High pressure moved back into the area after the last installment, though the temps. remained a bit on the nippy side with a Northerly Flow.   The Junior Extreme Competition was given a nice backdrop after the past few days, where the competitors had to really earn the points on an extremely  gnarly snow pack.  The addition of the recent installment added a welcome cushion for the kids to work with, and the visibility to give them the best opportunity.   I was off today, so my first hand observations can not be presented, but after the yesterday’s offering, the conditions have improved greatly from just a couple of days ago.   Staying ahead of the Sun was important today,

REFORMATION

as the Sun was going to turn the new snow to paste on the direct exposures, but I think the High North was spared the damage as the temps never really got that warm up high.  Tomorrow, look for the Groomers to be still offering the best lines for the smoothness seekers, but watch out for the damaged exposures until some softening occurs.  I am going to give Regulator a bit of time till I venture in that direction, as the firmness there Friday was diamond hard.  I will have a much more detailed report for tomorrow, as I just have to be there to really know and that is what this is about, accurate assessment after all.   Here is a shot of some of the Essence making it’s metamorphosis from the crystalline stage, though the liquid stage, and finding itself, once again reformed as it makes it’s way back into the BIG CYCLE.   More of the crystalline accumulation is on tap, so do not give up on the season yet.   IBBY!!!

The report said 3” this morning, and that just did not register with the faithful, who looked out their windows and saw just a skiff on the lawn and went back to bed.  The depth in the parking lot at 9:30 AM, when I parked, was all of 12” and snowing so hard I could not believe it.  Up on the hill there was fully 15” plus  of some of the most sumptuous Essence on certain aspects.  The frozen crust underneath the new installment was fully in play as the density was light enough , even with the added depth, to keep the crunch factor just a nuisance.  The wind was blowing hard and the snow was falling harder, keeping the accumulation fresh and cold.  There were walk on Trams all day with the fake out of the report, so you could take advantage of the casual pace.  Upper Great Scott was looking much better today after the wind had blown more of the product into the shot, but those large bump sections were still making the entrance a bit tricky.  The snow kept falling until around 2:30PM when the Sun came out briefly before another lake effect impulse moved in.  Here is a shot I took of a cool wind wave that I just happened to  pass by as the Sun popped out.   Tomorrow, look for the Groomers to be really plush with the new material to work with, the off trail still should be soft and blastable until the Sun begins to work the new snow over, and the traffic to still be on the moderate side.   Stay ahead of the Sun to get most of the softness, and keep in mind the under lying crunch that will still be in play, though the consistency got better as it go skied out.   My day off will find me realigning the antenna array that was so worked by the wind this week.  See you Sunday!  IBBY!!!

WIND WAVE

SKETCHY

It was down right cold this morning after the cold front moved thought, leaving windy conditions and a quasi Sunlit sky.   Tenderizing efforts had been done to the main Groomers to give a bit of bite on the frozen solid glaze.  Off trail was very difficult, and I felt for the kids who where competing in the Junior Extreme Skiing event.  It was extremely hard for them, and I just had to give them props for charging those lines.   Mineral Basin was just beginning to respond to the Sun’s rays for the first Tram, with White Diamonds offering some sugary cushion.  I lapped that line many times before heading back to the front of the hill, where I survived the ultra glaze where the tenderization had been blown or scraped off.  The temps. remained cold all day, with the lower 500′ of the hill beginning to soften at 2:30PM, so the upper elevations were going to be very late if at all.  I tried all permutations of the hill, but did not find much to get an edge into, with only the turned up sugar to aim for.  Tomorrow, look for some new accumulation, which is predicted to accompany this system, so there may be some respite from the crustitude, but expect some difficult crunch on the off trail areas, unless we get a significant amount of accumulation.  It is supposed to remain cold, so dress for the conditions.  I dressed a bit light this morning and paid the price when I jumped on the Mineral Chair.  Watch those West facing shots in the early hours, as they were super glazed, and required sharp edges.   HMMMMM!   Here is a shot of the upper entrance to Great Scott where the gnarliness is quite evident, and turned me around for smoother lines.   Peace Out!!!

This morning seemed warm, but the front side of the hill was frozen solid wall to wall.  Mineral Basin was calling with bright Sun, though a stiff South wind was blowing and the peak temps were colder than expected.  I caught a gimps of a land mark grooming path cut right down the steepest part of Chamonix Chute, so we lapped around and got the first tracks ever on this present sent from the Grooming Crew.  The aspect was taking the early morning rays of the Sun, which had softened it to corn goodness top to bottom.   MAZOLA!!!  It was as good as any back country line I can think of, so I kept lapping the line until the breakfast bell.  The front side of the hill was slow to warm, but once it got going the lines went off in fine order, keeping a back to back pace an easy option.  The off trail did soften up finally, broadening the line choices, but there were some sticky spots at the bottom of the hill as the day progressed.  Tomorrow, look for the Groomers to have been given the tenderizing treatment, and the warming may take longer if this system begins to block the Sun.  You can back off your start time significantly to avoid the morning glaze.  Watch the steeps, where the crusty funk could make the decent very tricky.  The High North has not been spared the warming damage, so chose wisely.  It looks like we might get some fresh in the next couple of days to get thing going once again.   See you on first Boat, then I will decide if the Forklift Chair calls me in early.   Ciao!!!

FACES

It was 21 Degrees on the peak when first Tram arrived on the peak.  Extensive Grooming had been done on all sides  of the hill.  Mineral Basin beckoned with Silver Diamonds buffed perfectly top to bottom.  I lapped that perfection all morning long to take advantage of the rarity.  Out of area was open, and I was tempted to do a tour, but Mineral was so good, there was nothing out of area that would have been any better than those shots prepared just for us.  I slowed down on the steep section to pull more out of each turn,  savoring the carvalicious quality of the lines.  I was thinking back to the days, before the Basin was open to the public,  we used to dream about what was back there, and if you had dropped that line we were lapping to day, you would have thought you died and went to heaven, even thought you would have to slog out of there after the run.   So, needless to say, I got all of that and then some.  The warmth took over and began to soften up, going past good at 1:00PM, when the consistency got just too sticky back there.  That was when the front side of the hill started to shine as the warmth moved around breaking the crispiness, becoming back country smooth.  Yummmm!!!   Tomorrow, look for the groomers to be the place to be as the day begins, though the High North is still holding up, but all other aspects are very affected by the Sun, so follow the Sun again and keep dialing in some of the best spring corn goodness.   Here is a shot of the snow sculpture on the top of the Peruvian Chair, which is quite interesting in the Sun.   Peace Out!!

After all those days of spring type temps, this morning felt like a day in January, with a cold North wind that was working the new accumulation, depositing it in the guts and South facing aspects.  Extensive grooming had been prepared for the faithful who showed up for the festivities, offering alternatives on all areas of the hill.  The North facing aspects were getting worked by the wind, making some of the filled in areas a mix of stripped off sections interspersed with deeper areas of somewhat grabby freshness.  The underlying crust was fully in play, making the off trail very challenging with crustitudinous variability wall to wall.  A much slower cadence was required to negotiate the sections that threatened an immediate slam dunk if you got the least bit cocky with it.   After 1:00PM there was some softening of the firmness as the Sun worked the direct aspects, but the temps remained quite cold preserving the quality as the day progressed.  Tomorrow, look for more grooming that will make the morning session a lot more fun.  The off trail crust is still resident, and real caution should still be taken to avoid a knee tweak, or a full on body slam on the hard pan which has zero give.  Ouch!!!.  I drove around all day off trail to test the severity of the different shots, finding very little to recommend, with the exception of the low angle shots that seemed to cushion the crunch a bit better than the steeper shots.  Tomorrow should be a bit warmer, so the snow quality will go South quickly, making awareness of aspect most important.  Still, much fun is to be had, so get there early for the morning smooth, as there is usually many choices to keep the interest going  until softening occurs.  Here is a shot of a pitching lip of one of the hollow snow sections that were breaking on that one reef.   Nice!!!  IBBY!!

THROWING LIP

Fashion Maven

This morning lived up to the April Fool’s spirit on a number of levels.  I parked in the lot at 8:05 AM with some rain on the windshield, and no accumulation on the hill.  By the time I got suited up, one of the hosts told me it was dumping outside, and by 9:00AM there was 2” of fresh Spackle covering the frozen crustulation on the hill.  I was fooled into thinking there was not going to be any snow.  Next, the Groomers were frozen solid smooth with the untracked skiing beautifully, cushioning the turns, but straying off the main runs was absolutely gnarly and problematic, sending be back to the dead center of the run to avoid the jarring crud.  Fooled again!!!  The snow kept falling all day, but it did not build up enough to keep the cushion going.  Regulator was very difficult, with tiles and piles making the consistency of each turn impossible.  I just had to make a hasty retreat to the Forklift Chair to assess the rest of the day.  Tomorrow, look for some additional accumulation, but expect the underlying frozen crust to still be in play.  With a bit of luck there might be more cushion over the ubiquitous crust, but use extreme caution in your line choice, as the hidden ice chunks can interrupt a turn in a radical way, so be aware.  The Grooming should be a little softer as the new product gets mixed into the mat, which will make the early runs the best of the day.  Perhaps the Sun may come out, so the quality will be short lived as the heat works the new snow.  Stay ahead of the Sun for best results.   Here is a shot of the stunning Victoria Von Sanderson sporting a fashion forward look that will be sweeping the ski world very soon.  So Hot!!!  I’ll see you for the first Boat.   Peace Out!!

RARE BEAUTY

It was just too warm today.  These conditions are more in line with the middle of May than the last day of March.   The antenna array was blow completely out of whack by the heavy South Wind, which will take me some time to sort out next week.  The ridge tops were indicating wind transported snow in the back lit morning Sun, so those North facing exposures were getting filled.  The high temps. definitely softened the dance floor, as it did yesterday, so after this cold front moves in tonight we can expect the off trail to be frozen solid.  The forecast is not encouraging in terms of accumulation, but anything can happen here in the Wasatch, and I am holding the image of another dose similar to what we had two weeks ago.  Now that might seem a bit like wishful thinking, but I like to dream, and if it turns out big, all the better.  The lack of traffic during this past week, in addition to the small accumulation, has gone a long way in mitigating the interference patterns over most of the hill.  The High North aspects were the smoothest lines, and will be the go to choices in the event of a small accumulation associated with this front.  If there is a significant accumulation it will expand the choice factor markedly, but the underlying crustification will still be in play.  Remember the long rocky approach to the Upper Cirque if it gets covered by new snow, which could be somewhat problematic if you were to charge the approach and reef out.  Just sayin’!!  The weather is getting stranger and stranger everywhere, so we might just luck out and get a big return to Winter.  I can dream can’t I?    Here is another shot of the beautiful Snow Mushrooms.  I just love those fungi!!  IBBY!!!

It was quite warm this morning as the first Tram crew hit the peak.  Mineral Basin was looking bright and sunny, and had been given some more extensive Grooming runs to present some smooth, sumptuous, velvet to carve through.   I had to keep lapping the lines to get the most of the rare morning perfection.  The front of the hill was offering some really nice lines on the High North faces, where still dry cold sugar was available on the upper half of the hill.  The day warmed up quickly, so following the Sun was mandatory.  The bottom of the hill finally started developing  the sticky spots, which really can put the breaks on unintentionally, so a cautious deceleration BEFORE you hit the flats is a good call to avoid hitting the glop at high speed.  Better to be going slowly when the breaks come on suddenly.  Tomorrow, look for another beautiful day out ahead of the next installment that is coming in later in the weekend.  The Groomers will again be offering the  smooth lines, but the High North is still holding up for the hard charging big lines.  Again, follow the Sun, with the West facing holding out the longest, which

Snow Mushrooms

also extends the options as you move through the day.  The lower mountain will develop the stickies again, so the early runs give you the best quality.   I don’t expect any serious increase in the traffic, so it will take a bit longer for the lines to get chopped up.   Here is a shot of some rare mountain Mushrooms, which graced the hill today, here pictured with the Snow Goddess who loving tends and nurtures these crystal treasures.   Thank You Snow Goddess!!!   Peace Out

That little impulse that moved through last night left a nice coating of high density, cold, dry essence that offered a bonanza for the light turnout during the early hours.  The best aspects were the North facing shots that benefited from the wind blowing extra depth onto the slopes, which cushioned the crunch that was ubiquitous on all aspects.  The already smooth shots were best, with the low angle slopes feeling almost bottomless with the cushion.  The steeper shots were very nice, but the bottom was fully in effect.  The Sun began to work the product that was exposed to the direct Sun, but cool temps., and some high clouds, lowered the temps after 1:00 PM preserving the quality.  Light snow and wind moved in the late afternoon, but there will not be the accumulation as we had today.  Another Sunny day is on tap, so get there early for the best of the day, and follow the Sun to stay ahead of the damaging rays.  The High North aspects will still be holding some cold snow, and the Groomers will be velvet smooth as the new product gets worked into the mat, so we have some serious ground pounding to look forward to

Fresh coating

in the Morning.  The reduction in traffic has backed off the interference patterns a bit, making the lines much less impactful with the fresh cushion working the magic.  Take advantage of these low traffic, great sliding conditions, before we get the next storm, which will draw the traffic.   Here is a shot, however out of focus, of the Upper Cirque I took from the Tram as I stuck my hand out the window.  I did my best to chronicle the smoothness, and you get an idea of the coverage and mitigated bumps.   Nice!!!   Ciao!!