Archive for April, 2024

SLOW BREAK

4-30-24

It was quite cold this morning, with bright Sun, a brisk breeze and very firm lines. Mineral Basin was offering prepared lines, including White Diamonds, which was smooth, crisp, and fast. It would take a bit to break. On the front of the hill, Chips, Anderson’s and Who Done It was very firm, but the corduroy was covered by a light dusting, which was untracked, smooth and a perfect addition to the morning fun.

Twin Peaks freshly covered with a light dusting of fresh Essence to start the day.

The break began around 11:30AM and continued to improve slowly as the temps remained cool. It hit the sorbet stage and was a real treat to get the full platform engagement out of each turn. Tomorrow, look for another cool morning, firm pack to start. Mineral will be offering the early break, but I expect the front of the hill to hold off again for quite a while. Coverage remains excellent and tenderizing efforts are being performed on certain lines on the hill. Syrup Won’t Stop ‘EM!!!

SPRING WEATHER

4-29-24

It was raining at entry 1 this morning, but changed to snow as I parked the car to begin today’s festivities. There was light traffic, and a dusting of fresh snow on the dance floor, which had prepared lines that were fun and fast. In Mineral Basin, the visibility was difficult, but White Diamonds had been given the smoothing treatment and was offering nice turns to begin the day. On the front of the hill, the prepared lines were quite firm, however, the fresh cover added a wonderful silky feel. With most folks moving to Mineral Basin, first tracks was a total plus and there was no one around to distract the focused attention on the goodness.

A huge shout out to Tom and Betty from the entire team membership, all of which send warm vibrations to you both.

The pack broke quickly as the morning warmed and the precipitation came to a stop. That fresh addition became like glue as the temps and filtered sun worked the pack and made for some interesting variations on the lower mountain. Tomorrow, look for more great spring conditions, with freshly tilled lines and wide open sections. I will be looking for more White Diamonds turns to kick off the morning laps. There is plenty of cover and there are no areas of melt off, so dialing in the mojo is good to go. Speed Safely!!

LIGHT DUSTING

4-28-24

It looked like the visibility might break, but the fog really set in making visibility a real challenge for the morning session. I stuck to the trees on the front side, looking for reference and the known smooth lines that had been prepared. While the prepared lines were smooth and trustworthy, they were frozen solid, with a light dusting on the dance floor that gave a bit of traction. Keeping the pace under control was key, as getting spanked by a stray bit of Gnarl was not a good idea. As the morning wore on, the ambient temps let the pack break, leaving some very nice turning on the softening pack.

The Morning Crew holding the front line while waiting for the games to begin. Alex, AKA Patches was back down from Jackson for the festivities and got some fun vibes and good turns.
Alex was sharing these custom Pins celebrating the high vertical life!!

Great tunes were on tap on The Plaza for Plazapalooza, making for a very festive vibe. Tomorrow, look for some better visibility, lots of top to bottom fun, Mineral Basin laps, and more Spring corn goodness. Scope out the lines for some nice smooth that beginning to develop as the traffic backs off. Remain Standing!!

DIFFERENT LEVELS

4-27-24

It was raining in the valley, which was totally socked in, and clear and sunny up on the hill to start the day. There was 3 or 4 inches of fresh frosting overnight, with some deeper amounts on the West aspects. The quality was soft and spreadable, with the lower substrate in play, but the density cushioned the ride as I anticipated yesterday. Clouds moved up after the first hour or so making the visibility go south quickly. There was a fair push for the early Trams, but everyone headed for the Mineral Chair thinning the crowd on the front side.

It was mighty quiet in the locker room as everyone was already up on deck ready to rock.

Tomorrow, look for a tad more accumulation, with some more flurries and visibility issues in the AM. I will be looking for the prepared lines, which will have had the freshness tilled into the mat. I expect some nice carving material to work for the first hours of the morning. Clearing skies are predicted, so visibility may well improve as the day moves forward. Be sure to stick around for the Plazapalooza festivities, with music and good vibrations. I am looking forward to another great week of Spring sliding and low traffic. Stay Frosty!

HIGH DENSITY

4-26-24

There was only a few inches of high density frosting to start the day, which went a long way to cushioning the pack. With the recent light traffic, the pack has smoothed out significantly and the prepared lines were offering trustworthy smoothness to make the difficult visibility more manageable. The heavy precipitation began after Noon, which added a lot more to the day.

Amazing how the simple snowflake can go through so many changes of form on it’s way back to the Big Cycle.

Tomorrow, look for more fresh frosting for the morning offerings. The off trail should be offering much better feel with the high density cushioning the pack. I expect quite a bit higher traffic on the hill. There may be some visibility issues as well as the system is still moving through and will be for the next day or so. Enjoy the late April addition and resurfacing for more corn goodness next week. IBBY!!1

SHORT WINDOW

4-25-24

It was clear this morning ahead of a storm system that was moving into the Front. The early risers got the goods with some nice corn lines with very little traffic. It was not going to be long till the clouds moved in and darkened the dance floor. The break pattern was consistent with the last couple of days, but as the Sun became covered that timing was skewed.

Perfect “Cornderoy” was on tap this morning with super light traffic.

Tomorrow, look for a very stormy day, with snow in the forecast, difficult visibility and challenging conditions off the prepared lines. Stick with the known smooth and check the grooming report for updates on the day’s prepared lines. This system could bring some significant accumulation, so enjoy this next installment.

Jake and I assessing the options and sussing the timing.

A huge thanks to all my friends who sent their “Day Of” shots to me so I could share them with all of you and give you a more accurate vision of the real conditions. Thanks Mikey M, Diamond Dave, Mark Herath, Kevin Canton, Jake and all the rest who have contributed so greatly to the Site, the energy, and stoke that is brought by the images you share. Keep it tight!!!

SLOW BREAK

4-24-24

Though the break had begun in Mineral Basin, which was offering good corn lines early on, but there was a brisk cold breeze blowing which really slowed the break on the rest of the hill. The front of the hill was going to have to wait for softening to occur. When the front of the hill did break, the quality was sorbet perfect and the Cirque apron was deluxe followed by a great line on Anderson’s Hill. Lower Chips face was a nice transition on the bottom of the hill and kept me doing back to back laps till I ran out of gas.

The Essence morphing into other manifestations as it makes its way back into the Big Cycle, so that it may return.

Tomorrow, look for changing weather as a couple of Low Pressure systems begin to move into the front. The forecast is for some significant precipitation and snow fall on the hill. I will be checking out the sky in the AM and may just bail on the day if it is not going to SUN. The pack may break, but it will be slow. Stick with the prepared lines for the best sliding. Coverage is excellent with plenty of lines to keep you occupied, but use care. IBBY!!!

SORBET START

4-23-24

The temps were warmer this morning with a peak temp of 34 Degrees, which was not enough to put a hard freeze on the pack. It was sorbet perfect right out of the Chute, with the prepared lines offering full platform engagement and as silky feel that was just a delight. I worked laps in Mineral Basin to take advantage of the Sun softening and get it before it went away. The Front of the hill was offering similar consistency, with smooth prepared lines top to bottom and a few passes that had been retilled just prior to opening. Stunning quality and was, to me, just as good as powder in perfection. Yikes.

Sully looking happy and fit with his new knee and just a day out from his procedure. So glad to see him ready to rock!!

With the warmth, the break was fast and it did not take long for the pack to get very soft, so I bailed early. Tomorrow, I think we might get some more Sun in the AM. but I expect that weather to begin moving in for the next few days with snow in the forecast. I’ll be looking for those prepared lines for the back country smooth feel and experience. It is so much fun to be able to dial in some corn goodness. See the line, BE the line!!

FAST BREAK

4-22-24

It was still pretty cool this morning, with a breeze blowing keeping the break from going off too fast, but when the wind stopped the break happened very quickly. Mineral Basin was offering the softest quality from the word GO and there was a lot of stoke for the smooth lines that were fun to really get after. That due South aspect just above the the Mineral Basin Chair was back country delightful and let you dial in a round sweet feeling run top to bottom. A real treat to start out the day. On the front of the hill, it took a bit longer for the break to go off, but dialing in the tenderized lines offered the best traction and quality turns.

The Morning Crew atop a Lewis and Clark adventure, where the corn goodness was wonderful and demanded numerous laps.

Tomorrow, look for the beginnings of changes in the weather for the rest of the week. We’ll have to see if there is cloud cover, but I am hopeful for another sunny morning for the continuation of the Spring quality.

A Tram Cam shot of me waving at the world caught by Tom and Betty checking out the local roster that was making first Tram.

Coverage remains excellent top to bottom with great lines on all sides of the hill. Mark Malu and Regulator are the last to break, so keep that in the back of your mind for timing of line choices. IBBY!!!

GREAT BREAK

4-21-24

It was still cool this morning, making the break take a bit longer. There were nice freshly prepared lines off the Baldy Chair, which was the last day of operation this season. Claim Jumper was prepared and was offering corn goodness and I was able to get the very first line on that corduroy. I did a bunch of laps back there before the folks started getting there. Peruvian Gulch was breaking slowly and a good bit of tenterization efforts had been performed, which offered deep sugary consistency that offered full platform engagement. The Road to Provo and Regulator were the last to break, making for a nice break as you followed the Sun.

Jake sent this cool shot of a bit of flair for the Spring Feel.

Great music was on tap on the Plaza and the Sun and temps were just right. Tomorrow, look for the beginnings of the effects of the next weather change. I expect another good break, but there may be some partly cloudy skis. We’ll have to see how that shakes out. Check the Bird site for any new closures and restrictions as we move forward. There is still plenty of cover and conditions are excellent. Keep it tight!!!