The storm cycle that has visited the Wasatch for the last week or so, was slow to exit, clearing off only later in the day.  The wind and snow was hitting hard all day, but the Tram was open, making  access to the higher elevation lines an added feature.  The wind was in full effect, stripping off some of the exposed West faces, and piled it up in the low hollows and guts.  There was a high degree of wind affected aspects, but soft lines were available on all aspects if you looked.  The Cirque Traverse is much improved, however, it does present features that demand respect, so know that going in.  Entrances are improving , but the wind did have an effect there as well, so use caution going into those high pressure lines.  Much of the terrain remains closed, but perhaps will be available soon as Control Work gets done.  The crusty tops of the interference patters are fully in play all over the hill where traffic is highest.  The new accumulation has filled in the troughs, but those tops remain scoured from the high winds.  I found it difficult to commit to a hard driving fall line approach due to the wide spread variability.  Expect to be bounced around a bit.  Tomorrow, look for clearing to offer a bright sunny day,  fantastic Groomers to be offering very carvalicious quality, and new terrain to open when ready.  I think the back side was getting the benefit of the wind direction, as all that snow had to go somewhere.  Here is a shot of Tower 4 as we passed by today.  It is heavily crusted with rime ice that has been part of the mix during this cycle.  Some of that Zipper Crust is still lurking in the lower layers.  Expect variation, but also expect greatness.  See you in the AM.   Ciao!!

This entry was posted on Monday, January 13th, 2014 at 4:25 pm and is filed under Snow Reports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.