Quiet Place

The weather presenters promised sunny skies for today, but the clouds remain over the Valley and the Mountains as well, preserving the snow quality for the day.  It is still fairly chilly here at the Trailer, as I wrestle with some antenna alignment issues that have been thwarting the clarity of the TRANSMISSIONS.   I have also dispensed with the Tin Foil Hats, thus letting in the full magnitude of the impinging information stream.   If you find me a bit dazed on the Tram, it is probably the results of heavy down load sequences.   Up on the hill, the frenzy has abated a bit, but the hill is still offering the goods wherever you look.  The Groomers are once again soft and crust free, but the softness will be worked over fairly quickly by the traffic, so the early risers are going to get the best buffed of the day.   Tomorrow, look for another morning of impeccable corduroy, still soft off trail crud, and a bit of a let up in the traffic, which should set the day up for some serious ground pounding.  Still be vigilant for the fast movers entering the main runs from the sides, cliff bands, cat tracks, and any unimaginable line that one would never expect.  I was really focusing my attention on the unpredictable movements of all the traffic on the hill.  For me, a bit slower pace, a more relaxed approach, and an ear to the inner voice assist in keeping me free of accidental encounters.  The Powder Vortex  of LCC stretches its influence around the world, pulling of the heart strings of those that love this place, and the faithful are responding to the call.    Here is a shot of a place of tranquility at the center of the Vortex that has quiescence and movement all at the same time.  Something of a paradox.  Peace out!!!

After this weeks primer work, last night’s installment of Essence pushed the conditions to the STUDIO level, which is, perhaps, the highest point on the bell curve of quality.  I’m calling it STUDIO, as it embodied the depth, low moisture content, consistency, and whatever esoteric quality that can be experienced, it was all there today.   It was fully BLOWER, with lines filled and good to go for everyone.   All the folks, who were waiting for the return of the Monster Powder Zone, were rewarded with just such the day.   The visibility could be construed as  problematic, but the cloud cover preserved the quality for the duration, though things seemed to thicken up a touch toward the end of the day, but there were

HIGH DETAIL

face shots and deep pockets to aim for.   Tomorrow, look for the skies to clear off and return the Blue Bird sky to make it post card perfect.   I expect quite a bit of traffic to take advantage of the goodness, so get there early for  a head start on the crowd.  It is good on all aspects, but with the Sun higher in the sky, look for the most exposed aspects to begin to respond to the heat waves.   Hit those shots early before they go South, and pay attention to the aspects as the day progresses.  I am taking the day off, so give it all you got for me.   Here is a shot I took today that I will put up as a visual puzzle for you.   What is this?  Anyone?   Ciao!!!

This is the stuff of legends, and we got another dose of perfection today, as this installment of Essence finally put the hill on the GOOD TO GO meter.  The underlying substrate is still reflecting through marginally, but the softness is making any interference patterns easy to negotiate.   There is only sparse hints of the crusty layer out and about, but you have to look for them.   The Upper Cirque has filled in markedly in the past few days, making it look much fatter than just 2 days ago.   Clouds and cold kept the snow from being Sun damaged, making the cut up crud fluffy and blastable all day long.  The harbor chop began to build up in the afternoon, but it was more like harbor foam, letting you just blast through any pile in your way.   The consistency  and creaminess is ubiquitous on all exposures, and the forecast snow coming in tonight will put all the memories of crust far behind.  I heard many folks remarking that the hill is the way it is supposed to be here in LCC.   Tomorrow look for accumulation to have occurred

HELLGATE

overnight, and the Canyon is going to close, so check the road access before leaving in the AM.   Here is a shot of Hellgate in the quasi sunshine that broke through for a short period today.  Things are good wall to wall, top to bottom.  Come and get it, this is it!!   See you for the festivities in the AM.   Peace Out!

The Canyon opened early this morning, getting the day off on time for the morning crew.   The wind was nuking out of the South out ahead of the front that finally moved through at 5:30 PM.  Once again, I dropped into the milk bottle that was Mineral Basin, just to test the depth back there.  There was  easily 12” back there and at least 30” of fog to go with it.  I once again got zapped by Vertigo, but if  I drop into a milk bottle, what do I expect?   The Front side of the hill was being filled and stripped depending on the aspect.  The High North was getting the lions share of the filling, with the West facing getting the scour treatment as the wind just picked up  intensity as the morning continued.  The Tram kept running, with the wind blowing straight down the cables, making the peak a trippy experience.   Where else are you going to step out into a maelstrom of such magnitude, on purpose, and meander off into the void just for grins and giggles.  The storm kept filing in the tracks as fast as you skied it, so run after run was untracked.  Now that is a Powder day.  The Cirque Traverse was getting very nasty at the middle section, which required close attention, especially as the wind whipped snow obscured the details to ZERO.   Tomorrow will be a hurry up and wait situation, as the Canyon is closing tonight and will be delayed in the morning opening.   It is snowing very hard here at the Trailer as I write this, so I expect this system to bring some serious accumulation.  This is the stuff we have been waiting for.  I am just going to relax, enjoy the morning, and get to the hill when I can.  See you there.  IBBY!!!    P.S.   Here is another piece of Art from my experiments with gravity.

HIGH CONTRAST

There was only a skiff here at the Trailer this morning, so I did not expect the accumulation that greeted the faithful.  Today’s offering was a prime example of Utah Light,  offering blower deep face shots, a much improved ride, and a return to the conditions that everyone knows and loves.  The West facing exposures seemed to heal up from the crustiness that was resident this week, with the North and East facing aspects offering a slightly softer bottom feel.   The interference patterns were still fully in play, as the light density Essence only marginally cushioned the ride due to the high amplitude substrate.  The low visibility also made negotiating the  variations a bit more difficult,

FLOWERS IN WINTER

and I was struck with some moments of vertigo out in the open, non referenced, expanses.  I had to go sit one out to regain some semblance of equilibrium.   I hate those whurley, pit of the stomach feelings.   Powder Paradise and the Road to Provo remained closed today, but may get the nod tomorrow, so stay stoked for more deep.  The Cirque Traverse is in much better shape than just the other day, however, it still has those pesky cross chop features that make that middle section a challenge, so use caution going into that ratchet chop section.  Overall the mountain is looking and skiing very nicely, with plenty to choose from wall to wall.   A bit bigger storm is forecast for the near future, which will only amplify the stoke factor for everyone.   There will be a road closure in the AM, so check the access before leaving.  Here is a shot of an exotic flower that I thought juxtaposed the milk bottle visibility of today.    Ciao!!!

A grey overcast sky, no new accumulation overnight, and not really too much to get excited about, kept the traffic very low for today’s festivities, but today was a sleeper.  Granted there were some aspects that were less than stellar, but high winds overnight did some amazing things by filling in and compacting some of the the big High North lines.  It is very rare to get these big mountain lines that smooth top to bottom with absolutely no pressure.   I could not help but think back to “Back in the Day” when the high aspects would smooth over and stay smooth for days.   Today, we just got the goods for the day before the crust began to break, but those runs were just deluxe.  Also of note was the Grooming job, which was augmented by the wind, on Anderson’s hill, and Lower Primrose Path to complete the top to bottom ground pounding.   As I frequently note, this line could have been any big mountain back country extravaganza, except that it was lift serviced.   Digging deeply into each turn afforded some sumptuous feel under foot, and the consistency in the wind lines was simply creamy and dreamy, and I was not alone in this assessment.   Regulator,

WIND BUFF

and the West facing shots were sporting some serious glaze after the wind stripped those aspects clean.  The wind giveth and the wind taketh away!! Tomorrow, look for some accumulation overnight, which will really buff out the hill.   Be sure to check the road report for access in the AM.   It is going to be good.  The stage is set for some serious rippage.   See you there in the AM!!! IBBY

Transmissions from the GALACTIC FEDERATION were coming down the ION BEAM as fast as I could translate the DATA STREAM early this morning.

SUPERIOR

There was some very interesting information in that stream that I will share on a need to know basis.  However, I was unable to get to the hill until 1:00PM after dealing with that bit of entertainment, which was unfortunate, as I missed the smooth buffage from yesterday’s wind storm.   All that wind did some very nice filling of the trenches, smoothing out big lines, and also stripping exposures clean down to the crusty layer, which left Regulator a distinct challenge for the  morning crew who  had to hit it first.   I was invited to take an exploratory run down the Upper Cirque just to see if the recent installments had healed those shots up yet, only to find that there are still significant vestiges of gnar to be dealt with.  Care should be taken on approach, and a deliberate line may get you by the rocks, but you will be hard pressed to avoid the reefage that still lurks in the middle of each of the Upper Cirque shots.  I got a core shot just being careful, so be aware.   The cold daytime temps. have kept the snow soft and blastable, fending off the Sun damage that begins to trash the pack this late in the season.  Once again, the wind did wonderful things mountain wide, so be on the look out for your favorite lines, and lines that you were holding off on, now that things are filling in, but as I just explained, there are some glaring exceptions to be sure.  Looks like more weather is coming in, so I am not going to even think about it.  It will be what it will be, and that is, as we know,   great!!   Here is a shot of Superior looking freshly frosted and untrammeled.  MMMM  Goood!!

The Trailer was rocking and rolling in the pounding prefrontal winds, which sounded thunderous and exciting.  It looked like it was going to be clear, but the clouds moved in quickly.   The Bird reported high winds, no Tram, Mineral Basin and assorted other lifts in response to the sever weather.  One thing is certain, the wind was working it’s magic as only days like this can provide.   Snow transport really smooths the hill out overall, filling in some of the most persistent interference patterns.   I will be looking f0rward to tomorrow, to see what has transpired.  Already, the  hill has smoothed out considerably, but some of the more sheltered areas still were sporting some rumble.   More snow is in the forecast, so you can expect the hill to be offering the Utah Best, which is especially sweet considering the hard times of the earlier season.   Time to enjoy the goods.   Still be aware of the hard charging fast movers as you work  the hill, paying special attention to the tree lines, uphill merge points, cliff bands, cat tracks, and any unexpected exposure features that might have a high velocity issue to suddenly deal with.    Here is a shot of a very bold fashion statement that I could not resist.  Fun times!!!  See you for the festivities in the AM.   Ciao!!

BILLY GIBBONS?

Today was one of the best days of the season on many levels.  Little Cloud and Mineral Basin opened with some of the most sumptuous snow pack.  Even though it was not blower light, it had a

WILD WINDS

consistency that was nothing short of luxurious.   It had a heft and richness that made one feel like Super Slider, no matter which exposure you chose.   Only some parts of the West facing shots had some vestiges of the rain crust that was deposited the other day.   The Groomers were off the charts buffed with just a light covering of dust that just put the icing on the cake.  One of the highlights was the lower Primrose Path, which had such velvety smooth lines that held up all day long.   It was strange that it did not get rutted or hacked up.   I kept lapping that big smooth line all morning long.  I was able to get the drop of the Mineral Basin opener, which let me take my time and get deeply involved with each turn.  The day was a bit brisk, which kept the snow refrigerated and preserved for tomorrow.  Look for another offering of  ultra buffed Hydrovelvet on all the Groomers, with the off trail still offering very soft crud.  Most of the entrances are getting more approachable, and will only get better with any additional accumulation, which is in the forecast.  We seem to be in the flow now, so expect goodness with each installment.   Day off tomorrow, so turn for me if you would.   Peace out!!!

A fresh installment of Essence was delivered overnight, along with winds that many folks said sounded like a freight train going by.  I was told the wind went over 100 mph at times during the night, which worked the mountain much more than the new snow did.   Regulator was stripped clean, but the transported snow had been placed in just the right spots.  Yesterday, I looked into upper Great Scott to see that I wanted no part of that fiasco, but today the same entrance was much more realistic, with the main line baby butt smooth and buttery.   I had not been in there for some time, and the wait was worth it.  The new snow seemed light, but the wind had knocked the air out of most of it, leaving billiard table smooth lines in many places, as well as some carvalicious accumulation.  Mineral Basin and Road to Provo remained closed, so there is a chance we might see them tomorrow.  The faithful showed up in enthusiastic numbers, with everyone trying to make up for lost time.   The frenetic pace was blistering overall, and I just wanted to get out of the way and let the fast movers have what they craved.   Me?   I have been there long enough to know that I prefer a more meditative approach to the fall line, and that was not going to happen today, so I bailed early.   The conditions were excellent and will remain excellent going into tomorrow.  I can safely dispense with the reef advisories, as most are well underneath the pack, but there are some spines that need to be given the requisite respect.  Now that all of the optional lines are now in play, it is imperative to be cognizant of the fast movers dropping out of everywhere at any time at all.  This includes cliff bands you might be traversing under.  You can expect aerial movers to be blasting off with no spotting and no regard as to what , or who is below.  Just an observation!!  See you there for the first Bell.   IBBY!!