6-26-13

A Guide to Big Mountain Skiing by Jackson
Hogen and Guru Dave Powers


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11-05-24

With the season coming up fast and the cold temps setting in, I have returned from my sojourn in the high desert and numerous points in the far reaches of The Galaxy. The Trailer is set up, once again, at the horse corral where Snoopy and Prickly Pete are keeping a close eye on the goings on. Up on the hill, the new Wilbre Chair is well on it’s way to a finish for opening day, and the new Mid Gad Lodge is closed in for the Winter. I have been doing my visualizations of overhead, deep face shots to draw those energies to manifest in good time.

The hill has some cover with the recent small storms that have been coming through, and, with the continued cold temps, have kept the accumulation consistent and building a good foundation. I will be going up to get a first hand look at the hill and am anxious to re establish the Portal in Mineral Basin, so as to be able to move in and out of the Continuum at a moments notice.

I’ll be posting more often ahead of the opening day, to keep you apprised of the conditions and changes as they occur. Use your best visualizations of how it feels to experience your favorite lines and conditions for best manifestation results. Syrup Won’t Stop ‘EM!!!

8-03-24

It has be simply sizzling here in the High Desert as I continue my cosmic adventures in the Beyondo. I have been dreaming of the cold Essence blowing over my head as I ply the steeps of The Bird to keep me chilled and stoked. I never try to hurry the NOW as it all flies by so fast, grabbing hold of each moment is key. My friend Andrew sent me a package of shots of the huge dump that was received at his home, Mt Hutt in New Zealand. They had had some marginal base for the start but got a solid 4′ of goodness to launch them into full on all Powder access. What a thrill to share the stoke, so I thought I’d pass it on so you too can share the images of deep times in the Southern Hemisphere.

Thank you Andrew for sharing your great shots of Mt Hutt and I know you have a great season ahead. I’ll be making a quick return to The Wasatch soon to connect with the hill and see the wild flowers on the hill and soak up the Telluric Energy that blasts from the peak. Stay Frosty, Straight Ahead!!!

7-18-24

It is seriously hot here in the High Desert and my time has been spacious in these wilds. I came back to town to go up the the hill and enjoy the vibrations. The hills are super green, lush and vibrant against the blue sky. There was a great meeting with the Morning Crew at The Forklift with perfect temps, fun stories of Summer fun, and were joined by Junior Bounous. It was a great honor for us to have him join us to celebrate the great times we have shared for so many years.

I’ll be heading back out and up to the high desert to resume my explorations. The Bird is going all out to get the new projects done for next season. I was checking out the new chair alignment for Wilbre. It will be a great update. Oktoberfest is coming up soon, and in the mean time, the activities and the beautiful setting is well worth the time to get up there and soak up the Mountain Vibrations.

Stay cool and stay frosty as we move ahead through the Summer activities. Syrup Won’t Stop ‘EM!!

5-27-24

The last day of the season was full of stoke, fun, and sunny skies, with plenty of cover to let everyone get the most out of the day. The pond skimming was on tap at the bottom of Anderson’s Hill, which was surprisingly large having only been exposed just the other day. There was some very nice dry deep corn where tenderizing efforts had been performed, though those deep sections had a tendency to grab your ski.

There was a lot of traffic and the narrow access lines were active with lots of folks getting the last of the rippin’ lines down the hill. Excellent music was happening on the Plaza Deck, with a band that had a great brass section. Nice touch. The Sun was warm and the Plaza scene was fun and festive.

It is time to start gearing up for my journey to the High Desert for my time with the Universe. Lots to encounter and ponder in the coming months. Syrup Won’t Stop ‘EM!!!!

5-26-24

After yesterday’s rain, snow, rain storm, the hill was covered with an extra dusting of cold dry fluff that gave the pack a real Winter feel. There was plenty of traction on the just firm surfaces and the off trail was offering some soft lines, though the static was interesting. I was sticking with the prepared lines on the front side of the hill.

Visibility was excellent with the Sun coming out full force around Noon. As the Sun popped out, the dry snow began to get intermittently sticky. A great band was playing on the deck for the apres festivities and the Sun was warm and luxurious. Tomorrow, look for more good, last of the season turns, with plenty of up hill capacity to get you your fill going into the long hot Summer

See you there early for the best corduroy lines of the day. I expect some overnight chill, so it might be a tad crispy in the AM. Straight Ahead!!!

5-19-24

The warm overnight temps left the pack primed and ready with sweet sorbet on all sides of the hill right out of the Chute. There was a high cloud deck that filtered the first sunshine, but cleared off rapidly. Mineral Basin offered untracked corduroy that delivered full platform engagement with every turn. I was pretending that it was a back country experience and dialed in as deep a turn as I could using the total positive traction that that sorbet provided. The front of the hill was soft and delightful as well and those early untracked lines were just insane and kept me doing back to back laps to get as much as I could.

Great tunes were on tap for the apres festivities. The temps were warm and the stoke was high. Such a great day and there is plenty of snow to get the hill to next weekend with great cover. Have a great week. Dial it up, Dial it in!!!

5-18-24

The sliding returns with this weekend turning of the lifts at The Bird. The Sun was out and shining early, warming the pack and priming Mineral Basin for an early break. The front of the hill was still quite frozen and the pulse of attention was placed on the back side. The pack got quite soft early back there and that was just the time the front side began to break.

Tomorrow, look for more great turning on the fat snow pack that is still on tap. Coverage is excellent and the Sun will be shining. Warm temps and great Spring conditions will be great to get you through the week of snow sport sliding withdrawls. The break should be very quick on the back side and the front quickly thereafter. There will be great music on the Plaza to party on after you get your fill. See you there. Syrup won’t stop ‘EM!!

5-13-24

It was the last day of the full service daily season, with great visibility, nicely prepared lines, and great friends with which to share the stoke. With a light overnight freeze, the pack was just deluxe and hot laps were available on all sides of the hill. It was really nice to take the time to savor all the spots that we can carry through the Summer.

It was great to be out on the hill and connecting with friends who make the Bird experience what it is.

Great tunes on the Plaza kept the party going after the snow had turned to slush.

Thanks to all the people who work so hard to make the Bird turn. It is always a marvel to me that despite all that transpires they make it happen on a daily basis. I look forward to these coming weekend visits to the high country coming up. See you next weekend, and I will be posting. Straight Ahead!!

5-11-24

One more day of the season left, and today was a nice day to enjoy and absorb all the elements of the season as it comes to a close of full time operation. The prepared lines were offering the smooth dialable turns on all sides of the hill. I have been slowing way down and digging deep to extract as much of that mountain energy that will sustain me as I head to the High Desert in the not to far distant future. A cloud deck parked itself over the peaks, making for some flat light and there were some flurries passing through from time to time just to add a bit of texture to the experience.

Tomorrow, look for more Sun as the last of the storm energy moves off and the temps warm. I expect a slow break and I will be looking for the smooth again to work my extraction turns for more maximum Telluric Energy. I expect continued light traffic with walk on Trams and wide open lines on the hill. There will be music on the Plaza Deck and good vibes to share with fellow sliders. Take the time and the moments to interact with the hill in slow meaningful ways that you can bring up in your mind’s eye during the Summer transit. See you there early to get the most out of the day. Remain Standing!!!

5-10-24

It was a tad brisk this morning with little wind, pretty good visibility and some very nice smoothing efforts on the hill. There had been another light dusting overnight, which made the prepared lines and the off trail just a bit more luxurious. The Grooming Crew did a very nice job working the sections, leaving some great transitions which let you tie lines together seamlessly. With the cold temps, the break was going to take quite a while and the softening did not get fully in play till 1PM.

Tomorrow, look for more good conditions with Grooming efforts on all sides of the hill. The off trail will still be offering some soft feeling quality depending on aspect and time of day. That last cycle provided some very nice product that is offering some great feeling corduroy top to bottom. The very bottom of the hill may be extra crispy in the AM, but the higher elevations should still be offering good to go lines for the opening bell. Great cover top to bottom. Straight Ahead!!!