It was a perfect day on the hill, with cool temps, bright Sun, totally buffed machine worked lines on all sides of the hill, and some powder stashes that were opened for the intrepid folks who just gots to have it. Traffic was surprisingly light, with walk on Trams by Noon and back to back laps that were smooth and feeling like crushed velvet. Interference patterns are beginning to build up again with the traffic hitting those favored lines, but the Grooming Crew has been doing an amazing job of returning those steep long pitches back to their back country goodness. I always slow down to extract more juice from each turn when I encounter those rare and perfect lines.

Tomorrow, look for more great lines to still be happening all over the hill with numerous levels of amazing that you can hope for. I will be looking for those smooth, buffed machine worked lines and top to bottom hot laps that just get my motor running. The Sun should still be working it’s magic, with high resolution visibility what will restock your inner memory with data that will come in handy when the vis goes South. See you there for the ground pounding fun. Each Moment Counts!!

It was a sunny morning with clouds hanging low in the valleys on the front and back of the range. The air was still and cold and the prepared lines were offering amazing quality on all sides of the hill. Lone Star and White Diamonds were the high light of the Mineral Basin offerings, with The Big Smooth on the Peruvian Gulch offering top to bottom ground pounding fun, with dry chalky velvet that was back country perfect and seam free. The Quality on the Lower Primrose Path half pipe was a super treat, as it was largely ignored by The Faithful who were chasing the Mineral Basin Sun.

Tomorrow, look for more great lines on the hill, with the prepared lines holding that dry chalk that will be absolutely perfect top to bottom. I expect traffic to be quite a bit higher with the weekend, but the chairs will be making short work of the push. Temps were a tad brisk today, so I don’t think the Sun worked the pack too much. I’ll be back on the hill Sunday. Don’t forget to SIZZLE!!

There were a few inches of freshness on the dance floor to start the day, with difficult visibility due to a fog bank that was holding on to the upper half of the hill. Mineral Basin was offering great lines, but it was like an abyss back there and I was going to need some better references. The front side of the hill was offering the tree references and the prepared lines were trustworthy and smooth in the “turn by braille” visibility issues. I was working the roundness factor to let the ski do the work while trying to deal with the variations that could not be seen. Walk on Tram were on tap, with very light traffic that made hot laps fun for the morning session.

Tomorrow, look for more soft lines to be on tap on all sides of the hill, improving visibility, and a lot of prepared lines for carving it up and laying it down. The Grooming crews have punched a few new lines on the hill, so look at the grooming list for updates. The recent pack is perfect for that industrial smoothing, which holds up all day long. I expect a bit more traffic going into the weekend. Stay Frosty!!

There was a delightful dusting gracing the dance floor this morning, adding a wonderful velvet feel that felt amazing underfoot. Mineral Basin was offering some amazing prepared lines, including Lone Star, which was difficult to discern the texture in the variable visibility, but delivered an unreal vertical fest of soft carving goodness. I opted for the The Big Smooth, a combination of upper, middle, and lower Primrose path that was untracked and just over the top perfect. There were windows of sunshine that broke out here and there, revealing the sweet lines that were happening. The Road To Provo opened quietly, but was quickly discovered.

Tomorrow, look for more great prepared lines on all sides of the hill which will deliver the goods, still soft and blastable off trail lines that are still holding that wind buffed feel, and, perhaps, some better visibility. I will be looking for those front side prepared lines for more ground pounding vertical. Traffic was a bit lighter today and made for fast turnarounds. I am hoping for the same in the AM. Remain Standing.

There was some overnight freshness to treat The Faithful who were on deck and ready to roll dark and early. 4 to5″ covered the dance floor and, with Mineral Basin opened from the first Tram, there was plenty of lines to choose from and areas to explore. I went with the machine worked lines on the Peruvian Gulch to take advantage of the serious smooth that was covered with sweet frosting that was flawless top to bottom. Mineral Basin was offering some amazing lines, and, with some traversing, there were righteous face shots to be had in some of the sections where the wind delivered extra accumulation.

Tomorrow, look for some overcast skies with flurries and variable visibility. The prepared lines will be offering excellent lines for super carving that will make you feel like a rock star. There is still plenty of soft snow to find and sections to visit that are out of the way and worth the exploration. I expect continued strong traffic, but the quads have been dealing with the influx in fine shape. I am hoping for a bit warmer temps, but the overcast and light snow will preserve the snow quality much longer. The hill is in great shape wall to wall. Great lines are available on all sides of the hill and there are really nice surprises to find. Speed safely!!

The Essence was feelin’ fluffy today, with some additional accumulation overnight that made the prepared lines feel like flying. The smooth lines called me to dial it back and extract extra juice from each turn. Lower Primrose Path was just amazing with that big wave push and silky ride. Mineral Basin opened, with marginal visibility and amazing snow to discover.

Tomorrow, look for some more accumulation from impulses still flowing in the jet stream. The prepared lines will be offering amazing smooth quality, with the off trail offering a ton of choices for exploration and waiting finds. That wind scoured layer is becoming just an echo, so dial in the flow line and let loose the power! More instability is in the forecast so expect variable visibility to continue and cold temps to still be in the mix. Cold temps and marginal vis does preserve the quality, so it is kind of a good thing this time of year. See you there dark and early for the opening bell. Keep it tight!!!

16″ of fresh Essence was delivered with the passage of this front, with continued flurries to add to the goodness. There was limited up hill access to the peak, with Mineral Basin also remaining closed. This installment was full bodied and had some heft to it, but it was cold dry and dialable top to bottom. The Faithful were in full effect, ready to get in on the carving fest. It is great not to feel that old layer from earlier in the season anymore. The prepared lines have been insanely good top to bottom and I have been noting that these conditions are on par with any measure from any year.

Tomorrow, look for improving visibility, amazing lines on all sides of the hill, fresh lines in Mineral Basin and still great lines waiting in the wings. I am looking forward to a week of top to bottom, Rockin ground pounding fun. Remain Standing!!!

The Trailer was rockin’ this morning as the wind was nukin’ out of the South, transporting huge clouds of dust from the Southern areas. Visibility in the Valley was marginal, and up on the hill it was even worse with the gusts pounding the hill. Precipitation began around Noon as the front came through, turning the wind out of the North west. The lifts remained still as the situation was untenable.

It is dumping here at The Trailer as I write this and the storm has been unleashed and will do what storms do. Tomorrow, look for a delayed opening as assessments are made and preparations are made for the day. The accumulation will be anyone’s guess, but you can count on plenty of good accumulation on the hill, some very smooth filled in sections on the upper part of the hill, with some smooth sections on the middle aspects of the hill where the snow landed as it sifted through the trees. That competition is still going on, so there will be some amazing skiing on display at that venue. We’ll have to see how it shakes out. IBBY!!!

That weather front that is coming our way is a very slow moving system sending out wind waves out ahead of it’s arrival. That wind has been doing some nice buffing on the hill, with transported snow and filled in lines on the hill. The prepared lines were really sweet today, offering dry chalky velvet turns top to bottom, letting you extract as much juice from each turn and you could get. Sublime!! There were brief windows of sun that were certainly tempting, but flat light made visibility marginal.

While there was pressure for the goods, the lines seemed to back off around Noon, so back to back Trams were on tap and big vertical laps were easy to get. With the wind blowing, the quality really held up on all the prepared lines and some of the off trail lines began to fill in a bit later. Tomorrow, look for a storm day as the front moves through and I expect a slow start on the day. Dress for storm riding, with difficult visibility issues. Stay with the trees for the best reference points. Straight Ahead!!

There were fast moving clouds, transported wind swirling on the North faces, and amazing prepared lines all over the hill. With some flat light to start the day, going with the know smooth faces was key till the Sun came out as the clouds moved off and visibility improved. Those wind buffed prepared lines were velvet smooth and had just the right amount of edge set to let you dial in any turn you chose. With the Sun higher in the sky, the wind plumes off the top of the ridges were a sight to behold and taking time out to watch the windy chaos was worth the effort.

The storm is slated to begin delivering the goods later this evening and continuing over the next couple of days. Tomorrow, look for a slow start as the overnight accumulation and high wind situation gets square away. Industrial smoothing efforts will have been completed on all sides of the hill and will be offering the best top to bottom consistency, but there will be some very nice wind deposited lines on the High North aspects that will deserve a look see and some up close and personal attention. We’ll have to see how it looks from the Tram in the AM. Though it was fairly warm today, expect cold temps, high winds, and storm riding conditions. The hill is in good shape with lots of the heavily worked lines filling in with the wind transport. Stay Frosty!!