Archive for February, 2024

UTAH LIGHT

2-09-24

With cold temps, and an active atmosphere, some righteous Utah Light Essence was delivered overnight adding to the run of great snow this past week. The Faithful mounted a full court press and got to the hill early and strong for the festivities. The uber light snow was piling up fast and the visibility was marginal, though there was enough detail to get a fair look at the terrain. Lines were fluffy, however, that substrate from the previous days of high traffic were reflecting through.

The Jazzman working his hunches about where the goods lay on a day with lots of possibilities.
This is the spicy line that The Jazzman selected for a solo descent into the Deep!!

Traffic lightened up as the day wore on, leaving the lines much quicker, with a bit more casual pace. Tomorrow, look for more soft lines to find as there are still areas waiting in the wings, so keep an ear to the rail.

Jake sent this great shot of the hike to Baldy today with the wind swept formations standing tall to the wind.

Looks like the constant flow is backing off, with fair weather coming for the next week, so enjoy the soft snow and great turns that will be happening. IBBY!!

GREAT CYCLE

2-08-24

As anticipated, there was more accumulation overnight adding to this great cycle that has brought over 60 inches in the last stretch. This has really filled in all the lines that had been looking thin not that long ago, making them good to go and ready for more goodness. There was full attendance by The Faithful, who were ready and primed for the goods after days of amazing accumulation. Going for your standby lines was rewarded by consistent depth and smooth feel top to bottom.

Professor Tom driving a smooth Baldy line with power and intent!!
Mikey M hitting his standby line on Baldy
Instructor Steve driving through a wind roll that will deliver a full on face shot.

Tomorrow, look for a tad more overnight accumulation, more great lines still waiting for exploration, and prepared lines that will let you dial in your inner Ligety. I am expecting much colder temps coming up as another storm center is approaching out of the Northwest. There will continue to be stout pressure for the goods, so keep your eyes open and listen to the Tram announcements. Remain Standing!!

HIGH INTENSITY

2-07-24

It was snowing this morning with high intensity, and The Faithful were on the case early and ready for a big snow day. Temps were moderate, but the visibility was difficult with the precipitation not letting up even a little. Up on the hill, the pack was deep, with medium density Essence that had a blower feel, but also had a floaty quality that made the ride cloud like, however, it let the substrate reflect through. Those high amplitude interference patterns were still in play, but a full on fall line approach made short work on any variations.

Peter Nicholson raising the fluff in full knee deep Essence
Mikey M emerging from a full depth power turn while keeping the fall line pegged.

It did not matter which line you chose today, you were treated to blower quality and soft flowing turns top to bottom, just like in the movies. As the day progressed, and the pack got worked, the harbor chop began to rise, requiring a very deliberate round approach to the turns to mitigate the the ride implications. Control work on the road sent me down canyon early to avoid a possible delay in getting down. Tomorrow, look for more accumulation as it is still raining here at The Trailer. There is more terrain waiting in the wings and it should be another great day on the hill. What a great cycle. Keep it tight!!

KEEPS COMING

2-06-24

The goodness keeps coming, with blowing wind and not too much accumulation overnight to make today a full on “what to do first” dilemma. With all that wind, was it going to be North aspects, or a first run into Mineral, or a Cirque Traverse exploration. Whatever you chose, there was untracked, smooth, and dense product that offered full platform engagement no matter what you chose. Bonus round!! Visibility was marginal with a stout wind blowing, keeping the snow on the move. The prepared lines were deluxe and made you feel invincible. Traffic was stout, but the chairs were walk on and there was plenty of vertical to work into the mix.

Snow slowly morphing it’s way to the sea, holding form for just a short time.

Tomorrow, look for overnight accumulation adding to the pack, more smooth lines to work, and still strong pressure for the goods. The Chairs will offer the best turnaround time, and we’ll have to see how the hill opens for the morning options. With the flow still out of the South, I expect more high density product to be on tap. The hill is in the storm flow, and this cycle is getting fun and opening so many new options. See the Line, BE the Line!!

STORM RIDING

2-05-24

It was a storm riding day with stout winds, brisk snow fall and creamy and dreamy Essence to make the sliding soft and carvey. With the wind blowing so hard, the surfaces were smoothing nicely all over the hill with some of the far reaches getting filled in and buffed out. Visibility was marginal, but good enough to have strong reference points especially close to the trees. There was fair pressure for the lifts, but as the morning wore on, the lines thinned as folks got spread out on the hill. The snow was driving with the wind and the dense dry quality made full platform engagement a real treat with each turn dialing in with ease and releasing right into the next arc. Sweet feel with every turn.

The wind and driving snow covered The Star Cruiser with a nice coating of freshness.

Tomorrow, look for more accumulation from this impulse, with another wave in the river to move in, adding to the fun. There will be some very rare smoothing on many lines that don’t see that texture too often, so getting there and dialing them in will pay big dividends. Visibility will still be marginal, but the heavy snowfall is predicted to come in later in the day. The hill is rockin’ right now and you are good to go on all aspects. Remain Standing.

CHAMPAGNE POWDER

2-04-24

It was much colder than I anticipated this morning, and the sky was clear and ultra blue. The Faithful were in full attendance to taste the goodness of this champagne powder. They were not disappointed, as the quality was perfect, light, and dreamy. After the earlier accumulations, this addition was icing on the cake. Mineral Basin opened shortly before Noon and there was a high interest in getting the first lines.

Anticipation for the real deal.

There were lacy clouds moving through, but the Sun was illuminating the bowl, with some hint of Angel Light shimmering out in the middle of the Basin. Tomorrow, look for more great conditions, with the prepared lines offering the deep living room shag quality, which lets you dial in that full platform engagement. There are still some areas waiting in the wings, so keep an eye out for possible openings. There are clouds moving in ahead of the next series of impulses as the Tropical River continues to deliver more goodness. I am hoping the temps will remain cold, so that we don’t get an upside down pack. It is going to be a great week and the hill is prime and rockin’. Stay Frosty!!

ADDED FRESHNESS

2-03-24

There was added freshness to the pack with the overnight delivery and The Faithful were in full effect for today’s festivities. With yesterday’s accumulation well worked into the pack, this additional product made for a much more luxurious feel with much of the rumble filled in and feeling much smoother.

Mark Herath getting deep in it and blowing it up on Baldy.

This really sets the stage for this coming week of continuous incoming accumulation, which should be a real treat with the hill being in such great shape. I had been keeping a close eye on all the variables that would need to kept in mind before getting more cover and now I feel much more inclined to let loose and approach the hill with more unmitigated audacity. Tomorrow, look for a bit more accumulation as the system is quite unsettled and impulses are tracking across the Valley headed for the Canyons. Expect continued pressure for the goods, more great lines to be had on the hill, and still moderate temps. See you there dark and early. IBBY!!!

FRESH FROSTING

2-02-24

It dumped 5″ of fresh frosting for the morning’s festivites and The Faithful were on deck and ready to play. The high density really stuck to the old layer, making for a much softer feel and more consistent turns. However, as the new product got worked, it got piled up and required an extra effort to punch through the sections. Most of the hill was open right out of the chute, which let everyone get out on the hill and keep the concentration a bit lighter on the hill.

The Jazz Man was putting the hammer down and getting the new installment to come up and envelope him in song.
Professor Tom carrying speed, power and dynamics to the fresh frosting.
Mark Herath working the sign line of Door Knob today.

It is raining hard as I write this post here at The Trailer, signalling the further accumulation happening up on the hill. The temps remain quite warm, and the snow density is still quite high. Tomorrow, look for another strong turn out by The Faithful, significant accumulation overnight, and a lot more cushion on top of the old layer, which will be feeling much smoother and filled in. Perhaps there will some associated wind to help frost the cake just a bit more for effect. It is going to be great and just what the doctor ordered to mitigate that firm surface. Dial it up, Dial it IN!!

INCOMING

2-01-24

The system that is incoming began to make it’s presence know, with wind and gathering clouds to begin the day. There was some Sun in Mineral Basin to start out the day with clouds gathering out of the West, with a strong South wind buffing the hill. There was very little transported snow as the warm temps have it frozen in place. I was working the amazingly prepared lines in the Peruvian Gulch, which had that dry chalky feel that felt deluxe underfoot. Regulator was super firm, and was not going to soften even a little.

Morning Sun in Mineral with storm clouds moving in from the West.

Traffic was light, with walk on Trams that let you do hot laps with no waiting and the only rest you get is the ride up. With such warm temps., the pack began to get quite soft on the lower elevations and it felt much like a spring day. Tomorrow, look for the storm to have moved into The Front with precipitation, wind, marginal visibility and accumulation during the day. It could be a day of free refills, so we will have see how it shakes out. The off trail is presenting quite a lot of interference patterns with wide spread rumble, so expect some variations underfoot if you venture off the prepared lines. It will be great to get some fresh Essence on the hill and the hill is primed and ready for this event. Stay Frosty!!!