Archive for December, 2023

HAPPY NEW YEAR

12-31-23

It was a beautiful New Years Eve day, with warm temps. smooth cruising, low traffic and plenty of room to move all over the hill. Conditions remain quite good, and looking back over the years, the hill is in great shape for this time of the year. The snow making efforts and machine worked lines eclipse some of those early years when the high pressure built in and snow cover was maginal. It is great to have so much of the hill open and offering really good cover and access.

The birds were in full effect this morning at The Bird Feeder. They were enjoying the nice temps and bright sunlight.

Tomorrow, look for more great turning on all sides of the hill as sunshine and nice temps are still in the forecast. I expect traffic to be light as it was today, with walk on trams going off most of the day. Look for the Mineral side of the hill to offer the sunshine for the opening bell as the front side of the hill is still pretty dark this time of year. Have a safe new years eve, and see you there for the morning hot laps. Stay Frosty!!

HIGH CLOUDS

12-30-23

A fairly thick cloud deck slipped up out of the South into the High Pressure dome, bringing a foot of flat light to the hill. Visibility was good overall, but the details were hard to discern. The hill was still quite firm and the aspects that saw a lot of Sun yesterday were mighty crispy for the opening bell. Traffic was surprisingly light with walk on trams once the push got spread out on the hill. Good grooming efforts provides some good traction top to bottom, but there are slick spots that need to be taken into account. Off trail, interference patterns are still building as traffic works the hill and a close attention to terrain changes is a must. They can sneak up on you.

Today was like looking through a glass darkly!!

Tomorrow, look for similar conditions, with good smoothing efforts to provide the best traction on the hill, and look for the wind buffed lines that are still out there if you look. The weather dude promised better visibility as the clouds may have moved off, we’ll have to see. Coverage remains good top to bottom. It is New Years Eve day, so traffic will probably be about the same as today. See you there for the early boats. Keep it tight!!!

BEAUTIFUL DAY

12-29-23

If it is not going to snow, than it might as well Sun!! It was a beautiful day to enjoy the great cover and bright blue skies for today’s festivities. As anticipated, there were wind blown lines to be found that offered back country, perfect, wind buff to delight anyone that ventured to look for the lines. The Grooming Crew and Snow making Crew has done an amazing job of keeping the hill in fine shape top to bottom. Those West faces were a tad crunchy, but to be expected with these afternoon temps and sunshine working the pack.

An early shot of Team Sizzle circa 1978 on the skiers bridge. The spirit remains the same.

Tomorrow, look for more great skiing on the hill, with a bit more traffic on the hill due to the holiday weekend. Still be looking for those wind buffed lines that will be happening and stay ahead of the crowd and keep moving. Coverage remains good as the snow making efforts continue top to bottom. Look for new lines of industrial smoothing to, perhaps, to be in the offering. Check the report for confirmation and look around for them as you ascend the lifts. Should be another very warm afternoon, so enjoy the Sun and Fun. Don’t Forget To SIZZLE!!

WARM & SUNNY

12-28-23

It was a beautiful warn sunny day today, just right to dial in some rippin’ lines all over the hill. Some new grooming efforts had been executed on the hill, which provided some new and dynamic lines. Those wind smoothed lines were still holding up even though they all have see traffic the past couple of days. After yesterday’s warmth, the firmness factor was bumped up quite a bit in places and some aspects needed some time to catch some rays before coming around.

One of the Locals hanging out in the Sun and getting a scope on the terrain.

Tomorrow, look for continued good conditions on all sides of the hill, though those aspects that caught a lot of Sun will need a bit more time to soften. Look to the North East aspects for a more dry and chalky feel. I am still working on getting those new skis under me, with the shortened turn radius and sharp edges. See you there dark and early for the festivities. IBBY!!!

WILD CLOUDS

12-27-23

There were some wild clouds hanging low on the the mouth of the Canyon and some lenticular formations hanging on up higher, which, to me, is a good sign of things coming with some changes in the weather. Might have to wait a few days, but…. these signs proved out just the last time we saw this type of sign. On the hill, still firm conditions exist on all sides of the hill, with some wind buffed accumulation lines on some of those North East aspects. Getting to those lines early on in the day is a bonus, so scope out those lines from the peak and get out to them.

Mike Fraelick sent this amazing shot of a big honkin’ Sun Dog, which is always a good sign of things to come.

Tomorrow look for more good light traffic laps, with only a one Tram wait to wrap a top to bottom lap. I’ll be looking for those wind deposited lines as that North Wind is still in the forecast and can to wonders overnight. There should be plenty of Sun, but some clouds may be in the mix. It will be cold first thing so dress for that, but it should warm up after Noon. See there for the fun times that are waiting on all sides of the hill. Speed Safely!!!

NORTH WIND

12-26-23

The North wind was blowing briskly this morning, making it extra cold, but the bright Sun helped take the edge off. Mineral was offering some very nice lines including some wind blown aspects that were really special and velvety. On the front of the hill, good grooming efforts made for some very consistent lines that let you keep it real during this firm period.

The American Fork Twins taken from The Landing this morning. Crystal clear and super 3 D.

Tomorrow, I will be looking for some wind refreshed lines to be a worth a look. The top to bottom consistency is excellent, but attention to detail is important in this still low snow pack. Mineral will be offering the morning Sun, but there may be a storm bumping into the High, so we’ll see. I’ll also be looking for some more gun powder to be on tap, which has been deluxe these early morning runs. Straight Ahead!!!

HAPPY HOLIDAY

12-25-23

A clear cold morning greeted the Faithful today, with excellent visibility, abundant lines on all sides of the hill, and fresh gun powder to taste top to bottom. As anticipated, The Road to Provo opened, offering wide open lines that were fairly smooth under the recent accumulation and good consistency.

Jake sent this great shot of the torch light parade and fire works display that was a feature of last night’s festivities.

Tomorrow, look for more clear skies with good visibility to add to the fun. Freshly prepared lines will be on tap on all sides of the hill and, with plenty of terrain open on the hill, the choices are endless. Look for firmness to still be in play, but I will be looking for more Gun Powder deposits to add some soft silky traction for the morning session. Work your best inner visualizations of deep face shots to fuel the morphogenic field, so as to manifest a new cycle of goodness. It will take all of us and I know we have that kind of power. See you there dark and early for the opening bell, dress for a cold morning, and be aware of the variations on a theme wall to wall. Remain Standing!!

MUCH COLDER

12-24-23

The temps were much colder this morning after that last cold front rolled through the past couple of days. My nose got seriously frost bitten on the front side of the hill. An extra inch of high density rime was added overnight on top of the light density Essence we had for yesterday, which created an upside down feel to the pack that made you pay attention with every turn. Out in Mineral Basin the Baldy Chair was offering untracked lines, which had a wide range of feel with the bottom layer fully in play.

Jake sent this awesome shot from the peak with the light and clouds making a heavenly view.

Tomorrow, look for continued cold temps, refreshed machine worked lined, and still some untracked lines waiting in the wings. Be careful of the variability of the pack from turn to turn, which will keep you on your toes. The old layer is still in play and will require close attention to the changes. I expect fair traffic, but the up hill capacity is up to the challenge. Speed Safely!!

HOLIDAY FRESHNESS

12-23-23

The rain was pelting the skin of The Trailer this morning signaling the arrival of a fresh installment of Essence, just in time to kick off the holiday season. Up on the hill, 4 to 5” of light goodness was delivered, making for a delightful morning of ground pounding fun.

Mikey M leaving trails of glory on Baldy
Professor Tom working the Chamonix Chutes, where it seemed a bit deeper.

Getting a good look at the hill before this coating went a long way toward finding consistent lines today. It is good to know what features are on the path. Tomorrow, look for more lines to be available and great refreshed prepared lines, which will benefit nicely from the addition of new product to work into the mat. I expect traffic to be higher with the new snow, so get up and out early for the best of the day. Stay Frosty!!!

SKY SIGNS

12-22-23

The Sun was shining this morning, making Lupine Loop the call to take advantage of the fresh corduroy. Traffic was light, and the prepared lines were tracking quite consistently. It is great to have this kind of cover going into the holidays as it will hold up. I was scoping out all the aspects today as I moved around looking for intel of what to watch out for when it gets covered this next time. Good to know.

Jake sent this shot from The Landing showing a good sign for changes in the weather.

Tomorrow, look for another good day of sliding, with coverage really looking strong. Mineral will have that Sun shining to light your corduroy exploits. I will be taking the day off tomorrow, so dial in a turn for me. Watch your SIX!!!