It was a bit brisk this morning, with some transient cold clouds moving over the top of the peaks.  Sunshine did dominate the day, but there were a few periods of fast moving fog rolling through.  Mineral Basin once again offered the best skiing for the first while, with great groomers and no traffic, which made it seem like a private resort.  The off trail out in that area is still quite variable in quality, so look for the North exposures to hold the cold dry chalky feel.  I must have been asleep at the wheel because I totally missed the opening of the Road to Provo.  I went out there today to check it out, only to find it had been very worked over with interference pattens already well established on the most highly traveled sections.  Coverage is much better than I expected and the cold dry chalk on the North facing aspects felt good.  I also did an exploratory run out to the far reaches of the Exotic Trees to see what was up and was faced with what I had expected.  While the entire area had been well worked, and the features are obvious, that made picking my way down the last 600′ a real exercise in caution.   There was no way to charge a line, and it is wise to forgo this area until we get more snow.  Go if you must, but know going in that it is going to be a challenge.  The West facing is stiff and crusty, making those lines very difficult.  I watched some folks negotiating these lines and it too needs some freshening.  Tomorrow, look for some clouds and light weather to have moved in, which will make the visibility a factor.  The Groomers are still offering the best lines on the hill, especially for the early risers.  Here is a shot of Timp. with the cold clouds hugging the peaks.  It sure was nice to have the Sun burn it all off.  Rock the morning laps for fun.  Peace Out!!

This entry was posted on Monday, December 30th, 2013 at 4:23 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.