The strange weather continues as the temps. were warmer still, with the temp. here at the Trailer hitting 74 Degrees.  There is no doubt that the Big Return is now in full on effect.  Here is a shot of a prime example of the melt off as this was taken at 10400′.  Of course, I am still holding the visualization of blower powder still to come, and in this place that is a fair expectation.  Up on the hill, the Groomers were the place to be for the morning session, but it would have to wait a while for the off trail to soften up, where the South and West faces are becoming spring time happening.  It will require  your best route finding, but good lines are available later in the afternoon.  The High North is still holding up, but with these very warm temps. that may change.  I will keep you posted on the changes as they happen.  Tomorrow, look for another day of Spring conditions, with those early morning Groomers to be offering some corduroy that does not last long.  Depending on the overnight temps., the break will be around Noon, with those West and Lower North faces taking quite a bit longer to come around.  I had a great day getting things ready for this coming week.  I will see you for the first Tram.  Don’t forget to SIZZLE!!

Today was the first day of Spring and it was all of that and more.  Another cold night had provided a hard freeze, but the peak temp. was 32 Degrees when the First Tram hit the peak.   Out in Mineral Basin, the tenderizing lines had been prepared, offering the corduroy goodness for those first few runs before it got cut up.  Those 3” deep granular carpets are hard to beat.  The morning traffic was drawn back there, and a fair line built up, however, the line moved quickly.  On the front of the hill, tenderizing efforts were available as well, though the folks who waited to start later in the morning were not disappointed.  The break was going to be long in coming, but after Noon lines were developing a bit more tooth.  By the mid afternoon the softness became consistent overall and the turns were much easier to dial in.   Here is a shot I took a couple of days ago of an interesting cloud formation that was hung over the Twins.  Tomorrow, look for another solid freeze on the hill.  Mineral Basin will be offering those corduroy  lines that will be good for the first hour.  Look for tenderizing efforts on the front of the hill as well, but it will take the break in the freeze to make that consistency a sorbet delight.   Spring conditions are another of the many faces of the season and can be counted on to offer another level of perfect.  Perfect is where you find it.  The High North is still holding the cold as the pack has not absorbed the day time warmth, so you can get that cold chalk that is still worth a look see.  Some of the more remote High North lines are beginning to smooth out now, and I was tempted to check them out, but that will have to wait until Sunday.  I will be taking the day off tomorrow, so you can have my share.  Peace Out!!

The clear night brought a hard freeze to the hill, which set up yesterday’s thaw up tougher than nails.  Tenderizing efforts were employed on some of the main lines on the hill, with the best consistency happening on the Peruvian Gulch, where that line felt fast and velvety.   Out in Mineral Basin, the Sun was going to take quite a while to heat things up, with the off trail areas very difficult, but the Groomers were offering consistent granularity for the first hour before it began to get stirred up by the traffic.   After breakfast, a quick lap out to Lewis and Clark revealed some serious Ratchet Chop on the lower pitches, where the granular loose snow had been piled up with very greasy tiles in between the piles.  This was distinctly different than Harbor Chop, where the piles solidify.  This is spring time conditions a month early. Here is a shot of the interference patterns built up on Upper Silver Fox, highlighted by the morning Sun.  There is still some chalky feel on these High North aspects and will still be holding the cold after today’s very cold start.  The break did not begin until well after 1:00PM, when some of the aspects began to soften and become a bit more approachable.   Tomorrow, look for another slow start as the night will be cold once again.   I am always about First Tram, but it would not hurt a bit to wait for a later start.  I will still be working the morning session, but I did go for the Forklift Chair early today.  Look for tenderizing efforts to be employed once again, and those lines are best when fresh and untracked.  Here is another very interesting fashion statement I saw today.  Dress for morning cold.  Ciao!!

A dry cold front moved through the area overnight, which dropped the temps. significantly.  The last of the cloud deck was moving East as the Tram hit the peak, leaving the Mineral Basin bathed in Sunshine.  With the late start on the warming, and the colder temps., the timing on the break was over 2 hours later than yesterday.  Nice tenderizing efforts on all sides of the hill gave ample tooth to the prepared runs and made top to bottom laps fun and fast.  Here is a shot from the peak looking down Canyon with the cloud deck moving off.  It has some nice high contrast elements in this shot.  After breakfast, I went in search of the off trail conditions, where I found wide spread rumble that made an aggressive line a difficult choice.  It was not until full softening had occurred that the consistency came up to speed.  Regulator broke around Noon, and had a nice feel, especially on the right side of the machine work.  I also came across this beautiful Spring Chicken ripping up the hill.  I just had to stop get a shot before she flew away.  That is Mr. Scott photo bombing the shot.    At this very moment, this pitch was offering some of the nicest sorbet of the day.  What a treat it was to dig deep into this sweet frosting.  Only these conditions offer this rarity, which only comes after the freeze thaw.   Tomorrow, look for another cool morning, with bright Sun, excellent Groomers to rip the morning laps, and a light turn out for the morning session.  The off trail will again soften and become workable sometime after Noon.  The High North is still holding up with dry chalk, but is becoming a bit more affected as the ambient temps.  are beginning to get to the pack on those aspects.  Here is also a shot of Alexa, a Euro Girl who I have know for aeons.  She rips this hill on no uncertain terms, and she is sporting some very fashion forward mittens that speak to her elegant style, both on and off the hill.  It will be a great day so be there to get the best of this early spring fling.  You never know when it will turn back into Winter, but then you know it will.   Syrup won’t stop ‘EM!!

The forecast was for mostly cloudy skies today, but the cloud deck that hung over the hill had moved off for the first Tram, leaving Mineral Basin bathed in bright Sun for the morning session.  White Diamonds had been given a very nice till, which was a real treat for the morning crew, who worked that pitch into the route pattern for the morning attack.  While the Groomers were initially firm, the warm temps. and bright Sun softened the dance floor in short order.  On the front of the hill, extensive tenderizing efforts had been employed, making those prepared lines good to go, with top to bottom granularity a treat.    I was able to attain a very rare sunlit sighting of  TrenchZilla, our resident Carvasaurus Rex as he basked in the morning rays.  There is only a 2 second window of opportunity to see the lair that he lives in.  You will have to keep a sharp eye out for this very obscure location, but it is a thrill when you finally see him in his natural habitat.   Tomorrow, look for clouds to have moved into the area ahead of a weak impulse.  With the Sun obscured, it may take quite a bit longer for the break to occur. Today, the break began around 11:00 AM and was slow to affect the North facings shots on the lower mountain.  The High North is still holding up, but those lines have widespread interference patterns, as the traffic has been working the obvious lines all week.  Look for the Groomers to be the place to be, and be sure to check the Grooming report for any surprise lines that might get the nod.  It is always a treat to get those freshly tilled lines.  Dress for a bit cooler day.  IBBY!!   P. S.  I was able to pull in a bit tighter on the cave to get a better look at this rare sighting.  Speed Safely!!

It was quite a bit warmer this morning, though high clouds moved in and out all day long.  There was a light freeze  in the pack, but extensive tenderizing efforts had been employed on all sides of the hill, which provided some traction for the morning session.  The off trail, before softening occurred, was very difficult and hitting the Groomers would ease the ride.  I saw numerous folks out in the crunch trying to negotiate the gnar.  Despite the warmth, the High North is still holding the cold, with only minimal damage from the ambient temps..  Interference patterns have built up more extensively as the hill gets worked, with the lines that are easily accessed getting the most traffic.  There are still some smooth lines, but they are becoming scarce.  The break went off around Noon, as the front of the hill began to soften up, offering some very nice spring like conditions.  Tomorrow, look for some partly cloudy skies, with even warmer temps. as the pattern seems solidly set up over the West.  Coverage remains very good top to bottom, though there are a few spots were there is some material spalling from the  rock faces.  It is easy to avoid, but keep an eye out on the Cat Tracks in very sparse places.  There should be an overnight freeze as was the factor today, so head for the Sun drenched lines in Mineral Basin for the morning session to get the jump on the day.  A later start will also be worth considering, as the afternoon is prime for those spring feeling lines.   Here is a shot of a Flower I encountered in the center, which seems to characterize the feel of the these unseasonably warm days.  Speed Safely!!

It was a clear morning with little breeze, but there was still a touch of chill to the air and the snow pack had firmed up overnight.   The Grooming Crew had gone out in force early, working a fresh till on the main runs of the entire hill.  Even the front side of the hill had a nice granular feel, but with the cold still in the snow, it was very fast.  Mineral Basin was very nice  for the first hour and a half with the early morning Sun working the direct aspects quickly.  White Diamonds had been given a great buff, and as the Sun warmed that shot, the snow felt like a sweet sorbet that demanded return visits to get that steep long drop.  The off trail is still fairly difficult, however, the High North is still holding up despite the warmth, and dry chalky lines are still happening if you are looking to work a bit harder keep it tight and centered.   Here is a shot of two trees that have given up the ghost, but still stand stark against the sky.  Tomorrow, look for the clouds that moved in today to have moved off, giving us a great morning with even warmer temps.  With this cloud cover, the break is going to go fast if the pack freezes up at all.  The Groomers will be providing the best lines of the morning, but off trail will improve as the pack warms and the consistency becomes workable.  Be sure to watch those South and West facing aspect for extreme crunchiness for the first hours of the morning.  Give Regulator a while to soften as it takes quite a while for the ambient warmth to work it’s magic.  See you there for the morning fun.  Stay Frosty!!

Yes, today was PI Day, 3.1415, which I spent working out the math of the convoluted torus thread that I have been following.  Curiously, it works in nicely with the ski thing as we continue to move from bottom to top and back again.  Why do we do this? Just to find the truth of it I guess.  Up on the hill, it was another beautiful day, though some very high clouds seemed to take some of the sting out of the direct rays that were being directed on the hill.  The hill is still in great shape as the snow making efforts earlier in the season have given those very exposed spots plenty of material for the Cat Crew to work with. On the front of the hill, the break was still going to take a while and those early morning lines were going to be crispy.  Here is a shot of the Alta border crossing seen before the Alta lifts opened.  Neil always likes to get a jump on the Alta untracked corduroy before the Alta folks get a chance to mare the finish.  Tomorrow, look for an even warmer day as the South wind continues to blow as weather changes are in the offing for next week.  Look for the Groomers to be the place to look for the smooth lines, with Mineral Basin getting the early Sun shining and warming the pack.  Look for those Groomers out there to be offering the goods for the first couple of hours while the front of the hill warms up and gets some traction on those firm lines.  I am looking forward to dialing in some smooth lines for the morning session.  Be there for the fun.  Peace Out!!

After yesterday’s very high density accumulation, the hill had developed a very firm feel for the morning session and it would take a very long time for the thaw to get the pack to break.  Mineral Basin had been worked over nicely, with White Diamonds and Lower Silver Dipper offering the goods for the first few laps before it got crowded.   The lines of Lewis and Clark could be counted on for fun, with that new line redone for today’s fun fest.  On the front of the hill, the upper 2000′ offered good traction with smooth Machine worked lines offering good traction.   It was the last 1000′ that was problematic until the surface broke.  The break would not come there until after 2:00PM.  The High North is still holding the cold, but interference patters are widespread and finding smooth natural lines takes some looking.  Here is a shot of Pagan Bowl still holding all that North East facing pack that is looking smooth and inviting.  Tomorrow, look for Mineral Basin to be the call for the morning session, with great Grooming to offer consistent ground pounding fun.  The front of the hill will take a while to break as it did today, however the timing may be quicker if the temps are higher to start.  Bright Sun will be the order of the day, so chase the breaks as the Sun works the pack.  Mark Malu has been good to go from the opening bell as it still is holding the cold and responds well to fresh machine work.  You can stay up high by riding the Little Cloud Quad.  Here is a shot of Mimi with her sparkling eyes, shining a big Sunny smile back at the Sun.  Shine on Mimi!!   I will be taking the day off to rest up for this next week of driving with the top down.  IBBY!!

There was a fresh taste of Essence gracing the dance floor as the day began, offering from a dusting to a couple inches of accumulation depending on which part of the hill you were measuring.  Mineral Basin seemed to have received the least, however the Groomers were consistent and smooth despite the limited visibility that was associated with the continued snow fall.  The new product seemed to stick to the old layer, making the lines feel quite a bit softer and consistent.  While I stuck to the smooth lines for the most part, I did venture off the beaten path to check out the off trail, where I found the ride much improved, though the interference patterns were a tad problematic for me.  The new snow continued to build up as the day progressed, though just enough to keep the stoke factor high.   Here is a shot of a Sun Dog that was taken by my friend Dave, who caught this anomaly when he was in the right place at the right time.  Thanks for this beauty Dave.  I could not find a good photo op for today due to the visibility.   I had a shot in my camera, but I left it in my locker.  Doh!!  Tomorrow, look for improved weather, awesome Groomers to be available on all sided of the hill, and still light traffic for the morning session.  This new product should get worked into the pack on the machine worked runs, but will not go too far in cushioning the old layer.   As the Sun should be making the day bright,  it will also be working the new snow, so stay ahead of the heat and get to those sensitive aspects first before they get hit by the rays.  See you for the Sunshine day dream.  Stay Frosty!!