There was no foolin’ today with 20′ of fresh Essence on the dance floor, which was quite dense, and perfect to cushion the feel over the old substrate. The wind was howling, moving the product around and smoothing out the variations, however, with that wind, the pack was being affected, so it was a touch grabby depending on the aspect. Visibility was very difficult and staying close to the trees made a huge difference and those tree lines were holding the new snow in deep threads along those sections.

Mikey M working the super deep on Baldy with the Sun making a brief appearance!! It kept snowing hard and fast and the Canyon closed for mitigation at 12:30 PM to stay ahead of the accumulation.

My good friends Ed and Vince waiting for another super deep run and taking samples with them to tide them over till it all starts again. Tomorrow, look for more soft snow wall to wall, with lots of sections still waiting in the wings. I expect additional accumulation overnight with more energy upstream just waiting to move through. The old layer will be a footnote and will be perfect going forward for the week’s additional delivery. Good work on the collective visualizations that I was calling for early last week. Goes to show you, you have to watch out what you wish for. Don’t forget to SIZZLE!!

It was cold this morning, but there was no wind, which was a plus for this quick return to a Winter feel. Extensive grooming efforts had been performed on all sides of the hill , and more areas opened offering fresh lines in Mineral Basin and The Road to Provo. Mineral Basin drew the crowd for the opening, leaving the front side vacant and perfect for those ground pounding laps that kept me working the smooth corduroy. There was a bit of punchy feel to the pack, that kept me going for the round turn approach. The Road to Provo offered wide open lines that drew the crowd there when it opened.

Mikey M sent this shot of Jim Schoenborn working the goodness in Mineral Basin.

The last open spot in Little Cloud drew a stream of seekers to dial in those tasty turns. Tomorrow, look for more soft snow on all sides of the hill, a light dusting of Essence overnight, and more ground pounding fun on all sides of the hill. The hill is wide open and offers the full pallet of aspects, which are good to go. See you there for the Spring powder extravaganza. IBBY!!!

There was 3″ of fresh light Essence covering the dance floor this morning, with moderate traffic, open lines on all sides of the hill and snow fall really piling up and intensifying as the day progressed. The machine worked lines were insanely smooth with that sweet layer of fairy dust making each turn an event all in itself. As the new product piled up, that full platform engagement effect kicked in, letting you get jiggy with each turn with no problems. What a treat. Back to back laps were easy to make with the light traffic, and taking the time to extract maximum juice from each run paid big dividends.

Mark Herath working the tree line and getting all of the goodness!! The super light density kept the pack from getting lumped up, but later, some of the high traffic lines began to see the harbor chop effect.

Mikey M getting a beautiful line on Bald and getting that full platform engagement! Tomorrow, look for more accumulation as there is still energy from the storm that is moving to the South of the Front, sending impulses to the North. The prepared lines will be off the chart sweet and there will be lots of choices in the AM. I’ll be looking for the last of the areas to open, I’ll keep my ear to the rail. Stay Frosty!!!

The hill was creamy and dreamy today as the cold temps remained, the wind was low, and there were a few inches of fresh Essence added to the dance floor. The machine worked lines were amazing with the new product adding a floaty feel to each turn. There were still some fresh lines to find that were missed by the Faithful yesterday, but offered memorable turns today.

Olivia Kennedy finding her piece of heaven and driving the center of the Vortex.

Olivia finding an open line out on a Lewis and Clark expedition with a nice Sun window. Traffic was light and back to back laps were happening on all sides of the hill.

A fresh line awaits Jake out here looking into the Chamoix Chutes. Getting to the lines first was key in staying ahead of the game.

Peter Nicholson finding a fresh line on Baldy first thing this morning. There were numerous sections still in the mix for the early risers. Tomorrow, look for more great sliding on all sides of the hill. This last installment went a long way toward freshening those Spring surfaces. The machine worked lines will be offering soft, smooth, dialable lines on all sides of the hill. Be after it early and get out ahead of the Sun exposed aspects before the rays begin to work the pack. Temps should be cool in the AM, but will warm up quickly. The hill is very filled in and the rumble is still very moderate, so working the wide open lines is still good to go. Stick around for the SUBARU WinterFest, being held on the Plaza with music and festivities. Spring is here, but the snow says Winter. Remain Standing.

A Guide to Big Mountain Skiing by Jackson
Hogen and Guru Dave Powers


Snowbird Secrets: A Guide to Big Mountain Skiing is available for you to enjoy right now.

Get it at Amazon today.

Bright Sun, warming temps, and great snow was on tap this morning. The hill was offering delightful machine worked lines on all sides of the hill. Mineral Basin was the early call with Sun lit groomers that let you lay it over like Ligety, still cold, soft snow on the North aspects, and very low traffic. There were walk on Trams from the start, letting you pile up the vert. with vacant runs that let you take up a larger section of the run. Still, one has to keep the head on a swivel. The area boundary opened, offering fresh lines and great adventures that let you choose your aspect and get the best quality.

The approach to the Gad 2 shoulder looking soft, smooth and perfect to stoke the imagination for what is to come.

Olivia Kennedy working her magic on a Temptation Chute line that says it all. She always dances in the Essence and brings a huge amount of energy to the party. Tomorrow, look for more Spring conditions. It will be important to pay attention to aspect for the opening bell as the Sun has been working the pack and an overnight freeze will make those direct lines mighty crispy. The high North will still be offering the cold, so work the Sun in Mineral Basin from the start and the front side of the hill will keep till later in the morning. I expect continued light traffic, leaving wide open lines once again for the opener. It is going to be a great day on the hill, so enjoy the warming temps. Lay it over like Ligety!!

A bright morning Sun was shining for the first few Trams, but with weather coming, some clouds began to move in making the light go flat from time to time. Mineral Basin held the details better than the front of the hill and the machine worked lines were smooth and consistent. The Grooming Crew has been doing an amazing job of creating big mountain smooth top to bottom. Lines were holding up nicely all day long, and it was good to get a close look at the hill before it gets covered.

We got a good morning start with a Lewis and Clark exploration. Sully giving it his stoke for a ground pounding dry chalky line. Tomorrow, look for a stormy day, with variable visibility, however, you can trust the prepared lines for best consistency. This past week was just an amazing quality snow sport sliding. More snow on the way and, perhaps a healthy cycle. Giddy UP!!

The hill was wide open today, with bright Sun and smooth turns in Mineral Basin, to more hard drivin’ front side lines that tested your top to bottom stamina, with warm temps to let you explore at a comfortable rate. A little bit of greatness for every one was on tap and the traffic was quite light. The machine worked lines offered a real big mountain smooth feel that let you dial in as much or little juice to each turn. What fun it was to stick a turn and take the snap, crackle, and Pop that comes back from the loaded edge.

Wide open lines were in full resolution today, and the good quality really holds up all day long this time of the year. Tomorrow, look for more ground pounding fun on all sides of the hill, though I do think the wind is going to pick up ahead of the next weather system that is predicted to move in over the weekend. Traffic should remain light, with vacant lines on the front side for the opening bell. It is great to have the big vertical all to yourself with no pressure. See you there for the full force dance fest. Dial it up, Dial it in!!!

With amazing prepared lines on all sides of the hill, the vibe was fast and fun top to bottom. Dry chalky lines were on tap, which let you dial in perfect turns on every prepared line. I opted for the Peruvian Gulch draw of Anderson’s Hill and Lower Primrose path for the morning session to take advantage of the totally vacant lines that let me dial in the line with no pressure and no hype. White Diamonds and lower Silver Dipper were buffed and held up well till after breakfast when I checked it out and dialed it in for the first time in days.

I had to massage this shot a bit to bring out the details in the pack as the reflected Sun just maxed out the lens on my camera. The pitch was fun, fast and dynamic with just the right amount of transition softness to lay over a wicked turn. Soooooo fun!!! The quality held up all day long, with smooth buffage keeping the interest high. Tomorrow, look for more great lines to be happening and no matter which option you choose it will be a winner. There are still some wind buffed lines on some of the North aspects that are worth a peak, so look around and spy the sections. Stay Frosty!!

There were smooth lines top to bottom on all sides of the hill this morning, with White Diamonds getting the first till of the season, which was smooth, long, and rippin’. In the Peruvian Gulch, Anderson’s Hill and Lower Primrose Path was as good as it gets, offering dry chalky perfection, which was billiard table perfect and totally consistent top to bottom. I had to lap that all morning before breakfast to extract as much of the perfection as possible. It held up all day as well as it was not getting much traffic with all the other options available. Out of area touring was open today and there were takers going for the goods and getting it. A perfect time of the season to go out.

Mikey M’s crew stepping out after gaining the ridge line off of Gad 2, and by the looks of it getting a look at the Birthday Chutes. There is a lot to take in these days and the host program does a lot to make Snowbird accessible to everyone.

Gather here for daily tours of the hill if you are uncertain, and you will be shown the entire span of The Bird wall to wall with these fine folks. Tomorrow, look for more great ground pounding fun top to bottom. You just can’t make a bad call on all sides of the hill. Traffic should be light, with more amazing lines freshly tilled for your shredding pleasure.

Here is a great shot of Eddie Jacobs, who was a heli guide when I got here in ’76. He’s still killin’ it on the hill and enjoys those smooth dry chalky lines. Temps should be moderate and watch for Black Ice in the lower Canyon in the AM with this inversion layer. It can sneak up on you. Drive carefully. IBBY!!!