It was the first day of the return of The Tram, and I am sure The Faithful were in full attendance. Here is a piece of my art that I have been working on.

The Bad Lands of Sytol 3

Weather continues to be unsettled and more rain was pelting The trailer, so I think we might see a bit of freshness. I will be back up on the hill to get a first hand look. I will be looking for the Groomers to be providing the best ride and line choice. I’ll be checking the off trail consistency, but I will be treading lightly and strategically so not to get stuck in some interesting variations like I did last week. See you there for the morning explorations. Syrup Won’t Stop ‘EM!!

NEW SENSATION

5-24-19

This last installment set the stage for a great day on the hill, and a solid push over the 700″ mark, with The Bird site reporting 711″ year to date. There was an early and large push for the goods, as the stoke is still high for the season and The faithful had turned out in large numbers. Here is a shot that Neil took from the top of The Chickadee
Chutes of the The Faithful lined up for the fresh frosting.

A very large turnout of The Faithful for today’s offerings.

The chair opening was delayed about an hour, and it was fun sharing the stoke with the folks who were anxious to get up the hill. Here is a shot of Malissa, who was trying to get to the goods, but had to bail due to the delay to get to work on time.

Malissa dialed in and ready for the fresh frosting and stoked to be there for the high energy morning.

When I got to the goods, I was not far behind in the line, so I got to dial in some righteous turns in the very dense, but surfable product. There were plenty of lines on the steep sections that let you keep the momentum going and float in the bottomless coating. Here is a shot of Tommi McCarthy getting in deep and dialing in perfect turns like she always does.

This is a very accurate image of how amazing the new product was skiing this morning. Tommi is in her element and taking advantage of the freshness.

The Mineral Basin opened around 11:15 AM, but I was firmly planted on the Forklift Chair, luxuriating in the ambience after one stellar line top to bottom. Tomorrow, look for the Tram to be open for service to the Peak….. I hope. With the very dense product today, expect the pack to be a tad tricky if the last couple of weeks is any indication. The Groomers should be excellent and feel much like Winter quality for the morning session. Dress for cool temps, but I think we might get a break in the weather, and maybe we’ll see some Sun. I will be taking the day off as usual, so get the goods for me. See you Sunday. See the Line, BE the Line!!

STILL RAININ’

5-23-19

It has been raining all week here at The Trailer and it is seriously dumping as I write this. You got to know that it is snowing up on the hill as it is most certainly cold enough. The Bird’s site is reporting 700″ tonight with 7″ new in the last 24 hours. All this adds up to an interesting set up for this weekend which is still looking like it will have some interesting weather variations. We’ll have to see if they open the Tram for tomorrow’s festivities, as “ooops”

The Bird site is saying it will open on the 25th. Be sure to dress for weather and you can expect some fresh frosting covering the hill for the morning session.

This is a shot of SAMSKI, who was at Steamboat a couple of week ago, using her her Snowbird expertise and just giving a wink and a nod to the sign. She will be on deck for the weekend’s festivities with her Dad Mike and she is going to rip it!! The total on the site today confirms my prediction that I laid down back in the first of December. Nailed it!! See you there for the morning explorations. IBBY!!

ADDED DUST

5-19-19

The hill received some added dust to make the groomers soft and dialable on all aspects. There was a fair turnout for the opening bell, which went off on time and all the operating lifts were in play to start. The Morning Crew worked the Mineral Basin area where Lone Star was groomed and accessible from the Tunnel Exit. We did round the world laps with Regulator to the bottom of the hill and back to The Peruvian Chair to keep the max vertical working. We were making the most of the untracked lines that were going begging on the Gad side of hill as the pressure was being focused on the Peruvian lines. Here is a shot of Baldy with just a hint of Sun on it, which was one of the only bright spots of the day.

Northwest Baldy fully fat and still looking mid Winter ready.

The temps were quite cold and the wind was brisk, giving this morning a fully mid Winter feel. It was great to see faces that I had seen only rarely all season. Here is a shot of The D TEAM taking some time off in the new lounge area across from the Pharmacy Bar. It was great to catch up and exchange notes on the season.

The D TEAM were enjoying a break in the action and had a big season working the remote lines in the Wasatch.

The rain is pelting The Trailer as I write this, which means that more product is being delivered up high. This is where I would say, ” Tomorrow, look for…..”, but we’ll have to see how it shakes out for next weekend. There is weather predicted all week long and I am betting it will be more than enough to push the season total over the 700″ mark. Have a great week. Keep the stoke high, and we’ll see you for next weekend’s festivities. See the Line, BE the Line!!

EXTRA FROSTING

5-18-19

Another dollop of extra frosting was added to the dance floor for today’s festivities. It was pounding rain on the skin of The Trailer all night long, so you know that translated to high density product up on the hill. A large turn out of The Faithful made for quite a site as they waited for the mitigation efforts so be completed. Here is as shot taken by Tram Rat from the Plaza deck.

The expectant crowd waiting for the opening of yet another chance to get the bonus spring powder

Mineral Basin opened after the work had been completed and that gave access to the Little Cloud Chair, so the crowd got spread out. Tomorrow, look for more unsettled weather and more pressure for the goods. We’ll have to see if any more areas get opened. Dress for weather as the next impulse is poised to move in during the late morning. The hill is still in good shape, but expect that late season substrate to have some surprises underneath the new product. I’ll be on the hill again in the AM. and I will have a first hand look at the hill. See you there for the continued deliveries. As Joe Man The Snow Man says, ” Don’t Skimp On The Groove Sauce.”

CONTINUED PRECIPITATION

5-17-19

After waiting out the week, the Faithful were on deck for the opening bell, but due to the wet and wild conditions the opening was delayed. When The Peruvian Chair opened there was quite a cheer of sheer stoke, and fresh, high density frosting was on tap for the crowd. Here is a shot of the expectant crowd ready to get more of what the season still has to offer.

The Faithful waiting for the fun machine to be turned on to get them back to the Fun Zone.

The consistency was so dense that, once again, the 8 or so inches of freshness made each turn feel bottomless. The substrate was not frozen, so when you did hit the bottom it was a seamless transition. Here is a shot that Neil sent of his run in Hot Foot Gully.

Hot Foot Gully looking and feeling like mid Winter.

Mineral Basin and Little Cloud remained closed for the day, so the Morning Crew assembled at the Forklift to assess the options. Here is a shot of our gracious host Rachel who was glad to have us back at the table.

Rachel welcoming the Morning Crew back from the days off the Winter routine. Her smile lights up the world.

Tomorrow, look for additional accumulation as the rain pounded the skin of The Trailer all afternoon and more activity is still upstream waiting to move in. Expect continued heavy consistency, limited openings for the early hours, and a solid turn out by The Faithful. I will be taking my usual Saturday off, but I will be posting for tomorrow, so stay tuned. Enjoy the fresh frosting. Keep it tight!!

DAY AFTER

5-13-19

Well, it is the day after the last day of the regular season and I am sitting here in The Trailer planning the week ahead without skiing. Yesterday was an amazing day with a hard freeze, lots of beautifully prepared lines, and a perfect series of breaks that kept the stoke going till at least 2 PM. Here is a shot of Malissa and Jessica as they celebrated Malissa’s birthday and got some amazing lines from the opening bell.

A perfect day for a birthday and perfect weather to get the maximum R&B out of the hill. Happy Birthday M!!

Out in Mineral Basin, the light traffic let you dial in line after line of perfect sorbet before the Sun got to it. The Sun was high in the sky and it does not take long for the pack to get soggy. Here is a shot off the bottom of the hill with some great shadow effects.

Perfect snow and great Sun made for some amazing terrain feature formations.

The front of the hill broke quickly, and those long steep prepared lines were rippin’ top to bottom. It had a real back country feel to it and kept me on the hill getting as much as I could. Twins was open again and here is a shot from the East Twin looking back at the Bird. A rare perspective indeed.

The view from the top of the East Twin looking back at Snowbird’s Hidden Peak.


Here is a great shot of the perfect corn goodness that lives on the back side of the Twins. Wall to wall amazing.

Perfect corn goodness just the way you dream about.

Tomorrow, I will begin my perilous descent down the rabbit hole and will be getting The Trailer ready to take out to the High Desert for the Summer. I will post again, perhaps Thursday, with an update on conditions if I can get some intel, but we’ll have to wait until next weekend to get back to the SUMMIT. Straight Ahead!!