Archive for April, 2023

HEATING UP

4-10-23

It was really nice and warm here at The Trailer today, where I broke out the shorts and sat outside and read. Up on the hill, the Canyon was still closed, so it was another day of country club skiing up on the hill. With this warmth, all the aspects are feeling the heat, and are morphing accordingly. Still, the high North is still holding the coldest feel, but it still has been affected non the less.

The Jazz Man taking advantage of the totally filled in North Chute and getting the best snow on the hill.
My Good friend Doug Blake with his Son and Grand daughter enjoying the country club feel and the wonderful Sun.

Tomorrow, the Canyon will still be closed, so check the Bird Site for exclusions and updates about access. It will be a great Spring skiing day on the hill, with the Groomers offering smooth lines top to bottom and unlimited vertical. With this much snow on the hill, there is no danger of a melt off exposing rocks and things. The hill is Fat and good to go. Hoping to get back up there soon. Dial it up, Dial it in!!!

BRIGHT SUN

4-09-23

Bright Sun illuminated the dance floor today, with plenty of cover with all the snow that was delivered. The upper mountain is super filled in, with all the Upper Cirque shots wide open with no reefs at all. Great Scott is as fat as I have seen it since 2011 after the big South wind storm. The groomers are offering the best consistency, however, the off trail is holding up nicely and not getting too worked over due to a total lack of traffic that it usually gets.

The Jazz Man riding The Little Cloud lift, doing laps and getting as much vert as humanly possible.
Mineral Basin remains closed. Mikey M sent this shot of the wide opens expanse looking toward The Book Ends.
A look down Lone Star with plenty of fresh accumulation waiting for some action

Tomorrow, look for more great spring conditions, with some crispy traction down on the lower mountain in the AM. The pack should soften up as the day warms up. We’ll have to see what is up with the road in the AM, so check The Bird’s site for updates and access. The Sun should still be out, but there is weather in the forecast, so wind may be an issue. Keep it tight!!!

SUN WORK

4-08-23

The Sun is workin’ the pack with the direct Sun angle and higher temps, which is morphing the pack in a big way. Almost all aspects, with the exception of the High North is getting super manky, with crust and a very grabby feel. The Groomers are the best bet for smooth consistency and dialable turns.

The Sun is high in the sky and workin’ the pack like it does this time of the season.

Much of the hill has yet to be opened, however, when it does open, expect challenging conditions, especially where the Sun has a direct look at the pack. We’ll have to see what happens with the road in the AM, so check the Bird site for updates and time windows. The Groomers will be the place to find the best quality for the day. Traffic on the hill should be quite light with the access issues. Stay Frosty!!!

WARMIN’ UP

4-07-23

With the Sun out, the days are warmin’ up, but not too warm. The snow is melting down here at The Trailer, while we wait for work on The Canyon to be completed. Huge slides came down with even Coalpit coming out on the South side of the Canyon. Yikes. I have only seen that once before.

A shot of Pipeline Bowl the last time I was up there.

Tomorrow, we’ll have to see what is up with The Road. There is a lot of snow up on the hill, and after all this time, there is going to be a lot of variation in the consistency from aspect to aspect. I don’t have my finger on the pulse as it has been quite a while since I have been on the hill. When it opens, I expect amazing conditions, however I find them. This cycle has been just insane. Hope to see you up there soon. Yabaganza!!!!

FULL SUN

4-06-23

The storm clouds and weather are gone and full Sun has taken it’s place revealing a Winter wonderland of Perfection wall to wall. The Crews have been doing an amazing job dealing with these historic events.

JImmy S sent this great shot of West Baldy looking really phat.
Here is a first look at Upper Primrose Path. Thanks Jimmy!!

The hill opened briefly this morning, letting the few who were on deck for the occasion get treated to the goods. Instability issues closed the hill for the day and interlodge was reinstated. Huge slides have covered the Lower Canyon, so I have no intel. on when things might open, but I think it is going to be a bit yet. Look for more clear skies and perhaps an opening of the area tomorrow. We’ll see. Wild times!!! Straight Ahead!!!

EPIC DAYS

4-05-23

It has to be truly epic to use the word epic without it seeming glib, but these days have been epic, topping off all the records across the board. The delivery just would not stop and the Teams were working hard to try and stay on top of the intensity. Amazing totals were reported and the attainment of the 800″ mark and beyond is just incredible. The shots I saw of the Lisa Falls deposition was insane. Holy Tamolie!!!

Kevin sent this additional shot of the same chairs that had been cleared off yesterday.
A tantalizing look at lower Silver Fox in the first appearance of the Sun in some time. Sweet turns!!!

The Snowbird teams are working feverishly to get the hill open and it takes a lot of very committed folks to get the wheels turning. Tomorrow, expect delays going into the morning. Be sure to check the Bird site for up to date data. Those slides in the Canyon were just wild. When the hill does open it will be amazing indeed. Warming is in the forecast and Sun will be working the aspects, adding another element to the day. Thanks to all the folks that are working the problems and trying their best to make it happen. Stay Frosty!!!

LAKE EFFECT

4-04-23

A lot more Essence was delivered overnight and it kept coming all day as the lake effect kicked in. This new product was medium density and digging out The Trailer was a continuous job as it kept building up as the waves of intensity worked through. Up on the hill, interlodge was in effect all day and the Canyon road remained close for mitigation and clean up. The Mountain remained closed as well, with so much snow coming with such intensity. The Bird is reporting 792″ YTD last I looked and that is so close to the 800″ mark that I am betting, with tonight’s additional accumulation, will push the total over that mark. Yikes. And….. I was right about the Comet too!!!

More lake effect Essence building up overnight on the pool furniture. Light and fluffy.

Tomorrow, look for a slow start, with still no word on the Canyon opening. There will be ongoing mitigation efforts on the hill, so expect delays there as well. We’ll have to see how the energies of the system hold up and, perhaps, there may be some clearing. We’ll just have to see how it shakes out. What a season. Deep, deep and getting deeper!!!

SHUT OUT

4-03-23

The Canyon was closed for the day due to high slide activity. The Faithful were shut out, but the hill opened for the folks who were in the Village for the event. It snowed all day adding to the pack, but the visibility was very difficult with the fog that hung on the hill for this event. The UDOT team were working hard to get the road cleared after serious deposition occurred in numerous slide paths.

Jake sent this screen shot of the work to clear this slide. That is a lot of snow!!!
Jake sent this shot of the scale of the snow banks after snow blowing efforts had been completed.
Another shot from Jake of some very interesting wind work on the snow surface. Amazing!

Tomorrow, expect continued closure of the Canyon as the storm is still centered just on the door step and there is a lot more snow upstream, which will move in overnight and during the day tomorrow. The conditions on the hill are deep and getting deeper, and I don’t expect the visibility to improve much, if at all. Expect delays on the hill as well as uncertain times on the Canyon opening. Be sure to check the Bird’s site for updates. There is a lot more to come so stay tuned. Don’t touch that dial!!!

SNOW MOTION

4-02-23

Overnight wind continued to put the new snow into motion all around the hill. Smooth wind blown lines were developing, however the consistency was still very grabby and stiff, making turns feel very variable on most of the aspects. There was a bit of Sun filtering through the high clouds adding some nice definition to the pack, helping with the close navigation. All this snow is really adding up in a big way around the hill.

Here is a shot of the amount of snow on the Peak, which illustrates how much over the usual level that is even with the deck.
Check out the build up on top of Christie’s Sports with the stage as scale. Yikes.

The groomers were offering the best consistency for turning, with the wind depositing fresh dust on the mat all day long. The wind was doing some very nice things on most prepared aspects.

A little filtered light was illuminating Pipeline Bowl this morning, showing the smooth lines that were getting wind worked.

Tomorrow, look for a full on storm day, with an overnight Canyon closure, heavy conditions, and delays in the AM. This cycle is looking super juicy, and will deliver a mega dump on the hill for the next couple of days. Get ready for another epic siege. Dial it up, Dial it in!!!

FIRST LOOK

4-01-23

The Faithful got their first look at the hill today, after a long siege, with the storm really piling up the snow in the past few days. When The Canyon opened mid morning, everyone was stoked to get up on the hill. The high density, wind affected pack was a bit tricky, but was smooth, smooth, smooth top to bottom.

Doc sent this amazing shot of the Upper Cirque looking quite slabby and grabby.
Olivia Kennedy sent this shot of the traverse to the Bookends looking soooo smooth.
Olivia taking a powerful direct line in the dense wind affected pack. She makes it look so easy……. it is not!!

Tomorrow, look for amazing groomers to provide the best consistency, with the off trail still a bit challenging. There are still areas waiting in the wings, so there is still plenty to look forward to for the day’s festivities. Look for a festive scene on the Plaza later in the day with music and high vibrations. More weather is on the door step so the sky might be a bit shrouded, with some flat light and I expect some wind to be happening as well. Thanks to all the hard working folks that make it possible for us to play in the deep and keep the wheels turning. Strong work!! Keep it tight!!!