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!!!

It was fun in the Sun this morning, with warmer temps, great visibility, and ground pounding fun on all sides of the hill. The call was Mineral Basin, but the Peruvian Gulch and Regulator made a strong case for a full on front side assault. That Anderson’s Hill – Lower Primrose Gully line was on fire, with dry chalky smoothness that is as good as it gets. Back to back walk on Tram laps were soooo much fun. Another high point was the opening of some fresh lines in Mineral Basin and Out of area touring, which offered smooth cold powder shots with no pressure and no hype

Olivia Kennedy was getting the goods all to herself out on a White Pine aspect that let her dial in her inner Powder Goddess

Mike McCarthy send this great shot of the upper line under 13 Turns, which was offering smooth deep powder lines that let you make lap after lap of goodness. Tomorrow, look for more ground pounding fun, as fresh machine worked lines will be happening on all sides of the hill. The off trail is feeling good, but there is that rumble and static still to deal with. Those traverses and entrances are still very sketchy and require an astute approach to avoid the features. Temps should be moderate again, which have been great in the AM. Low traffic is amazing with back to back walk on Trams easy to make. Keep it real!!

A little extra accumulation added to the fun for the morning’s offerings. The Sun was out and bright, with Mineral Basin calling with lots of fairly smooth lines and some still windblown smooth lines that were still holding up. Attendance was full on and Mineral pulled the a lot of the pressure, leaving the rest of the hill much lighter and free. After Noon, the Tram line dwindled, letting you grab some back to back action

The Lewis and Clark explorations offered great machine worked lines that let you dial in your inner Ligety and those last drops to the chairs were silky and smooth. What a treat. Tomorrow, look for lighter traffic, freshly tilled machine worked lines on all sides of the hill, and plenty of sunshine all day. I’ll be looking for those smooth Mineral Basin lines to kick things off, and get those nice traction turns that make me want to dig deep for more. See you there for the early morning shred session. IBBY!!!

A few inches of fresh accumulation greeted The Faithful who showed up stoked and ready for a storm day. Temps were still cold, but not as cold as all last week. Precipitation was fairly light and visibility was marginal, but the new cover provided a bit more traction and some wind deposited lines close to the trees were happening if you could see them. As the day progressed a tiles and piles effect built up on the pack, making turning a challenge moving from soft to hard and back again rapidly. That is always an interesting pattern that requires a much more patient approach to each turn.

Continued overnight accumulation will add to the pack, so those early lines should be much more consistent. Tomorrow, look for the machine worked lines to be offering the best consistency turn for turn, but expect a return to a more variable pack as traffic works the lines. Off trail expect those interference patterns to still be in play with a lot of rumble and static still affecting the ride. Partly cloudy skies are predicted, so visibility will be much better. Look for those wind smoothed lines from last week to still be worth a look for off the beaten path adventure. Temps may be a bit higher, but I am still dressing for cold. Dial it up, Dial it in!!!

The weather dude promised partly cloudy skies for the morning session, but a cloud deck had descended out of the North, fully shrouding the Sun and turning out the lights in a big way. Details on the hill were difficult to discern, and driving on inner vision was needed to get a feel for the fall line. The Tram was down in the AM, but the light traffic got the folks up the hill with no waiting and lots of machine worked lines to keep the stoke alive. Mineral Basin was also offering very flat light, however the prepared lines there were consistent and the Lewis and Clark lines were smooth, fast, and really fun.

Keeping a heads up approach to the hill is paramount these days with traffic, variable light, and changing conditions. A lot is happening all the time, with the unexpected coming into play. Good to keep in mind. Tomorrow, look for a storm day as the front will be moving in overnight and stalling, which will deliver an indeterminate accumulation, but I am visualizing a nice 20″ delivery. Who’s with me? The hill is in great shape for this installment, and after a solid survey of the existing features, many great lines will be coming on strong for a full fall line attack. Visibility will be marginal and I expect an increase in attendance. I’ll be taking the day off to deal with incidentals. Keep it tight!!

With a bit warmer temps on the hill this morning, the hill was offering fast cruisin’ on all sides of the hill, with great prepared lines, some very nice wind buffed sections, and bright Sun to light the dance floor. On the front side of the hill, reflected Sun from the other side of the Canyon illuminated the details of the corduroy, which let you really get the most out of every turn. Some amazing shaping had been prepared on Who Dunnit, which was like a high speed skate park with sweet contours that let you dial in a rippin’ line. Very light traffic was key and back to back Trams were fast and furious. With the Sun higher in the sky, the temps bumped up and visibility got even more 3D.

Cold clear air made this long shot of the Great Salt Lake come into focus. With more water in the Lake, it makes the details really pop. Tomorrow, look for even warmer temps in the AM., and great big mountain smooth lines available on all sides of the hill. The off trail is quite firm, but dry chalky lines are still happening, with building interference patterns, rumble and static that make you pay attention and keep the fall line dialed for performance. Traffic should be quiet, and top to bottom back to back lines will be on tap right out of the chute. Mineral Basin is offering some very nice wind buffed sections that are still holding up nicely. See you there for the smooth cruisin’ laps. Lay it over like Ligety!!