The front that was predicted stalled short of the Wasatch Front as it stood off in the distance looking a bit grim.  On the Hill the temps were quite a bit cooler this morning, with a brisk South Wind that was blowing out ahead of the front.  Mineral Basin was slow to  soften, but there was enough of a thaw to make the first laps out there velvety but firm.  The Lupine Loop section was rock solid, with only the low angle sections absorbing enough Sun to soften early.  The front of the hill was very firm, but tenderizing efforts had been implemented for grip, but every thing else needed a couple hours to break.  I, once again, hit the Forklift Chair to await the softening of the front side of the hill.  By 11:00 AM. things were beginning to break as the morning warmed up, but the cold temps. pushed the break time back quite a bit.  I am not listening to the weather presenter anymore, as they have got it wrong as of late, so I am showing up for the early Boats just for drill, then I will make my decision.  The early morning has paid off for the most part, so why waste the time, but if you are looking for the break, 10:00 Am is a good target, giving you the most window for over all softness, but the Mineral option will be gone by then, but that is the trade off.  The lower mountain continues to melt off quickly, with the Lower Men’s Downhill Chute having  the central reef expanding rapidly, making that line a dubious route now.  Fun times are to be had, even though it is not powder, it still offers another kind of perfection, just different.   Here is a shot of the Knife Edge in the early light.   IBBY!!!

This entry was posted on Friday, May 4th, 2012 at 1:04 pm and is filed under Snow Reports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.