That rain and snow yesterday resurfaced the snow pack, making Mineral basin sweet and sunny right out of the chute.  Even though we had a solid freeze overnight, there was a granular carvaciousness on most aspects. Granted the West facing was still fairly firm, but Regulator was offering some very nice turns as well.  I followed the Sun and was rewarded by some really exquisite corn, that is truly like you would get way out in the back country.  The Tram opened for ski traffic today, and it was really nice to have clear windows, plus the fact of the quick laps to the peak that the Tram gives you.  The crevasses that I mentioned yesterday are widening, and you should be on the look out for them as you do the traverses, especially near the rock outcroppings, but they are also evident some distance from the rocks, so use caution.  Tomorrow, look for the break  to go off a touch earlier, with Mineral Basin offering softness on the East faces on first Tram.  Following the Sun is key again, leaving the West faces to break last as it did today.  The High North is still looking good, with the entrances still full and presenting no obstacles; just wait for the good softening, though today the North was quite approachable from the early Tram.  The Bottom of the hill is still a tad bouncy, though they did Groom Upper Silver Fox, making that bit of goodness very fun.  See you there early. IBBY!!!  Here is a shot of the out bound corn areas.  MMM Good!!

Little Cottonwood Creek was really running with gusto today as I drove up to get a look at the hill, signaling the continued return of the snowpack to the CYCLE.  Up on the hill there was rain and hail falling, with the peak shrouded in clouds, but the snow pack is still holding up in fine condition.  There is some distinct evidence of the melt off now, with some of the high spots, where big willows grow being the first to poke through.  The main runs are still fully covered, though the tracks from last weekend are still in evidence, and no new cover to give the snow pack a fresh surface.  Up high, there is still a full compliment of cover, but the South facing aspects are going to show some melt off.  Be careful near rock outcroppings, as there are crevasse hazards along some of the traverses underneath these features.  The weather is looking good, with only some afternoon showers developing later in the day, and warm temps to thaw out the pack.  After today’s cold high altitude temps. I think that the freeze will have set things up quite solidly, so the timing on the break might be delayed a bit.  Look for the 9:30 AM window for the beginning of the round the dial goodness.  The Canyon is looking very green as you drive up, with the aspens getting the leaves out, looking fresh and new.

LONG VIEW

The Tram should be available for uphill traffic from the indications I got from operations, but the Peruvian Chair will not be open.  See you there for the fun.   IBBY!!

The softening began to go off at 9:00 AM again this morning, though the East facing Groomer out on Powder Paradise was satin velvet as soon as I got there.  I lapped that piece of luxury 3 times before heading to the Forklift Chair to await the softening on the other aspects.  It was very balmy this morning, with the heat wave hitting you in the face as soon as you walked out of the Tunnel.  It was going to go off fast and it did, but the West facing held off until Noon, when Regulator offered some really fun lines down the Groomer and some good lines toward the right and left of center.  Good all over.  There were a lot of folks on the hill, but the lines did not back up at all, so maximum vertical was no problem.  The Sun really started baking the snow pack and my face, and it was a good thing I remembered to take my visor to keep the rays off.  I got lobsterfied yesterday, and was putting Aloe on my face continually to soothe the burn.  Ouch!!  The far reaches were offering some great back country corn goodness, and I just pretended that I had hiked for it, sipping the succulence of each turn.  Yum!!!  I  have had my eye on one of  the big rarities for sometime now, and today was the day, so despite my knee fatigue,

Memorial Buttress

I made the stroll to the high point and got it all.  There is perfection in all kinds of conditions, and this was as good as it gets.  Here is a shot of that bit of Awesomenicity looking back up at the fully fat exposure.  It is very rare to be able to get it good.  Oh yes it is, and it was!!!   I will be posting later in the week to give a heads up.  Stay tuned.   IBBY!!!

It was quite balmy as I pulled into the parking lot this morning.  I thought that it had not frozen, but it certainly had, though not as deeply as Friday morning.  A couple laps in Mineral Basin sent me to the Forklift Chair to await a softening at 9:30 AM. as projected.  By 10:00 AM the South faces and East faces were good to go, with the North and West facing aspects holding out until almost Noon.  Follow the Sun is the watch word these days, and today was a prime example of that verity.  I found some blissful corn goodness, which I lapped continually until it got too sticky.  Moving to the North faces, with exposures that clocked a bit toward the morning sunlight, offered the first breaks there, so subtle shifts in aspect was well worth paying attention to.  High cloud cover moved in after Noon, but the green house effect was working, and the dreaded glue spots started to crop up here and there.  After Noon, staying up high was the best bet, with the Little Cloud  chair accessing the last exposure hold outs of the day.  There was a great band on the Plaza, so plan on hanging out and catching the set after you quit for the day.  Tomorrow, look for the same timing for softening, though if this cloud cover hangs in all night the timing might go off earlier.  An early start still gives you the option to bail to the Forklift Chair if you need to kill some time while the Sun works the hill.  It certainly is my favorite Chair.  There is still some stashes of corn to get, but they require some time and effort to access.  The Groomers were tenderized just before opening, so there was some traction to get an edge into, keeping the skittering, pig on ice feeling to a minimum.  I will be there for first Chair and will make my decisions from that point.  See you in the AM.   Ciao!!

WILD SKY

The temp. on the peak this morning was 21 degrees with a fair wind blowing.  It was cold, and the snow pack had been frozen deeply, which was not going to break for a while.  I took a couple of laps out in Mineral Basin, where there was some very smooth exposures, but they were just very crispy indeed.  I took refuge on the Forklift Chair to wait for softening to occur. At 9:30 AM. there were some hints of softening as the Sun played on the hill, but a thin cloud cover masked the full intensity of the rays, making the thaw feature last longer.  By 12:00 Noon exposures really became approachable, developing a sherbet consistency that was smooth and velvety.  Following the Sun kept you in the goods. Right up until the last hour of operation the West facing aspects were full on perfect.  The glue factor held off, with only a few spots grabbing at your skis, but that was very rare, posing no problem.  Tomorrow, look for the Groomers to be the best first off, as today’s off trial got cut up a bit, but after it softens it will, once again, be offering great sliding.  The cover is still full on, with only Lower Silver Fox showing any evidence of melt off.  I think that we will get another freeze tonight, so the early morning could be crispy, but I think the 9:30 AM window will find the pack beginning to break.  Once again, follow the Sun for the best quality.  There were many sections that offered a full on back country feel, which was absolutely smooth and carvacious.

GLOWING CANYON

Here is a shot of the early morning Sun shining down the Canyon, illuminating the big buttresses making them look extra 3D.  Here is a shot of some very interesting cloud anomalies, with rainbow colors glowing in the air.  I took this shot through my sunglasses to capture the best definition.  See you in the AM.   IBBY!!

This week was not a cooker as the temps. were warm but not blazing.  A cold front moved in last night making today a tad brisk.  I just drove up to the Bird and got a first hand look at the hill.  The lower mountain still had not smoothed out from last weekends tracks, though the higher elevations seemed to be much smoother overall.  The only melt off that was evident was the high points on Lower Silver Fox, but aside from that the hill is still very fat and opulent for this late in the season.  The cold over night temps. froze the snow pack solidly, which began to break at 11:00 AM.  The temps. are forecast to be cold again tonight, so the early target will be Mineral Basin, though that may be a bit long in the thaw effect.  Tomorrow is also forecast to be sunny, so plan on following the Sun as it clocks around. With the less than optimum freeze thaw cycle some of the exposures off trail might be a bit breakable and touchy.  The West facing shots off the Cirque Traverse has healed up from the slide debris problems evident during the past weeks, making those exposures once again a good call when the West faces break, however, they may be breakable as well.   The Tram is still not ready for skier traffic, and will only be available to foot traffic, so the Super Loop will still be the only way to get to the peak and over to Little Cloud.   I have had a nice week catching up on all my research that I had fallen behind on during the Winter, and I am finding out all kinds of fun stuff, especially a detailed summation of the Andromedan Perspective.   That just fried my eyeballs, not to mention my brain. I’ll be there early to get the best of the day, see you then.   Ciao!!

Expectant Anticipation

It was a BLAST.  A Winter blast, complete with cold temps., stiff wind, and a full turn out of the faithful, who were treated to some very nice Essence as we move into the Summer season.  The amount of new snow created control issues, so it was fully 10:00AM before the first chair went up, but the new snow was cold and buoyant, and much deeper in the higher elevations.  Mineral Basin opened a bit later, and the reports were very enthusiastic.  The line, waiting for the chair to open, was formidable, and reflected the enthusiasm and commitment for the treasured Essence.  I got up early to try and get ahead of the rush, but the delay sent me to ride the Forklift Chair.  After breakfast, I decided to let the faithful have the pleasure of putting the collective signature on the hill and went back down the Canyon to turn my electric guitar up to ear bleeding levels and rock out in celebration of such Essential largess.  With a base of 182”, a YTD accumulation of 776”, and another system moving onto the coast, we can expect next weekend to still be holding the FULL FATNESS.  The hill should smooth out again, so while there may or may not be corn, there will be great sliding to be had.   Perhaps the Tram will be operating by then, and the Super Loop will not have to be endured to get to the peak. Here is a shot of the expectant crowd a the base of the Peruvian Chair just minutes before the first riders went up.  I can tell you the energy was high, and the folks who waited for the goods got all of it!!!   I will post again during the week as the conditions develop,so stay tuned.

It was back to Winter this morning, attended by a small, but loyal group of faithful, who answered the call despite the 3” report.  The rain pounded all night long on the skin of the Trailer, and I thought for sure we would see quite a bit more than that, but it was quite accurate.  Full winter white out conditions prevailed, making Mineral Basin a challenge.  I went with my memorized lines to get the smoothest ride, but I could not see much, and the large roller balls would loom out of the fog, making quick direction changes a must.  There seemed to be more accumulation on the front of the hill, where the High North and West faces offered 5 or 6” of accumulation, depending on the aspect.  Again, the covered small roller balls  from yesterday could be felt, and sudden tip deflection was a concern. By 10:00 AM, the rain soaked lower snow pack began to build up some formidable harbor chop that transcended any previous density this season.  It was thick and rasty, and I went looking for the higher elevations for relief.  There is more precipitation in the forecast, so tomorrow may provide some additional product to play in.  The mountain is fairly smooth overall, but those West facing shots off the Cirque Traverse are still littered with debris in a big way, creating some serious injury potentials.  A word to the wise!!  The entrances to the High North are stunning in coverage, and are worth a look just to see the total

Winter on May 29

absence of the reefs and spires that usually need to be dealt with this time of the season.  Here is a shot of yours truly, taken by Jay Dash of POWDER SHOTS, which illustrates the Winter like conditions of today.  I could not get a shot today due to the visibility, so a BIG thanks to Mr. Dash!!  Be there early tomorrow to get  the best the day has to offer.  IBBY!!!

Slight though it might have been, the impulse that moved through yesterday evening, produced between a half inch and 4 inches of dense fresh essence, which skied with variable quality depending on the surface underneath.  The Groomers were a touch on the firm side with the new on top, and were silky smooth as long as they were untracked, but they became a bit more touchy as they got cut up.  Mineral Basin offered some smooth lines , that were only diminished by the crusty rumble underneath.  I was using my ” ON EGG SHELLS” technique to mitigate the rumble, and to deal with the punchablity factor.  The North faces seemed the deepest, though the crust there was just barely holding until10:00AM, when the brisk, though above freezing temps. gave way to a thicker consistency, especially on the lower third of the hill.  The High West and North faces. held off the longest, so remaining up on Little Cloud was advised to avoid the torsionally challenging lower mountain.  Look for additional accumulation tonight that will cover all the debris from today, which was significant, and may produce some surprises as you navigate the hill.  The BIG ones are obvious, it is the small rollers that are ubiquitous.  Check the main site for availability, as any significant accumulation will require control, so an 8:00AM sharp opening is variable.  Here is a shot of the fresh cover out in Mineral Basin, which is still fully fat and going off first.  See you there in the AM.  Peace Out!

The past week, with it’s variable precipitation and sunshine, had completely resurfaced the entire upper mountain.  The lower mountain did not benefit from the variations, but the those who showed up early were treated to some true back country quality corn goodness.  The East facing was ready to go for the first arrivals out in Mineral Basin, where the crust held up for the first hour and a half, after which the crust started to break and sent me looking toward the North faces to see if that had become supportable during the week.  The High North had certainly smoothed out and was looking sweet, but the supportability was very sketchy, requiring your best smooze technique to keep from busting through. I moved back to the front of the hill to take advantage of the Peruvian side. The  softening there

PERFECT CORN

ULTRA FAT

was occurring at 10:00 AM., offering very velvety Groomers and tender, though supportable, off trail.  The Lower Mountain got soft quite quickly, and the off trail was particularly cut up from the week before.  The West facing was the last to go, so staying up high on the Little Cloud chair extended the day, with some very nice shots off Regulator.  Tomorrow look for the corn surfaces to have refrozen, especially since today was a touch on the brisk side.  The forecast is for more precipitation through the weekend, so there may be some fresh essence to work with.  Memorize your favorite lines, so that when the visibility gets sketchy you have the mental image to work from.  Here is a shot of Mineral Basin looking back country smooth, and one of the Upper Cirque.  Check out shot 8.  Have you ever seen it that wide?!! I haven’t.   See  you tomorrow!!   IBBY!!