Archive for March, 2024

COLD WIND

3-10-24

There was a stout cold wind blowing this morning, but the Sun was shining and visibility was 5by5. Dry chalky prepared lines were on tap on all sides of the hill, letting you dial in your inner Ligety. With the majority of The Faithful headed to Mineral Basin’s bright Sun, I was working that Primrose Path line, which was vacant lap after lap. The Tram line shrank with the interest in Mineral, and the choices were fast fun and soooo dialable.

The smooth cruisin’ was so fast and fun all I could ask was……!!

Tomorrow, look for high clouds to be in the mix as the next front begins it’s approach. The light will be flat, but visibility should be good with lots of detail. Those machine worked lines will be offering more of those ground pounding workouts, so look to those for the smoothest lines. With the wind we had, there has been some transport happening, with the North East aspects picking up some very nice wind buff. Interference patterns continue to intensify with higher amplitude as the high traffic areas get the pounding. With the Sun working those South and West faces, expect some real crispiness to be happening in the AM and not budging much with a lack of heat to soften the pack. We’ll see how that pans out. More on the way in the next couple of days. Syrup Won’t Stop ‘EM!!!

PERFECT DAY

3-09-24

It was a perfect day on the hill, with cool temps, bright Sun, totally buffed machine worked lines on all sides of the hill, and some powder stashes that were opened for the intrepid folks who just gots to have it. Traffic was surprisingly light, with walk on Trams by Noon and back to back laps that were smooth and feeling like crushed velvet. Interference patterns are beginning to build up again with the traffic hitting those favored lines, but the Grooming Crew has been doing an amazing job of returning those steep long pitches back to their back country goodness. I always slow down to extract more juice from each turn when I encounter those rare and perfect lines.

The Jazz Man working one of the real rarities at Alta, bagging Perla’s Chute which had that exceptional North East aspect that was dry, cold, and perfect.

Tomorrow, look for more great lines to still be happening all over the hill with numerous levels of amazing that you can hope for. I will be looking for those smooth, buffed machine worked lines and top to bottom hot laps that just get my motor running. The Sun should still be working it’s magic, with high resolution visibility what will restock your inner memory with data that will come in handy when the vis goes South. See you there for the ground pounding fun. Each Moment Counts!!

SUNNY DAY

3-08-24

It was a sunny morning with clouds hanging low in the valleys on the front and back of the range. The air was still and cold and the prepared lines were offering amazing quality on all sides of the hill. Lone Star and White Diamonds were the high light of the Mineral Basin offerings, with The Big Smooth on the Peruvian Gulch offering top to bottom ground pounding fun, with dry chalky velvet that was back country perfect and seam free. The Quality on the Lower Primrose Path half pipe was a super treat, as it was largely ignored by The Faithful who were chasing the Mineral Basin Sun.

Low clouds hung in the Valley, while the Sun shone brightly up high.
Jake sent this great shot of the clouds on the East flank with Timp in the background

Tomorrow, look for more great lines on the hill, with the prepared lines holding that dry chalk that will be absolutely perfect top to bottom. I expect traffic to be quite a bit higher with the weekend, but the chairs will be making short work of the push. Temps were a tad brisk today, so I don’t think the Sun worked the pack too much. I’ll be back on the hill Sunday. Don’t forget to SIZZLE!!

DIFFICULT VISIBILITY

3-07-24

There were a few inches of freshness on the dance floor to start the day, with difficult visibility due to a fog bank that was holding on to the upper half of the hill. Mineral Basin was offering great lines, but it was like an abyss back there and I was going to need some better references. The front side of the hill was offering the tree references and the prepared lines were trustworthy and smooth in the “turn by braille” visibility issues. I was working the roundness factor to let the ski do the work while trying to deal with the variations that could not be seen. Walk on Tram were on tap, with very light traffic that made hot laps fun for the morning session.

The Tunnel to Mineral Basin is such an neat space like a portal to another dimension. Remain Standing.

Tomorrow, look for more soft lines to be on tap on all sides of the hill, improving visibility, and a lot of prepared lines for carving it up and laying it down. The Grooming crews have punched a few new lines on the hill, so look at the grooming list for updates. The recent pack is perfect for that industrial smoothing, which holds up all day long. I expect a bit more traffic going into the weekend. Stay Frosty!!

DELIGHTFUL DUSTING

3-06-24

There was a delightful dusting gracing the dance floor this morning, adding a wonderful velvet feel that felt amazing underfoot. Mineral Basin was offering some amazing prepared lines, including Lone Star, which was difficult to discern the texture in the variable visibility, but delivered an unreal vertical fest of soft carving goodness. I opted for the The Big Smooth, a combination of upper, middle, and lower Primrose path that was untracked and just over the top perfect. There were windows of sunshine that broke out here and there, revealing the sweet lines that were happening. The Road To Provo opened quietly, but was quickly discovered.

Kevin Canton redirecting his flow line out on Hoopie’s with no one around to interrupt his focus.

Tomorrow, look for more great prepared lines on all sides of the hill which will deliver the goods, still soft and blastable off trail lines that are still holding that wind buffed feel, and, perhaps, some better visibility. I will be looking for those front side prepared lines for more ground pounding vertical. Traffic was a bit lighter today and made for fast turnarounds. I am hoping for the same in the AM. Remain Standing.

OVERNIGHT FRESHNESS

3-05-24

There was some overnight freshness to treat The Faithful who were on deck and ready to roll dark and early. 4 to5″ covered the dance floor and, with Mineral Basin opened from the first Tram, there was plenty of lines to choose from and areas to explore. I went with the machine worked lines on the Peruvian Gulch to take advantage of the serious smooth that was covered with sweet frosting that was flawless top to bottom. Mineral Basin was offering some amazing lines, and, with some traversing, there were righteous face shots to be had in some of the sections where the wind delivered extra accumulation.

Professor Tom working the vortex out at The Alter
Doc visiting the Exotic Trees where the pack has been totally smoothed by the wind and freshly covered. Bliss!!
The Jazz Man scoping out this buffed out and covered delight on Baldy.
Steve was driving hard and getting the most out of this Bookend line in Mineral Basin

Tomorrow, look for some overcast skies with flurries and variable visibility. The prepared lines will be offering excellent lines for super carving that will make you feel like a rock star. There is still plenty of soft snow to find and sections to visit that are out of the way and worth the exploration. I expect continued strong traffic, but the quads have been dealing with the influx in fine shape. I am hoping for a bit warmer temps, but the overcast and light snow will preserve the snow quality much longer. The hill is in great shape wall to wall. Great lines are available on all sides of the hill and there are really nice surprises to find. Speed safely!!

FLUFFY FEELIN’

3-04-24

The Essence was feelin’ fluffy today, with some additional accumulation overnight that made the prepared lines feel like flying. The smooth lines called me to dial it back and extract extra juice from each turn. Lower Primrose Path was just amazing with that big wave push and silky ride. Mineral Basin opened, with marginal visibility and amazing snow to discover.

Mikey M finding a sweet line out on The Alter where the snow has been accumulating for days.
Mark Herath floating on a cloud and setting up the fall line.

Tomorrow, look for some more accumulation from impulses still flowing in the jet stream. The prepared lines will be offering amazing smooth quality, with the off trail offering a ton of choices for exploration and waiting finds. That wind scoured layer is becoming just an echo, so dial in the flow line and let loose the power! More instability is in the forecast so expect variable visibility to continue and cold temps to still be in the mix. Cold temps and marginal vis does preserve the quality, so it is kind of a good thing this time of year. See you there dark and early for the opening bell. Keep it tight!!!

MORE COMING

3-03-24

16″ of fresh Essence was delivered with the passage of this front, with continued flurries to add to the goodness. There was limited up hill access to the peak, with Mineral Basin also remaining closed. This installment was full bodied and had some heft to it, but it was cold dry and dialable top to bottom. The Faithful were in full effect, ready to get in on the carving fest. It is great not to feel that old layer from earlier in the season anymore. The prepared lines have been insanely good top to bottom and I have been noting that these conditions are on par with any measure from any year.

The Chef -on the left- in his younger years in full party mode. He sends his good vibrations and still holds true to the Promise Of The Wasatch.

Tomorrow, look for improving visibility, amazing lines on all sides of the hill, fresh lines in Mineral Basin and still great lines waiting in the wings. I am looking forward to a week of top to bottom, Rockin ground pounding fun. Remain Standing!!!

NUKIN’ WIND

3-02-24

The Trailer was rockin’ this morning as the wind was nukin’ out of the South, transporting huge clouds of dust from the Southern areas. Visibility in the Valley was marginal, and up on the hill it was even worse with the gusts pounding the hill. Precipitation began around Noon as the front came through, turning the wind out of the North west. The lifts remained still as the situation was untenable.

Closed out and caught inside!!!

It is dumping here at The Trailer as I write this and the storm has been unleashed and will do what storms do. Tomorrow, look for a delayed opening as assessments are made and preparations are made for the day. The accumulation will be anyone’s guess, but you can count on plenty of good accumulation on the hill, some very smooth filled in sections on the upper part of the hill, with some smooth sections on the middle aspects of the hill where the snow landed as it sifted through the trees. That competition is still going on, so there will be some amazing skiing on display at that venue. We’ll have to see how it shakes out. IBBY!!!

SLOW MOVING

3-01-24

That weather front that is coming our way is a very slow moving system sending out wind waves out ahead of it’s arrival. That wind has been doing some nice buffing on the hill, with transported snow and filled in lines on the hill. The prepared lines were really sweet today, offering dry chalky velvet turns top to bottom, letting you extract as much juice from each turn and you could get. Sublime!! There were brief windows of sun that were certainly tempting, but flat light made visibility marginal.

A great looking pie on the Summit was taking center stage as I checked out the offerings for the lunch crowd on the peak.

While there was pressure for the goods, the lines seemed to back off around Noon, so back to back Trams were on tap and big vertical laps were easy to get. With the wind blowing, the quality really held up on all the prepared lines and some of the off trail lines began to fill in a bit later. Tomorrow, look for a storm day as the front moves through and I expect a slow start on the day. Dress for storm riding, with difficult visibility issues. Stay with the trees for the best reference points. Straight Ahead!!