The sky was electric blue, the attendance was light, and the lines had been refreshed by a bit of overnight accumulation making for stunning morning goodness. Mineral Basin was offering great prepared lines, with Lone Star and White Diamonds-Lower Silver Dipper delivering ground pounding fun top to bottom. Here is a shot looking up at Lewis and Clark from a point high on the knoll.

When we had worked the Mineral Side, it was time to work the lines off The Road to Provo which had opened, but with the light traffic was still offering amazing line choices wall to wall. Some lines were deeper than others, but all were sweet and predictable. Here are two shots of Mike and Tomi Mc Carthy working the far High North aspects.

Traffic picked up as the day wore on, but there were plenty of lines to keep everyone happy. An impulse moved in around Noon, making the visibility interesting, but the quality of the snow remained excellent. Here is a shot of the Crew standing under the gates of Heaven.

Tomorrow, look for stellar prepared lines on all sides of the hill. We’ll have to see what kind of a freeze we get, but you will find greatness from the very first chair if you look in the usual places. A big tip of the hat to the Grooming Crew who have kept the quality high and the stoke alive. IBBY!!

It was like a private resort this morning with soggy skies, Zero accumulation reported on the Bird’s site, and only a very few intrepid seekers to take the first chairs of the day. Here is a shot of the expectant crowd gathered for the festivities.

Up on the hill, 7 or 8″ of fresh frosting had fallen overnight, that was so sumptuous that it was virtually bottomless. The substrate was only hinted at now and again, but each turn was a delight. With no one on the hill, The Morning Crew took the Peruvian Gulch and hit it top to bottom with not a track to cross. Here is a shot of the crew going through the Tunnel on our second lift as we headed to Mineral Basin to ply the void.

Lone Star had been prepared before the accumulation and was coated with perfect frosting that let you get full platform engagement with every turn. With no one there, we got to place line after line without crossing a track except our own. Here is a shot of lower Silver Dipper with no pressure and no hype.

On the Gad side of the hill, still empty lines were waiting with no one on the lift and no one on the slope. In all my time, I have never been able to lay down untracked lines time after time on Regulator and 8 my own tracks. We kept working the open lines all morning until 10:30 AM when it was time for breakfast. Here is a shot of the empty Restaurant with Barbie ready to welcome the Team.

Tomorrow, look for more unsettled weather, though I think we might get a clear morning window before the storms begin to brew. Dress for weather, but it is still fairly warm. There should be some additional accumulation as the storms have been pounding The Trailer with rain all afternoon and into the evening and that translates into snow up high. I expect another light traffic day, so get there early for the sweet Spring powder lines. Most of the hill has smoothed out quite a bit, but still be aware of frozen cookies lying in wait here and there. Speed Safely!!

Clouds were gathering as a Low Pressure was poised to move into the Front. I dressed for how I wanted it to be and was caught a tad under dressed, but a short window of clearing, and some Sun illumination got me through the dodgy bits. Powder Paradise and Lower Silver Dipper were prepared on the back side as well as nice carpets on Lupine Loop that made for rapid laps on sorbet quality carpets of AHHHHH. The Morning Crew worked the upper mountain and worked a sensational Lehi Cut Off that had been prepared as well as an added extra bonus treatment of the Bluffdale Return, which made for a line that had, never in my long memory, been given the Industrial Smoothing treatment. A big shout out to the Grooming Crew for throwing down such exquisite delights. The quality there was deep sugar perfect and we had to lap it several times to get all it had to offer. Here is a shot I took from The Summit On Hidden Peak, which is just amazing as it sits largely at 11,000′. It is such an amazing facility and is wonderful to soak up the vibrations.

Here is another shot of me getting zapped by the Telluric Energy and making my hair stand on end.

As the clouds moved in, we squeezed the last bit of awesome out of the top elevations and began to work the great lines in Peruvian Gulch until the snow kicked in for real and sent us to the Forklift Chair to assess the options, but we got two full hours of great lines before it all filled in. Tomorrow, look for another storm day as another Low moves in. Dress for weather, and don’t be like me and get caught trying to be tragically hip. The Groomers will still be offering great lines and the corn quality is excellent. Off trail is still dubious and was not looking like much fun if some of the folks trying it out was any indication. See you there dark and early for the festivities. Dial it up, Dial it in!!

It was a beautiful morning, with clear skies, a fair freeze, and wide open lines on all sides of the hill. Mineral Basin was offering the first break as the day began, with Lone Star and Silver Dipper-Lower Silver Dipper prepared in exquisite style. The Morning Crew concentrated the efforts on the back but did test out the Peruvian Gulch a bit too early, finding it bullet proof and beat a hasty retreat back to the sorbet goodness of the lines in Mineral Basin. Here is a shot of Timp. to the South looking as massive as ever in the clear morning air.

The front side began to break around 10AM, with The Big Smooth offering that top to bottom ground pounding run to dial up the juice. We were lapping that line till it was time to hit the Gad Valley. With the chair situation, we had to go back into Mineral and slog down the now too soft line to get back to the Peak, where Mark Malu and Regulator were going off and let you stay up high to make the most of the break. Here is a shot of two folks who were hard after the goods and keeping a blistering pace.

Tomorrow, look for some weather to be in the mix. We’ll have to see how the temps work out, but I am betting that it will not freeze too hard, so there will be good lines to start out the day. Showers are in the forecast, so dress for weather. The hill remains fully fat and good to go wall to wall. See you there for the early start. Straight Ahead!!

Today was the last day of the regular season and it would be the last Tram of the regular season as well. It was a balmy morning, with a fair freeze on the hill. Mineral Basin was offering the first break, and the front of the hill was bullet proof and very noisy. The Morning Crew worked the prepared lines in Mineral to start, but had to test out the front side of the hill, where we experienced the very firm lines and beat a hasty retreat back to Mineral to let softening occur. Here is a shot that Tram Rat sent a week ago, when the light on the Peak was very interesting.

Around 11:00AM the front of the hill began to break and it did not take long at all for it to full on slushie cup in one hour. When the lower mountain got too sticky, I called it a day and listened to the great music on the Plaza. Tomorrow, it will be chairs only, so dress for that. The weather forecast is unsettled, but I think we might get the morning out of the day before the weather kicks in. Look for the Groomers to still be offering the best lines and fast lap times for a low traffic day. See you there for the next phase of the last days. Syrup Won’t Stop ‘EM!!

There was a hard freeze last night that left the pack very firm. Mineral Basin was offering the first breaks, but event then the first Tram saw barely breaking Lone Star from the top, with the lower steep section very firm. It was not until 9:30 AM that White Diamonds started breaking and you can take it from there. The break was slow, but it did make the day’s quality last longer. On the front of the hill, another presentation of Old Ladies had been prepared and was getting rave reviews from the Morning Crew. Twins opened for hiking and Mikey M and Brian Beck did a round the world line that bagged them some righteous corn goodness. Here is Brian Beck getting the perfect sorbet in Silver Creek.

The day was slow to warm and was still cool for the day. Kazoodi hosted the last Pizza Party of the season this afternoon and all his attention to detail really paid off. Here is Mikey M pulling a Shrimp, onion, and mushroom on Pesto Pizza from the brick oven.

Tomorrow, look for another great day of Spring corn goodness. I think we will see another hard freeze, so expect to follow the Sun to stay with the breaks. Mineral Basin will be offering the first of the breaks, so check out the lines on the way up for reference and check the grooming report for any additional industrial smoothing. See you there for the amazing Spring conditions. Stay Frosty!!

It was a perfect corn day start to finish, with cold overnight temps to put the freeze on, residual cold snow to work into the mat, and wide open groomers to explore your inner Ligety. Mineral Basin was basking in the Sun and Lone Star was prepared right from the very top, offering an amazing carpet of AHHHH for the opening push. White Diamonds-Lower Silver Dipper was also going off, but just a bit later with a different aspect. The front of the hill was firmer to start, but there was plenty of tooth to get traction. Here is a great shot of Team Sunshine, who were here from Colorado and were stoked to be getting the goodness of Maize!

Other groomed lines had been prepared as well and those more obscure lines were vacant and wide open for fun. As the day warmed up the aspects were going off in order and you could find perfect corn goodness if you stayed with the break. Here is a shot of two of my dear friends, celebrating their anniversary on the Peak. They do this every year and today was a stellar day to dial it in.

Tomorrow, look for another amazing day of the Spring corn conditions. There should be a fair freeze overnight, so Mineral Basin will be offering the first of the breaks and you’ll have to work the aspects to stay out ahead of the breaks. It was cool this morning, but I still drove with the top down and it was splendid. I will be taking the day off tomorrow, but I’ll be back on the hill Sunday. IBBY!!

It was a very cold morning with beautiful lines, both natural and prepared, for the Morning Crew. The recent installment was excellent material for the Grooming Crew to work and it left wonderful flannel carpets of AHHHH on all sides of the hill. In Mineral Basin, White Diamonds-Lower Silver Dipper and Gheen Gully got the treatment and were back country amazing. Here is a shot of Gheen Gully from the first ride up the Chair.

Those areas that were waiting in the wings opened as well and it was a race to get all of it. I went in search of and found a wide range of quality, from breakable crust to soft dry accumulation on the old crispy layer. Here is a shot of Kazoodi and my tracks out on The Alter. We had to thread the old debris field to get the smooth substrate.

On the front of the hill, the Groomers were amazing, with The Big Smooth prepared top to bottom. It has that dry flannel feel that just seemed out of place when we have been skiing corn, but it was a real treat that let you dial in your inner Ligety. The Road To Provo opened with wide ranging reviews depending on aspect. I worked the prepared lines had a great time dialing in the smooth. Tomorrow, look for another great day, with the groomers still holding some of the residual cold. Look for Mineral Basin to be offering the wide open lines, but I think the front of the hill will be ready for prime time right out of the chute. The hill is still fully fat and is good to go. Stay Frosty!!

A fresh installment of Essence was delivered overnight, with 7 or 8″ of high density, cold product covering the dance floor. With such high density, the substrate was cushioned , but was still in play. I got the drop of the Peruvian Gulch, which was smooth and delightful top to bottom. Here is shot of Ricky Rev getting the goods out on The Gad Chutes.

Traffic was brisk for the occasion, but the crowd thinned out when Mineral Basin opened and it was walk on Trams for the duration. Here is a shot of Flyin’ Brian Beck getting the smooth lines when the Sun came out.

The temps. were quite cold, which kept the quality going well into the afternoon. Even the lower elevations held up well after noon. Here is a shot of the Valley when the clouds began to back off.

Tomorrow, look for a cold morning, with areas still waiting in the wings. There should still be some good quality out there as the temps stayed cold all day. Dress for cold, but expect to stay ahead of the Sun as it is very high in the sky.

In closing, here is a shot of some surface hoar that was looking feathery and wild when the Sun came out. I love B&W filters. Don’t Forget To SIZZLE!!

Cold overnight temps. made for a solid freeze in the pack, and an overnight dusting put a bit of feather in each turn. It was kind of a misty morning, with residual clouds hanging out in Mineral Basin. Here is a shot of the East Twin with the still clouds in the back bowl.

Great lines of Industrial Smoothing had been prepared, with White Diamonds-Lower Silver Dipper offering sugar corn quality top to bottom, and Gheen Gully beautifully prepared in, yet , another rare offering that made me do hot laps to dial in as much of that Vintage Line as I could. The front side of the hill was bullet proof and needed a lot more time to soften and was just breaking at 11:30 AM, when a sorbet quality began to make those Peruvian lines sweet and tasty. Here is a shot of Gheen Gully looking smooth and steep. I still don’t know how to make a steep shot look as steep as it is, and this is steep.

At 12:30 PM the front moved in with wind, stout precipitation, and a reduction in visibility top to bottom. The sorbet lines were holding up on the fronts side, with slick smooth conditions, however, the new snow began to make a sticky situation that began yanking on my ligaments, so I bailed for the day and changed out the snows on The Star Cruiser. Here is a shot of the Louisiana Snow Bunnies looking great in a couple of very fashion forward one pieces suits. Everything comes full circle.

Tomorrow, look for a bit of fresh accumulation, more great groomed lines, and unsettled skies. Dress for a much colder day, and dress for weather. The off trail will be quite difficult, so stick with the prepared lines for the best ride. The hill is still fully fat, with no signs of melt off yet. See you there for the fresh festivities. Straight Ahead!!