Peruvian Gulch

I drove up to the Bird today to have lunch and lock and load the locker for the season.  There is a lot of snow for the opener, with the cats working the groomers to pack it down.  The off trail looks covered, but there are still snag and surprises off the beaten path.  Still it is much better looking than I thought it would look.   I was told by the highest authority that there will be a limited opening on Thursday  with Gad Zoom, Wilbre, and Chickadee providing the lift access.  They will try to get the Tram going as soon as they can.  Here is a fresh shot of the hill from the Canyon Road, where I talked to a couple of hikers who had just come down Little Superior who said it was quite nice indeed.  The Snow Guns are working full time with the expanded water handling capacity covering the high traffic and knobby knoll areas to keep the bottom from cropping up.   Clouds have moved in this afternoon, so perhaps we will get some more impulses coming through off the Lake.  This will be a great opener and the most snow I have seen for the opener for many years.  Get ready for great year.  IBBY!!!

Last week was so warm and toasty, with perfect days for hiking and getting ready for the season.  It was beginning to look a bit dubious that the resort would open on the projected date, but now all that has changed, as the resort has received over  46” of  Essential freshness in the past 3 days.   I drove down Big Cottonwood last night late and I can tell you that there is a lot of snow and the drive down was sketchy in the extreme.  The lake effect has kicked in and is still delivering impulses as I write this at Noon on  Sunday.  The work is being done to get the resort ready to go and it is sure to be one of the epic openers.   Facebook shots of the folks who hiked for turns shows just how good it is already.   While I am thinking of it, the lower canyon is really developing the Black Ice issue in a big way, so even if the road looks dry, moisture has laid in overnight and is just waiting for you, so be advised when going up and coming down.  I will get some real time shots this week, when I go up to load the locker, so stay tuned for the beginning of the daily posts.  Here is a shot   that illustrates the NOW MOMENT.  Remember, it is all in the hands!!!  Ciao!!

NOW

I have been enjoying these nice warm days, keeping my short sleeve shirts going until the last minute.  The Trailer was rocking today with the wind cranking ahead of the next system, which, if forecasts come through, will set us up for an on time opening next week.  The discussion in the weather chats is that this storm is a slow mover, which may really add up in a good way.   These warm days have kept the Salt Lake temps high, so perhaps we can see some solid lake effect accumulation as the move through the weekend.  The snow making has been expanded and has been  prepped for action.  Someone had made some nice turns on the freshly made man made on Big Emma last week, getting a jump on the day count for the season.  Here is a shot of a Cat excavator that was parked on the peak for the improvements on the road to Regulator and the expanded area off the top of the top of the Little Cloud chair.   You do not often see a piece of equipment like this at 11,000′ with the American Fork Twin in the background.  Nice for perspective.  The Big Cycle has returned once again only after a very brief space of time to rejuvenate the Essential Medium.   This is going to be a nice storm and will begin the base build up.  Yeah.   Ciao for now.

BIG RIG ON THE PEAK

Big Ballroom

Last week was warm and balmy, making the sessions at the skateboard park enjoyable and empty.  The day before yesterday the wind picked up, and really picked up going into yesterday ahead of the big Winter system that was moving in to the area.  The trailer was rocking in the heavy fall wind, but all my extra bracing kept it tight to the foundation.  The Hyper-dimensional resonator was tweaked off alignment, keeping the Galactic Transmissions from getting thorough.  Today the Summer turned to Winter, with snow on the hill and rain here in the Valley.  It seems just a bit too early for the snow to come, as early snow tends to create a bad layer if it sits for any length of time, so we will just have to hope we get continued installments like we did in the late 80’s.   It would be great  to open with a healthy base, with any additional Essence early frosting on the cake.   Here is a shot of the top of the Little Cloud Chair I took the other day showing a very large off loading area, which will make the traffic congestion much better in this choke point.  They also improved the access back to Regulator, making the entire flow much easier.  This weather system is settling in for quite a while, so expect to see some accumulation on the hill by Friday.  Check the Bird site for totals, but right now they are not available.  I am excited about the season, and Snowbird Secrets is just about to come out in hard copy.  It has been up on Amazon in the E version for a while now, but it will be nice to have it in hand.  Let’s keep the stoke going for continued accumulation so there will be no delay in the opening.   Stay Frosty!!!

This was the first time of the season that the sound of rain was loud and strong on the Trailer.  It was pummeling during the early hours of the evening and well into the slumber period.  This is one of my most favorite sounds, which sends me into the deep REM cycle quickly.  Fortunately, there was no significant accumulation, thus keeping a bad layer from developing.   That early snow two seasons ago was the killer layer that kept the back country dubious all season.   Still, it is nice to have the Winter pattern beginning to develop which will deliver the goods in due time.  The Little Cloud chair is coming along nicely with the Bottom station looking good and the cable running is getting underway.  Here is a shot of the new rescue dog Moki when he was just a pup back in July.  When the season starts he will be almost full grown, but here he is looking ready for his life in the White World.    The print version of Snowbird Secrets is going to the printer this week and after looking at the proofs we will be able to sign off on the final print version.   We had trouble with photo quality, so we took the extra time to be sure the shots were as pristine as possible.  Keep the energy high, we are going into the final stretch.   I will be posting more

MOKI

regularly as we get close so stay tuned.   Ciao!!

The rain was really making a lot of noise on the Trailer in the early morning hours

HIGH SPEED

as I luxuriated in the dream state.  Up on the hill was a light dusting of Essence, signaling the return of the BIG CYCLE.  Though it is still too early to get any accumulation, though that is not unheard of, it is sending vibrations to all of the Faithful that a new season is almost here.   I hiked up to the peak the other day to investigate the rock strata that is quite varied, and was looking for examples of the Tintic Quartzite that is laced within the geological layering.  SNOWBIRD SECRETS treats this feature as one of the major platforms of commentary, so I was curious to find the  large seams and see the crystalline structure sparkle in the Sun.   On the Peak great progress has been made on the installation of the new Little Cloud high speed quad, and here is a shot I took of the top station with the American Fork Twins framing the new installation.  Pretty space age looking equipment.  This will really make the Around the World access so much faster, and makes a storm day ascent more manageable.  The weather is going to warm up nicely again, so the good weather will continue  helping keep the installation on schedule.  I will be posting much more regularly, so stay tuned for updates as they happen.  We will be riding the Gravity Waves before you know it.  Peace out!!

I have the Trailer all set up on the winter foundation, ready to begin the season with a bang.  The antenna array is pulling down some serious data from the Galactic Federation, and they seem to indicate a great season ahead.   My Book, Snowbird Secrets A Guide To Big Mountain Secrets,  was launched in it’s E version on all the E vendors.  Check out Amazon  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0099STSHA and click on the cover art for a peak inside the book.  The print version is a few weeks out yet, but will be available through this site, at the shops at Snowbird and the internet vendors.   I wrote this book with Jackson Hogen, who is an incredible writer, who really put the shine on the concepts that we present.  There are about 50 full color pictures to illustrate the narrative, which helps to develop the global view of the Bird, but these secrets transcend where to find the powder stashes.   This is the cover art for the book, which features American Fork Twins with Pipeline as the iconic image that characterizes this amazing place.   The new Little Cloud high speed quad is going up quickly and will be a great addition to the hill, providing an important uphill alternative.  I will be updating the site more often as we move closer to the season, so  stay tuned for continuing posts.  I will be going up to the Bird this week to get some up to date shots of the new lift progress.  Also, Octoberfest is in full swing every weekend, so be sure to get up there for the festivities.  Ciao for now!!

Snowbird Secrets

Well, it has been a long Summer where I spent the time visiting the far reaches of the ANDROMEDA GALAXY getting schooled  on the shifting energies coming from the Galactic Core.   I am now back up in the high desert making repairs on the the

GREEN SCOTT

antenna array and getting ready to get back to the Wasatch.  Great progress is being made on the new Little Cloud high speed quad, with all the towers in place and the top and bottom stations getting set in place.  This dry stretch has given the crews a lot of favorable weather to get things put together in time for the snow fall.  The CHEF shared some great shots of his hikes up the hill.  Here is one of Great Scott showing it’s verdant coat before the colors begin to change.  It is amazing to see what we really glide over during the season, with sections that just seem insane during the Summer, but offer the goods when filled with the Essence.   My book  SNOWBIRD SECRETS A GUIDE TO BIG MOUNTAIN SKIING  is now ready to go and will be released very soon.  It will be available on all E BOOK outlets and Hard Copy at Amazon, as well as Hard Copy here on the site and at Snowbird.   I am still trying to get placement venues, so I’ll keep the details coming.  There are some favorable long range weather projections, so I am keeping a positive vision for the season.   Hope everyone had a safe and fun off season.  See you soon.  Ta for now!

Well, we are well into the long cycle as the melt off continues on the high elevations.  There is still quite a bit of cover in the higher elevations which is still making it’s way back into the flow.   I have the Trailer set up in the High Desert, where the night sky is alive with phenomena, especially through night vision goggles.  The  newly modified antenna array is working very well, with some serious down loads coming down the line regularly.  Just as I anticipated, and I’m not afraid to get the direct info.    On the ski front; I have completed writing my book  Snowbird Secrets    A Guide to Big Mountain Skiing.   It has been a lot of fun working out the details and going over the material, getting all the photos to illustrate the narrative put together.   It should be in the can shortly, as the Editor has it now to clean up any straggling syntax issues.   The initial feedback is very encouraging, so I feel confident that we will be breaking interesting thresholds.  Stay tuned for updates as I get the cosmic details, I will pass them along.   BE well,  IBBY!!!

It was another very nice morning with a quiet crew on the ride up.  Again, Mineral Basin was so perfect, with White Diamonds rebuffed and offering perfect turns all the way down.   The front side was crispy, but the tenderizing was good enough to keep an edge.  The rest of the day went off like clock work, with a huge crowd showing up later in the day, dressed in costumes, bikinis, and all sorts of flair to celebrate the day.   The upper elevations held the quality all day, with the lower elevations sticky and very slow.  The Skimming Pond was going off with a huge group of folks encouraging the sliders as they crossed the span.  Such fun indeed.    This has been a great seasons despite the snow fall, with some very memorable days and times on the hill.  The BIG CYCLE returns the snow pack to the liquid and gaseous state, which it must do in order for it to return to us in it’s time.  We too will move into the cycle, which will once again bring us back again to be on deck for the next accumulation season.  I have spent the past few afternoons getting the Trailer ready to head up to the High Desert, where I am going to following all the rabbit hole entrances I uncovered during the season, but could not pursue.  I have had great time this season, and am looking forward to the next one as it will be here shortly.  Thanks to all of you for reading my posts, it has been exciting meeting all the folks who read the posts.  I will be posting now and again all Summer long, with some updates and shots of the hill in the Summer coat, so stay tuned for that.  Have a great Summer and I will see you on First Tram.  IBBY!!!