A new year brings with it some new snow that was medium density and came in with a lot of wind. The Tram was delayed for a while, but the Chairs lifted off without delay and the faithful were in full attendance to start the year out right. Out in Mineral Basin the visibility was marginal, with the Lewis and Clark area offering the best quality, as the low angle pitches seemed to make the medium density pack more consistent. On the the front of the hill, the wind was working out of the Northwest, moving the snow quickly and piling it up along the tree lines. The interference patterns and widespread rumble persists, and I took advantage of the smooth lines I had memorized to keep my knees happy.

I ran into Team Smarty during my Forklift visit, and gave them the 411 on the hill situation. There was plenty to share and they were stoked to have the great coverage and fresh Essence. I bailed a bit early to avoid the slow down hill traffic expected. Here is a great shot from just yesterday of Mikey M’s side country effort.

Tomorrow, look for more accumulation and wind transported lines. Be looking for the tree lines and guts to have collected the extra product, which will have smoothed out the ride. Look to those Northeast and East facing aspects to be holding the most accumulation. The entrances and traverses will be improving as well, still, watch for the thins spots and avoid those high points. See you there as we get serious about the New Year. Syrup Won’t Stop ‘EM!!

With cold temps., bright Sun, and beautifully prepared velvet carpets, it was a simply sizzling day. Mineral Basin was offering wide open lines of smooth velvet with excellent carving out in the Lewis and Clark area. I made a bunch of laps back there to get all that ground pounding fun before heading back to work the front side, where more top to bottom machine worked lines were waiting, with a bonus, first smoothing of Lower Primrose Path. What a treat to get that lower section half pipe line that collects the dry dust in the gut. The view off the peak was wild first thing with three distinct cloud decks.

Traffic was quite light, with back to back Trams easy to get. I was out and about looking for the smooth and came across Team Rainbow, who were stoked to be out on the hill and were ready to tackle Lupine Loop.

Tomorrow, look for a stormy day, with heavy snow predicted throughout the day. Remember your smooth lines from today to give you the edge in the variable conditions. It may take a bit of accumulation to begin to fill the variations. The hill is in great shape to accept this new installment, which will go a long way toward getting the hill primed, making that old substrate a footnote. The next few days are going to be what dreams are made of, get ready. See the Line, Be the Line!!

A few more inches of uber light Essence covered the dance floor this morning. The visibility was very difficult with dense fog, snow in the air, and only the trees for reference. I was tempted to try out Mineral Basin, but went for the Peruvian Gulch for the first laps to get the party started with as many visual points as I could get. The off trail is slowly improving as the additional accumulation is beginning to cushion the ride. The static and rumble persists and the smooth prepared lines offer the best consistency given the visibility. There were reports that Mineral Basin had a bit better light after you got off the peak, but I never ventured there to check. Here is a shot I took on the peak of an unusual accumulation of ice that seemed almost organic in appearance.

As the day progressed, the prepared lines began to become more inconsistent, with tiles and piles requiring a long deliberate turn to average the variations. Tomorrow, look for a break in cloud cover with some Sunshine predicted for the day. Expect cold temps and dress for the occasion. The Groomers will be offering those smooth, dry, chalky carpets that make those early morning runs worth making the effort. With some visibility, it will be a good time to revisit Mineral Basin, where there should still be some smooth off trail lines waiting after being hidden in the fog. See you there for the race to the New Year. Remember: Keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times!!!

It was a few degrees warmer this morning as The Tram hit the peak, with light flurries continuing to fall. Visibility was marginal wall to wall, so I bypassed the Mineral Basin routine to stick with the trees on the Peruvian Gulch, where the groomers were consistent, smooth, and chalky. I found the best feel was on the low angle aspects as they seemed to be holding a bit more of the accumulated Essence that had fallen overnight. I tried going off trail once again to see if the rumble had abated, but it was still difficult, so I bailed and stayed with the prepared lines. Most of the hill was open, so if you went far afield you could find some smooth lines on the outside. Here is a shot of what you would have seen had the visibility cooperated.

Tomorrow, look for more clouds and variable visibility. All sides of the hill should be offering great machine worked lines that will let you dial in your inner Ligety. There may be some overnight accumulation of the ultra light, so look for the smoothest lines to take advantage of the blower quality of the lake effect accumulation. Traffic should be quite light as we start the week, but the holiday crowd is still with us, however, I don’t anticipate any back ups. See you there dark and early for the smooth Carpets Of AHHHH! Stay Frosty.

It was supposed to be a sunny day according to Mr Weather, but there was variable visibility as clouds moved in and out all day, with flurries later in the day. An accumulation of ultra light Essence had been delivered overnight, and did nothing to cushion the underlying substrate. I tried various off trail options and beat a hasty retreat back to the groomed lines that were wonderfully carvalicious and offered consistent goodness on all sides of the hill. Mineral Basin was offering some clear sunny windows early that let you get a fair look at the pack. Here is a shot of Team Shoop, who were stoked to be getting some early lines in that fresh accumulation.

Light flurries began to fall after Noon and the visibility got progressively vague, so I bailed on the day. Tomorrow, look for more great grooming efforts on all sides of the hill. There may be some light accumulation overnight as the impulse clouds seem to be hanging on the peaks. We’ll have to see how the visibility pans out in the AM. Dress for cold, and expect The Faithful to be in strong attendance. Those off trail lines are still going to be a bit tricky, so tread lightly. IBBY!!!

After negotiating some turbulent currents of Quantum Foam, I made it back from my trip to the Home Planet. This morning there were some low clouds hanging in the Valley, but the Sun was illuminating the higher elevations. The Groomers were offering the smooth dry chalk that made the traction easy and predictable. The off trail has soft snow on top of the older layer that was still dry and chalky, and that low amplitude rumble was easily absorbed. Mineral Basin was offering some amazing Carpets Of AHHHH that kept me making laps there for the first hour. The front side of the hill was vacant for the morning session as the crowd was hitting the back side for the Sun. Here is a shot of the Valley covered in clouds while we basked in the Sun.

As the day progressed, the pack got worked over, leaving some tiles and piles that required a larger arc to average out the variations. I bailed on the day as those clouds moved up the Canyon and maked the lights go out. Here is a shot of Timp. I took from the morning Landing stop.

Tomorrow, look for more amazing Grooming on all sides of the hill. The off trail will continue to offer wide ranging options, with some of the far reaches still smooth and consistent if you go looking. The temps. seem to be getting a bit more brisk in the morning and I will be dressing a bit heavier for tomorrow’s festivities. The hill is in great shape and the traverses and entrances are good, but still use caution in the upper sections. Straight Ahead!!

Temps are warm again today with a thick cloud cover that makes the light flat. With a storm rolling in during the next couple of days the pack is getting ready for the next installment of Essence. More wind smoothing was on tap for today, and if you looked in the indicated places you would find the smooth billiard table goodness. This is a day to look the hill over for features and lines that will be part of the mix when things get covered up. Be looking for those areas of rumble and interference patterns, as well as having those smoothed out areas well mapped in you brain so you will have the inner knowing ready to deploy.

I will be leaving this Galaxy for the next few days and I will be back ready for the Season to kick into full gear. Tomorrow, look for some overnight accumulation if the precipitation starts later today. The hill is in great shape, well covered, and most of the areas have now been opened and will be in the mix as the storm brings the goods. This is a perfect set up for the holidays and all the folks who come for this time will be treated to some find conditions. See you when I get back in a few days. Like Joe Man The Snow Man says, “Don’t Skimp On The Groove Sauce”!!!

The hill was firm and fast this morning with a solid cloud deck that made the light very flat. As anticipated, the overnight wind work had filled in some of the Northeast aspects with transported product that was dry, chalky, and perfect. The wind was fairly strong with a very short Tram delay, but kept those smooth aspects filling up with each lap. I went out to Mineral Basin to start things off, finding the off trail still had a very stiff rumble that sent me back for the machine worked lines, which were consistent and the place to be in the very flat light. It was a very festive time on The Plaza with a lot of folks in Santa costumes that really said happy holidays.

Tomorrow, look for more firm and fast conditions. Look for some more wind smoothed sections that will still be good to go on those North and Northeast aspects. Check out lines off the Road To Provo for additional lines, however, you will have to go fairly far out to find them. Traffic was light today and I expect continued light traffic. The Groomers will be offering the most consistent lines with the continued overcast skies. With the warmer temps, the snow making has been suspended, but more Essence in incoming for the Tuesday and Wednesday. Speed Safely!!

Today was the shortest day of the year and the days will be getting longer now, which seems to make time move faster for some reason. The wind was up, scouring the hill with force that was going to be moving the product around to the Peruvian Gulch and similar aspects. A fairly persistent cloud deck blocked the Sun, but there were a few bright spots now and again. With that cloud cover, the light was quite flat and the details were hard to discern. Here is a long shot of Regulator that I took earlier in the week, with the stationary guns blazing out the goods.

Tomorrow, look for another cloudy day with stout winds. I will be looking for wind deposited goodness in the Peruvian Gulch and some of the aspects in Mineral Basin that should be offering some perfect wind slab carpets. Those windward aspects will be very firm and scratchy, so look for the deposited transported product in the low areas and guts . The tree lines will capture the moving snow and place it near the edges. Look for that as well. See you there for the wind worked lines I am hoping to find. See the Line, BE the Line!!!

The sky was clear and the temps were cold as Mineral Basin opened for the first time of the season. The faithful were in anxious attendance for the festivities and they wasted no time getting after the goods there that offered a wide range of consistencies. I went looking for some of the out of the way lines and found pay dirt on The Baldy Chair that was offering the most consistent pack that I found. Here is a shot of my tracks of the right and Neil’s tracks on the left dialing in the gully.

The off trail on the front side of the hill was offering that wide spread rumble, but the surface accumulation was soft, though the pack is becoming stiffer by the day. The Groomers are offering dry, chalky, consistency that lets you dial in arcing lacerations in the pack. The Snow Guns were being shut down as the morning warmed up, and the residual Gun Powder was silky perfect well down the slope on both sides of the hill. I met these representatives of the Big Johnson Ski Club today. They were getting their second wind back for the afternoon session.

Tomorrow, look for more great lines to be happening in Mineral Basin, with some areas that are still waiting in the wings. The Groomers will be offering the Carpets Of AHHHHH on all sides of the hill. Traffic should be building as the holiday folks begin arriving. Weather will be great and the coverage is amazing. Here is a parting shot of the first Landing visit of the season.

I’ll be taking the day off tomorrow, so enjoy the hill in it’s fully open extent. Syrup Won’t Stop ‘EM!!