The wind was howling all night long and extended all day as well, driving up lots of West desert dust into the atmosphere to fill the air with a haze. All this ahead of a fast moving front that will pump through tonight. There is not much moisture associated with this weather event and it should be gone in the AM with the wind mellowing out.
The Blue Tram suspended above The Cirque as it being used to access the towers as the work begins on the Mods.
Tomorrow, look for some Sun on the hill, excellent grooming efforts on all sides of the hill, and light traffic. I’ll be looking for the tenderized lines for the best traction and carvablity. Coverage is still very good with all the cat tracks in good shape. See you there for the opening bell, and more Spring fun on the hill. Watch your Six!!
Aspect and timing were key this morning, with Powder Paradise offering the best feel as the lower elevations on the hill were in need of some time. The Sun was working the back and good traction was fun and easy. On the front of the hill, Peruvian Gulch had a mix of choices with dry chalk up high and tenderized lines lower down on the hill. The Grooming Crew had done a great job keeping the mat so consistent.
Rick, The Jazz Man got the last of the goods yesterday out under the Sunday Cliffs.
The air really warmed up and the pack began to break, making many lines come alive as they softened. Tomorrow, look for the Groomers to be offering the best lines. The off trail has set up with the recent changes. A break is going to take a bit in the AM. There is more precipitation in the forecast. Coverage remains excellent. Remain Standing!!
The rain was pelting the skin of The Trailer last night, signaling more fresh frosting up on the hill. 4 to 5″ covered the dance floor with a high density cushion, that really made the old layer barely a hint. Getting full platform engagement was easy and powerful all over the hill.
Dave Matz finding his own piece of heaven. No pressure, no hype!!
With so much moisture content in the new product, the lower elevation pack got manky really quickly, requiring a much more dynamic approach.
JP and Calo show up this time each year. I have known them forever and it is always a treat to see them in our happy place!!
Tomorrow, look for warming temps, amazing Groomers for fun and fast cruisin’. The coverage is excellent, and most of the rumble and static is gone. Some interference patterns remain, but the amplitude is much lower with round lines in between. More storms are lining up, the Event is not over. Straight Ahead!!
The wind was nuking today out ahead of the next impulse lined up on The Front. There was a couple of inches of freshness on the dance floor for The Faithful to ply. Jake sent this shot of the first tracks on Lower Primrose Path, with Phil and Whiskey smoothing the sweet coverage.
The hill remains in excellent condition, with all this coverage still holding up the quality. Tomorrow, look for a few more inches of product as the last of this impulse pumps through tonight. It should be partly sunny for tomorrow’s festivities, and there should be some interesting fresh lines in Mineral Basin as it did not get worked today. I still will be looking for the smooth prepared lines to be offering that ground pounding fun for the opening bell.
Dave Matz exploring some high edge angles in the deeper sections of the Upper Cirque.
Time seems to be speeding up as the season is winding down, so we’ll just have to step things up to keep up. Stay Frosty!!!
More fresh frosting was delivered overnight, which added to the softness quotient all over the hill. Visibility was fairly marginal with fog moving in and out all morning. The Big Smooth had been prepared once again, and I dialed that line in all morning long to extract as much of the goodness before it got chopped. With the overcast, the fresh snow was not being baked by the Sun, so it stayed fresh and consistent top to bottom. Out in Mineral Basin, there was lots of fresh lines to dial in for the folks who were ready to deal with the white out, but it was worth the effort for sure.
Chris Frost getting one of the rare windows of visibility out on the Cham Chutes. Diamond Dave surfing the fresh accumulation and making the most of it.
Traffic was fairly light and rapid turnarounds were going off on all sides of the hill. You could not choose a bad line today.
Doc working a fresh line on Baldy where no one seemed to be going. Kevin Cantin dancing to the music and not missing a beat.
Tomorrow, look for more great lines to be on tap, with sections that could not be seen will still be happening. The Groomed lines will, once again, offer soft velvet lines with only faint echoes of the old layer. Look for a mixed day of clouds and precipitation. Not much is expected, but that might help keep the pack from morphing too much from the Sun exposure. We’ll see. I am taking the day off, so dial up some turns for me. IBBY!!!
A couple of extra inches was added to the pack overnight, which laid on top of the grooming efforts, making every turn on the opening lines exquisite and perfect. The Big Smooth had been prepared top to bottom and getting the first tracks on that long piece of vert. was a must do for those opening runs. Mineral Basin was excellent as well, but the visibility back there was very difficult,
however the untracked lines were worth the effort to get out there.
Tim Boyle working the milky depths of Mineral Basin and scoring sweet perfection. Chris Frost working the Cham Chutes and experiencing full platform engagement!!
The Road to Provo opened, offering amazing smooth lines that had a bit better visibility and low traffic so it lasted a long time. The cold temps kept the pack nicely refrigerated and the quality held up all day, only getting a bit choppy after 1PM.
The fall line was hard to see, but full commitment to the power zone helped make the turns consistent. Keith Bates getting all of it and blowing up the Essence.
Tomorrow, look for more great lines to be found all over the hill, especially the areas that could not be seen in today’s variable light. Groomers will once again be offering soft silky carpets that let you explore your inner Ligety!!. The old substrate is still there, but only echoes can be felt here and there.
Diamond Dave kicking in the afterburners and slamming air time out of a deep tree section. Always on point and driving the line.
We’ll have to see how visibility works out tomorrow, but I expect better clarity and I will be looking for the smooth carpets of AHHHHH for the fast fun lines that will be waiting. Syrup Won’t Stop ‘EM!!!
More medium density Essence was delivered overnight and The Faithful were in full attendance for the goodness. The density being a bit higher, created a good cushion to mitigate the old layer. Still, there were echos that made you pay attention. The overall consistency of the pack was much better all over the hill. There were plenty of fresh lines to ply. Anderson’s hill and Lower Primrose Path had a nice smoothing treatment, which got covered with the overnight accumulation that made those lines exquisite all morning long.
Rick The Jazz Man in the Zone and driving hard. Diamond Dave getting Great Scott at it’s best. What a line this late in the season.
The crowd was dispersed, and it was instant access to the lift all day. Mineral Basin was open, but the visibility back there was difficult. Staying with the trees was key for visibility.
DR. Tom getting his dream line on Great Scott. Mikey M Power Blasting in full effect!!
Tomorrow, look for some additional accumulation, amazing groomers to dial in, and still big sections of the hill still waiting in the wings. This has been an amazing addition to the pack, and there is more instability upstream. Keep the visualizations going. See you there for more Spring Powder!! Stay Frosty!!!
The Event that I have been feeling was on the way finally arrived and this system is not over yet. The hill reported 11″ overnight and more dumped all day as band after band of Lake Effect moved across the Valley. The Faithful were in full attendance in anticipation of more of the goods. The Patrol did a great job getting things open after such an installment.
Mikey M getting full platform engagement out on Baldy
The West facing aspects were a bit wind affected and the old layer could be felt. The Peruvian side of the hill was feeling much deeper and consistent.
Mark Herath dialing in the goods on Lower Baldy while the crowd was not paying attention.
Tomorrow, look for more overnight accumulation as the impulses are still dusting The Trailer as I write this. The Grooming Crew will have some very nice material to work into the mat, giving the ride a lot softer feeling. There should still be fresh lines all over the hill, so take a look and stay out ahead of the crowd. It will still be quite cold, so be dressed for weather and wind. I’ll be putting my heated gloves back on. Winter is back. Dial it up, Dial it In!!!
After another day of the weather winding up, the front is now rolling in and through as the rain starts to patter insistently on the skin of The Trailer. I made it up to the hill for the opening bell, but I looked at the dark cloud hanging over the hill, and the cold wind blowing and made a retreat to the Forklift Chair to assess the options once again. Reports coming off the hill were not encouraging, and I just basked in the warm ambience of the the restaurant.
Should I stay, or should I go. I left for the day.
This low pressure is set up to last quite a while and will be bringing the Event that I had a feeling about for the past couple of weeks. There is no telling how much will be coming, but my visualizations have been pretty extravagant, so I am expecting an interesting development. Things could be quite dicey in the AM. It is fairly warm with that South wind out ahead of the front, so I am hoping the opening salvo will be higher density, getting lighter as the storm brings in the colder air. Expect Winter Storm conditions for the day and dress for cold and wind. April is often times a very wet month and I think the pattern will continue. Let’s see!! As Joe Man The Snow Man says. ” Don’t skip on the Groove Sauce”!!!
While the Sun was shining in the Valley, the hill had a dark cloud hanging over it, from which a trace of snow was falling. It was seriously cold and the wind was blowing hard on the Plaza and nuking up high. Scoping out the conditions, I retreated to the Forklift to assess the options. Up on the hill, the pack was fully frozen and offered little traction. The Grooming Crew had done some tenderizing efforts that made some of the lines more approachable. Mineral Basin was offering the best consistency, and the Sun came out around 11AM to shed some illumination on the dance floor.
Junior Bounous was having breakfast at The Forklift as I was pondering the day. He is my lifetime role model and an amazing ambassador of the sport and a true inspiration.
I pulled the plug on the day and went down and spent some time with the horses in the corral. Tomorrow, look for another very crispy morning as the cold has set in and a full on Low pressure is moving in for the next few days. Be sure to be checking out your lines for the coming accumulation so that you will know that pack that will be getting covered. The More You Know!! There should be very light traffic, and I expect the Grooming Crew will have prepared more carpets for the morning session. I do not expect any softening by the Sun. Straight Ahead!!!