Archive for January, 2024

BIG SERIES

1-09-24

A big series of storms is set up to move into The Front for the entire week. Impulse after impulse is staged to unleash the kind of accumulation we need to bump us into the fat zone. It is snowing here at The Trailer as I write this and it is coming down fast and hard. Today, up on the hill, there was a rime ice event that made dealing with icing goggles and keeping a line of site a real challenge. Also, the light was super flat and details were hard to discern. The wind was nuking ahead of the front and the Tram was down after the first boat made it up the line. I retired to The Forklift to assess the options.

Jake sent this awesome shot of The Tram in the middle Cirque when the Sun was peaking out the other day.

With the wind nuking, moving snow off the West facing aspects and depositing it in The Cirque and Upper North East aspects, will really help fill and buff the substrate, which will offer much smoother lines when it all reopens. Tomorrow, look for overnight accumulation to be offering the goods, and The Faithful will be after it. I am gong to take a casual approach to the day, and see how it shakes out. We are in the flow and the hill will be getting a heapin’ helpin’ of Essence. Stay Frosty!!

SUNNY & COLD

1-08-24

This morning was sunny and cold, with a strong push by The Faithful to be there for the opening of new terrain, and they were not disappointed. The temps. preserved the dry quality of the new accumulation and the Sun did not bake it at all, however, some of the North East aspects were a tad wind affected and were grabby at times. Going for the know smooth wind buffed lines of last week paid bonuses with consistent turns and light fluffy quality that blew up in the coveted face shots.

Steve C sent this nice shot looking down the line of Lone Pine this morning. Sweet goodness, but the access is very sketchy.

The Road To Provo opened as well, offering soft lines, but the interference patterns were building fast and the amplitude was very high and required a slow deliberate approach to avoid a brutal beating trying to negotiate the deep troughs.

Neil sent this shot looking down Canyon from the Bass Highway.

With the high traffic, most of the popular lines are really building wide spread interference patterns right to the edges of the lines, making it a bit tough to escape and resume smooth turning. Tomorrow, look for more outlying sections to, perhaps, open. Cold temps will still be in play, so dress for the cold and use some cold snow wax as some of today’s aspects were feeling like Velcro. I expect brisk attendance, but the lifts have been dealing with the influx nicely and there is minimal waiting. Snow should begin again mid day as a new impulse is moving in for the next couple days. These are the days we have been waiting for, so enjoy the new soft snow. Dial it up, Dial it in!!

BUILDING UP

1-07-24

More snow fell overnight, building up the cushion on the hill and calling The Faithful from far and wide. There was a full court press with the Canyon backing up early for the goods. These are the kinds of conditions that all those powder visualizations can bring with focused intent, so keep it up. Much of the hill opened, spreading the crowd out over the hill, leaving the Tram a one to two Tram wait at Noon. Face shots were going off and there were many frozen beards and gators to evidence the blower quality of this installment

Tomorrow, look for a bit of additional accumulation, freshly prepared surfaces, which will be soft and dialable, and a bit lighter traffic push. Look for areas that did not open today to, perhaps, be getting the nod. Conditions are presently what we have been waiting for and the getting is good. I’ll be taking out the 108’s and try out the longer wheelbase. It is all coming together nicely. Syrup Won’t Stop ‘EM!!

FRESH & FROSTY

1-06-24

It was a clear cold morning, with lacy clouds still clinging to the peaks, but the Sun was shining, the fresh Essence was ample and The Faithful were in full attendance for today’s festivities. The hill opened rapidly and there were plenty of options and the only question was what to hit first. With a foot of freshness, the old layer was in full effect, however, those smooth lines from last week were offering the good foundation.

The hill got worked over quickly and folks had a good look at what was available and went right after the goods. Tomorrow, look for more accumulation overnight, with a fair forecast for a deep installment coming, extending well into tomorrow morning. I expect continued strong pressure for the goods after such a long dry spell, so plan accordingly. With today’s pack working into the hill, the consistency will be improving and the ride will get softer as the pack builds. I’ll still be working the know smooth lines I have scoped out and worked last week, and I will be venturing out a bit to get a wider sampling of the the terrain as the new snow gets worked. It sure is great to have fresh, deep and quality product coming with more up stream coming up this coming week. IBBY!!

SIGNS DELIVER

1-05-24

The Sun Signs that have been observed last week delivered as the pattern changed and fresh snow graces the dance floor. Long awaited indeed, but the dry spell afforded a good opportunity to dial in the stamina that is required to work the deep. While the hill got under a foot of fresh Essence, a lot more is in the forecast and little by a lot will bump up the condition quality markedly. There was an initial push for the goods this morning, however the capacity reduced the wait to walk on Trams my Noon. Nice!!

As the new product got worked, the old layer became more of and issue and the tiles and piles factor made a long measured turn essential in keeping a smooth line through the variations. Tomorrow, look for more over night accumulation, a lot more traffic, and refreshed prepared lines that will be feeling much softer. The off trail is still sporting some interference patterns and significant rumble, but keeping in mind those smooth lines from earlier this week will reward you with a much smoother ride. Conditions will be improving by the day, so enjoy the new snow. See you Sunday. Straight Ahead!!!

JUST BEGINNING

1-04-24

There was a light dusting of Essence on The Trailer this morning, signalling the beginning of the new cycle that is lined up to bring the goods in the coming days. That pattern has changed in a big way, and I think that all the signs of a real freshening of the pack is on tap. Flat light, firm lines, and a dusting on the hill made for some interesting turning right out of the chute this morning. Close attention to the vague details helped keep the pace moving down the hill. Working the snow guns was also a plus with some velvet turns on the down hill side, helped keep things real.

Tomorrow, look for additional accumulation as the next impulse moves in tonight. Still expect the old layer to be fully in play and all those features we have been scoping out will be just below the snow surface, so use your Spidy sense to save your skis from some trauma. I will be sticking with the known smooth lines and I will be using my long averaging turns to deal with the variations of the pack underneath the new accumulation. Pay attention to the wind direction, which will help identify where the accumulation will be deepest during these early stages of this installment. See you there for the exploratory first runs of the day. Keep a sharp Eye!!!

MORNING SUN

1-03-24

As hoped for, the clouds were still well to the West as the morning got started, with Mineral Basin offering bright Sun, freshly prepared lines, and a fairly light traffic pattern. The front side of the hill was offering top to bottom smooth lines accented by areas of Gun Powder, which let you dial in some velvet turns and really feel the carve of the ski. The new Dynastars are really fun, though, with a much shorter radius, they are making me work for it and delivering a lot of snap crackle and pop,

Around 11AM those clouds began to move in slowly, filtering and finally obscuring the Sun making the vis go quite flat. Sticking with the known smooth lines let you keep the ball rolling. I was scoping out all the areas around the hill before we get covered, and I will be sticking to the fat guts for a bit yet.

Tomorrow, look for weather to begin to be in the mix, which will extend well into the weekend with much more to come. Those mental notes will come in handy for navigation in much reduced visibility. The hill is in great shape to accept this next cycle and it will be go time. See the line, BE the line!!

BIG BLUE

1-02-24

There was a big blue sky this morning, with out a cloud in it. The moon was riding high over Twin Peaks and Hidden peak, making for some amazing shots of the back side of the hill. Temps were a tad cold, but the bright Sun and still air made laps in Mineral Basin delightful. Wind slab lines were awaiting those who were after some back country quality, and the dry chalky feel made it well worth the effort. On the front of the hill, the air seemed much colder, and the Snow Guns were blazing, leaving some delightful Gun Powder lines down the steep sections that were velvet smooth and had plenty of traction.

Light traffic on all sides of the hill made for hot laps that kept you on your toes to keep up with the subtle variation from glazed sections to dry chalky goodness.

Tomorrow, look for the beginning of big changes as the pattern is changing. We may squeeze some Sunshine out the morning session before clouds ahead of the next system makes the light go flat. The good to go lines of today will still be good to go, so even with flat light, you can count of the consistency there. Be checking out the pack for intel going into this cycle. Remain

STILL NUKIN’

1-01-24

The Canyon opened this morning and the hill opened as well after mitigation efforts had been completed. There were lenticular formations hanging on the peak, indicating the winds up high were still nukin’. The new product was very dense and floaty, but it was cold and dry so it felt smooth and buoyant. Limited lifts were open to start, but Gad Zoom and Gad 2 were added later to augment the available terrain.

Tomorrow, look for more terrain to open, wind affected snow to be prevalent, but look to the trees for some protected goodness. I expect much better vis as the storm has moved off, but there is another healthy storm just upstream poised to unload on Wednesday. I will be looking forward to dialing in those lines I have been avoiding due to the high amplitude variations. The hill is hitting it’s stride and any more accumulation going forward will be icing on the cake. See you there dark and early for the carving delights. Straight Ahead!!!