The day offered variable periods of Sun all day long. Mineral Basin offered the full Sun treatment to start out, and the Groomers and some of the North facing aspects, which had been smooth by the wind, were fun and fast with light traffic for the early risers. The Front of the hill was offering a fresh till, where you could hear the Whirring and Zzizzing as you crossed the nap of the carpet. Clouds moved in after 10AM, making the light go flat, but the long range visibility was quite good. After Noon, the clouds thinned out and the Sun burned through, making the light great all over the hill. Here is a shot looking South toward Provo Peak.

All prepared lines remained smooth all day long, though they did get a bit scrapped off as the day wore on. Tomorrow, look for a storm to begin moving in for the next couple of days. This system seems to be promising some significant accumulation. Be advised that the visibility could be difficult, so stay with the trees for best reference. The Groomers will be offering the smooth goods on all sides of the hill that will let you deal with the variations. See you there for the start of something big. We deserve it. Speed Safely!!

This morning was much warmer than yesterday and the wind had backed off significantly. The pack was firm on all sides of the hill, but Mineral basin was offering fresh machine worked lines that were in the Sun and ready for go time. Traffic was fairly light and maximum vertical was easy to pile up. There were a few far out lines on the hill that were still holding the soft and smooth. I stayed with the known smooth areas so that I would not have to battle the variable off trail.

The pack began to get scraped off as the day progressed, making for some very greasy spots that made me keep my turns in the gray zone to be ready for surprise tiles in the pack. Tomorrow, look for another warmer day, with the Groomers offering the smooth lines from the opening bell. I don’t expect to see much in the way of wind smoothing, but take a look and see what happened overnight, you never know. Conditions will remain very firm, but the machine worked lines have good traction and are consistent and trust worthy. Remain Standing!!

That fast moving impulse left a few inches of ultra light Essence which was wind whipped by some very high winds up on the ridge lines. With the Sun coming up and the high winds driving the snow into the air, it created some amazing ridge line images. Here is a shot of the spine to The Twins illuminated and backlit.

The Fresh Essence added some nice powder options that were hiding out in some the more difficult areas to access. Here is a shot of Mikey M getting the best of the accumulation.

The pack was getting skied off as the day progressed, but the wind was re working the pack as the transported snow moved into the low areas. The continued cold temps kept the new snow soft and easy to move through, but those slick spots need to be expected. Tomorrow, look for another Sunny day with great visibility, amazing Groomers ready and perfect, and fairly low traffic. The wind may continue to transport some of the product around, so look for fresh wind lines for the morning session.

I so enjoy spending time in The Summit on Hidden Peak. It is a very tranquil time that really lets you center into the energy of the hill. Stay Frosty!!

When I put my skis in line this morning at 7:30AM, it looked like the day was going to be sunny and looked promising. By Go Time the curtain of clouds had moved up the Canyon and fell over the hill, reducing the visibility significantly. I decided to check out Mineral Basin, which offered some illumination from the Sun that was trying to hold off the cloud. Here is a shot of that little bit of light.

The Groomers were offering the best lines, but some of the wind swept lines were still holding up the smooth from yesterday and seemed even a bit more dry and chalky. The Front of the hill was offering great prepared lines, which were beautifully smooth, which helped a lot with the reduced visibility. Tomorrow, look for some additional accumulation on the hill as it is snowing briskly here at The Trailer as I write this. Social Media shots of the Canyon indicate some slick accumulation during the day and a very slow ride down the hill. Look for the smooth lines to still be offering the best ride while the off trail may still be a tad testy. I expect much cooler temps for tomorrow, but clearing is in the forecast. See you there for the early turns. IBBY!!

The clouds in the sky were wild this morning as they seemed to morph as they moved over the Mountain Peaks. We all stood and watched the formations change rapidly as they moved overhead, changing colors and shapes each moment. Here is a great shot Jake took from the Tram.

That accumulation of grauple yesterday made for some excellent wind transported lines that were sensational, with sugary, smooth sections of perfection. Here is a shot off from a Lewis and Clark lap first thing.

The Groomers on all sides of the hill had been given a good fresh till, which offered plenty of traction and smooth turns for the morning session. The pack got a bit skied off later in the day. Off trail had improved markedly, with with wind transported sections cushioning the ride where crusty consistency was in effect yesterday. Here is a shot of one of the wind scoured areas from where all that loose snow was taken.

Tomorrow, look for more great Groomed lines on all sides of the hill, some overcast skies with periods of Sun, and fair traffic for the holiday. Some of those wind smoothed lines may still be offering the goods, so take a look around.

See you there for the morning festivities, and enjoy the smooth lines that will be waiting. Lay it over like Ligety!!!

There was an overnight dusting of dense grauple, which gave the hill a bit of extra traction for today’s festivities. The clouds cleared off early enough to make the visibility good and, with a bit of Sun, a bright shiny day. Here is a shot of Flyin’ Brian Beck out in Wilbre Bowl making it look easy. The crusty surface was still in play, and going for the smooth lines was providing the best ride. Lewis and Clark had some sweet lines that were ready for go time with those big smooth prepared lines.

Tomorrow, look for another Sunny day with great Grooming on all sides of the hill. Look for the smooth left over wind smoothed lines, which can still be found. The new material will make the machine worked lines just a big softer. I’ll be looking for the Mineral Basin lines for the start of the day.

See you there dark and early for the morning session. Remain Standing!!!

The morning was clear and cold and the winds had subsided, leaving wind buffed lines on some of the South East aspects that were bridged by scoured crust. The wind lines were dry, chalky, firm, and dialable. It looked like it could be breakable, but I used my light touch technique to stay on top and extract as much goodness from each turn as I could get. Wind slab is one of my favorite surfaces. Here is a shot of the wind line on the Chamonix Chute. It is kind of hard to make out, but it was top to bottom smooth and looked great.

Traffic was fairly light, and vertical was easy to get. The Groomers were really fun, with a fresh till on all sides of the hill, which was a real treat. I went looking for wind slab lines, but they were hard to discern in the flat light the front side, but there was little there to be found. Tomorrow, look for increased overcast with some light precip. for the morning session. Stick with the smooth lines, as the wind really worked the surface pack, making it very stiff and variable. Entrances remain very sketchy, interference patterns are wide spread. Look for continued excellent Groomed lines on all sides of the hill. The morning corduroy is well worth getting there for the open bell. Dial it up, Dial it In!!

It was a bit nippy this morning with the Sun shining in Mineral Basin, but the very high winds kept the Tram down for the day. The Chairs were the ticket to get the day started, but the winds up high were really nuking, making the ride cold and slow as the chairs were running a bit slow due to the wind up high. The front of the hill was really scoured, and only some aspects in Mineral Basin were gathering some of the transported snow. Mineral Basin closed later in the morning when the wind increased even more. Here is a shot that Tramrat sent from his January Golf Hacienda in Arizona.

While the Groomers were very firm, the wind was depositing some dust on the mat, making the traction a bit better, but slick spots were abundant and a cautious approach to the flats was advised. Tomorrow, look for another fun day of working the Groomed lines on the hill. I will be looking for any residual lines of wind deposited snow for the best off trail offerings. I think Mineral Basin will be offering the largest selection of those smooth lines. Dress for cold again as the Northwest flow is still in effect. IBBY!!!

It was very warm in the parking lot, with the tell tale signs of some kind of frozen accumulation. That overnight trace, which was no deeper than one millimeter made the groomed runs just an extra bit sweeter to start today’s festivities. Here is a shot of the accumulation on the Plaza chairs.

Traffic was light, and the visibility was OK, but the details were hard to discern. Thanks to the Grooming Crew for the smooth carpets of AHHHHH. I was working the Peruvian Gulch early on to take advantage of the wide open lines, fun terrain variations, and Lower Who Dunnit, which was offering a roller coaster of fun changes of aspect. Tomorrow, look for some additional accumulation as some more energy will be passing by. Sunny skies may be on tap, so check it out and go for the Sun if it is up and shining.

I found out today that my good friend John transitioned from the training fields of Snowbird to do some extensive recon work for us in the Powder Fields in the Great Beyond. John brought smiles, amazing energy, and love to all he encountered. We will all so miss him. Prowl the deep John. Straight Ahead!!!

There was a high cloud deck over the Front this morning, which filtered the Sun, making the visibility interesting, but had enough contrast to make the details stand out. Light traffic in Mineral Basin made for some fast and fun laps on the freshly machine worked lines. After 11AM, the Sun burned through the deck as it moved East, making the visibility come alive as the entire mountain was fully illuminated. The Baldy Chutes were opened today, accessing Alta. The entrance looked really rasty, but it had quite a lot of traffic non the less. Here is a shot of Flyin’ Brian Beck standing at the top considering the gnar.

The Groomers were offering the smooth ride, with great consistency that really paid off big when the flat light was keeping things interesting. Later, after Noon, the open lines began to get a bit scraped off, so I was using my best averaging techniques to keep moving through the turns despite the variations. Tomorrow, look for light snow in the AM. Visibility will be interesting, so stay with the Groomed lines and stay close to the trees for reference. The off trail remains difficult, with wide spread interference patterns and rumble.

See you for the morning session, and, perhaps, some light Essence to work. Speed Safely!!