Early November 1010

I new it was going to be a storm day as I drove up the Canyon, with the road becoming increasingly greasy as I got past Tanner’s Flat.  The Tram went off on time, with high winds on the peak.  The dense snow from yesterday was being blown into long silky ribbons  that you could follow all the way down.    The new snow was very dense, cold, and granular,making the snow feel like deep velvet.  Big Emma had a 5” layer that seemed like a surf session in morning glass.  Just perfection;  at that particular moment! I try to take mental snap shots of those moments.  Each run gave you untracked lines, as the wind would fill any track in seconds.  Finally the front moved through and the Tram shut down.  The ZOOM chair was fired right up, and the games continued in severe snow storm conditions. Visibility was good, but for the snow fall, which pummeled and accumulated at a very high rate; let’s just say that IT WAS DUMPIN’.  Tomorrow will provide another dose of the goodness to be danced upon.    The Gut sections are decidedly getting filled in with a much higher confidence assessment in the overall choice of lines.  This dense snow is going to be a nice SPACKLE layer.  Another fine point of this time of the year is the lack of BUMPAGE, all of the lines are still smooth and well defined, as in a back country experience.  Just a little point to consider as you choose lines;  they are smooth.  Nice!!  The Peruvian side looks like it is filling in nicely, and we can look forward to some rare first runs when it finally opens.  Have confidence in the snow pack, but be sure you keep in mind the continued early season hazards.   Looking good for tomorrow, see you there!!! Ciao!   PS>  Here is Shot of what  The Bird would have looked like if it was not snowing so hard.  Photo by JAY DASH of  Powder Shots

The rain pounded on the skin of the trailer with a thunderous cacophony signaling the goods were being delivered.  I felt sure that we would not be denied again, and I was correctly rewarded with a solid foot of dense, cold sugar frosting.  To quote  Frank Zappa it was like ” Frosting a cake with a paper knife” .   Granted the visibility was marginal, but the shear smoothness and silky response more than made up for the other issues.  The faithful had read the signs correctly and showed up in droves to be there for the first real powder day.  A delayed opening pushed the anticipation level further up the scale, which, when full released, sent the entire first Tram pushing for #1.  There was plenty of room for everyone with more of the sections further afield getting blown in and filled, covering some of the more suspect sections.  The wind was howling, and the  smart money looked for the small hollows that were capturing the transport.  On my last run,  I was graced with a full RUN IN THE SUN on Regulator Johnson, top to bottom, with a left hand line that was perfectly smooth and carpet like.  It only gets deeper, it does not get better.  With that,  I bailed to save my knees from the low amplitude rumble that was rising on the lower mountain as the day progressed.   Now with the wind deposited sections comes the stripped sections, so be looking out for those pronounced hummocks, spines, wind ridges, and gut tweaking knolls as you blast down the hill.  Early season snow pack remains an issue, so use caution, though the cover gets better with each installment.  Tomorrow look for more fresh product and continued excellent conditions.  I think that the crowd pressure will still be nominal, though they all tend to get spread out quickly, leaving the Boat walk on free; no worries.  Remember that It is Tram only with the Chickadee Chair running.   See you in the AM !!!   Peace Out!

There was an ultra fine mist falling on my windshield this morning as I pulled into the lot.  It was freezing as it landed, which did not bode well for the visibility.  First Tram proved to be a real challenge as the clouds hung low and the fine mist froze quickly to the goggle lenses, requiring a  frequent stop to scrape them off.  The grooming was perfect ensuring that there were no surprises.  It is times like this that force you to focus on the inner rider, where one holds the balance in the mind.  Working on this discipline during these conditions pays off when visibility returns and the fine motor memory kicks in.   The snow quality was very nice with the frozen mist slowly piling up, providing a smooth consistency.  I must admit I could only deal with this IFR condition for three runs, but I will be back tomorrow , when just the Tram and Chickadee will be open.   I don’t think Tram traffic will be an issue and I expect some overnight snow to make the morning good to go.  This bit of precip. did not give any more cushion to let you venture off the beaten path, but as we get more product the off trail will improve.  In the mean time this time presents a great opportunity to dial in some solid early season training.   It was kind of funny as we all came off the mountain, with  the freezing rain making us look like glazed donuts . See you dark and early.   Ciao!!

You had to get up pretty early in the morning to make first Tram this morning.  By 8:15 AM. the parking lot was full to the stairs, with the faithful streaming toward the Plaza with intent.  The first two Trams of the morning dispersed the assembled seekers leaving walk on Trams for the rest of the day.  The visibility off the peak was problematic to the bottom of Regulator.  That being the only run open off the peak, made it mighty busy.  The saving grace was a solid groom job that let you stay with the fall line and find reference markers, snow guns to give a sense of position.  Throughout the entire morning the groom job held up admirably, only giving way to some low amplitude rumble as the traffic worked the section.   Many seekers were probing well off the beaten path to where the underlying hazards were fully in play.  The full on snow making efforts have filled in the thin areas, leaving solid access to the bottom.   Rock skis are still recommended till we get more snow, but compared with last season’s opener this was well ahead concerning cover and slope availability.  The energy on the Tram was high with high volume conversation, which is a sure sign of pure stoke, but who can blame them after waiting for these months. Tomorrow, look for renewed grooming top to bottom with groovalicious carve-ability.  Hopefully the visibility will be better to take advantage of the smooth!!!  See you on first Tram.   IBBY!!

SNEAK PEEK

Today  I was privileged to be invited on a few runs before the opener tomorrow.   I was so excited! After having watched the build up and change in the weather I was stoked to finally be able to walk on the WHITE MATTER.  And what WHITE MATTER it was to be sure.  The upper mountain was looking good, though the terrain features are imminent.  I caught one Imminent and caught a core shot.  I had ventured off the groomed, thinking that I was giving that reef section plenty of room… But NO.  The quality of the snow, however, was excellent.  Dry, easy , consistent,  and about boot top deep.  The group was having real fun with it and you will too if you are heading up tomorrow.  The snow making is in full effect, with some very fine GUN POWDER just below them; untracked every run.  Hey, powder is powder I don’t care how it gets there.     Before I forget, BE AWARE of the black ice in the lower third of the Canyon in the AM. as the moist layer really soaked the road and was freezing in that dark cold section.  The groomers were really fun and carvable with excellent coverage, though the terrain variations can be very abrupt in those drainage areas.   There was just one thin spot on the Bass Highway going around Wilbre Ridge, though the CATS might push some of the man made to cover it, but just be aware as you roll through there.  Tomorrow, the Tram, ZOOM, and Chickadee will be open, with the Tram and chickadee open during the coming week.  If  you have rock skis, that would be highly advisable as my core shot will attest.   I will see you there, dark and early!!!  And so it begins!!!

I took a ride up to the Bird today, with THE CHEF, to put the finishing touches on the lockers before opening day.  I was talking to the beautiful Crystal Waters, who told me  that she had heard the opener had been moved up to this coming Saturday.  Now,  I had to get  an official confirmation of this juicy piece of inside info, so I went in search of an official source, which I found in the person of Jared the marketing guy, who confirmed the news.  Yeah baby!!!.  I am so stoked.  The Tram, Zoom, and Chickadee will be open, with the Gad side open.  The cover seems fully adequate, and what with the full on snow making efforts continuing with the cold temps,  good cover will be happening on those usually thin sections.  This is great news for me, as I did not want to have to wait another week for an opener.   I can now begin getting dialed in for the season.  It is still snowing lightly here at the trialer, so perhaps a bit more natural fluff will be added to the pack.   Stay tuned!!!   IBBY!

I did a HAPPY DANCE today as I was finally delivered back from my sojourn against the DARK MATTER .  I drove up to find solid foot of fresh snow on the hill.  It seems like we could get some more tomorrow, so I will be holding a confident vision for it.  The Big Waves of the ski world can and do break here, so anything CAN happen.   I am excited to be back ,though it will take some getting used to after the last months.  There were no signals about any opening plans, except the published estimate.  It  looks good to me from the plaza, though the lower mountain is still very thin, and the off trail could be problematic without significantly more snow.  If you  are going hiking, be aware of the marginal snow pack and the real terrain features that lay in wait.  The big grassy spots will be good to go. Keep an eye on  the storm as it moves in!! I’ll let you know!

Well, I did not want to jinx the pattern, so I have remained silent about the major cycle that is now pounding the Trailer and the hill with heavy precip.  It seems, that whenever there is a big build up for a storm it usually backs off, splits, or is just plain disappointing.  The last weather effort was evidence of that very situation and did not deliver as advertised.  I don’t know why that seems to be the case, though I have my theories.  In the last while I have been engaged in major battles in the ongoing DARK MATTER WARS, that are dangerously close to the Planet, so my full attention has been focused on the continued Victories on a daily basis. As the WHITE ESSENCE pushes closer to manifesting the DARK SIDE  pushes harder to thwart any last minute incursions of the dreaded DARK MATTER.  Rest assured that the SUN FIGHTERS stand ready to hold off any direct Planetary hits, but oft times it is much too close for my liking!!!  One errant hit of DARK MATTER anywhere on Planet would be cataclysmic, but that is what keeps vigilance so imperative.  I took a trip up the Canyon to scope out the situation and get a first hand look at the cover.  The lower mountain had backed off quite a bit, but the cover above 9000′ was still wall to wall, so this new installment could, very possibly, put us over the minimum.   My good friend Kazoodi skinned up ALTA and gave it a thumbs up, saying that the cover was excellent, and he did not hit anything all the way to the bottom.  After a week of high temps, that was good news indeed.  The snow making efforts were still evident with large piles of man made are ready to be pushed into place.  I will be posting daily now to keep you informed of the progress and excitement as we hurtle toward the FUN ZONE.   BOW WOW WOW !!!

PS:  I was just reminded by THE CHEF, who says;  ” Never hurry the sauce, let it thicken then enjoy” .   True words to be guided by to be sure!!

COMMUNICATION TRAILER

Well, we got such a great shot last week, with lots of folks getting after it and skiing ALTA and parts of THE BIRD, that the forecast of another storm moving in for last weekend really got me excited.   Saturday night the rain was pelting the trailer with sometimes thunderous pulses, that I thought that the hill would be getting slammed with another dose of the goods.   I drove up on Sunday to see what was up only to find that no real accumulation had occurred.  Denied!!  The forecast is for pleasant days for the next while, so no sense fretting as the prognosticating turtle, a little critter that has been right about the season based on it’s eating habits, has indicated that the first part of the season will be wetter than usual.  With that, there seems to be indications that this High Pressure will give way for the beginning of next week, so I am keeping my fingers crossed.  I have spoken to two friends, who have skied from the top of Baldy and said how nice the snow had been.  For myself, it is a tad too early to venture out with a minimal coating , but these reports bode well for the snow pack to come.  It wont be long now before I am firmly released from the DARK SIDE and can begin the season in earnest.  I’ll be keeping you posted as things develop,  so stay tuned.   IBBY!!!

FULL CIRCLE

I awoke dark and early this morning to find 6” of lake effect snow on the trailer. I ambled out to knock the accumulation off the various antenna and dishes to be sure that I would not get artifacts in the signal, you know how pesky those pixilated signals can be.  The snow showers were backing off as the Sun rose up higher in the sky and the Valley was covered in a new blanket of snow, wall to wall.  What a sight indeed.   Around Noon, I drove up the Canyon to get another first hand look at the freshness to find 18” of new had fallen, and there were lines up in Great Scott.  Here is a shot of the Peruvian side from the Heliport, and if you ZOOM in you can probably made out the tracks.   Also notice the snow making efforts are in full effect. I got it on good authority that there was a solid 36” of new since the cycle began with Alta reporting 44”, so that assessment is not a stretch.  It was a beautiful sight, just fresh and clean with just a few tracks venturing down Lower Primrose.   Formidable, what with the slope features.  More snow is on the way for this week end, so keep your fingers crossed for another dump, which could really kick things into gear.  I remember many years ago, during some pre season boot packing sessions,  wallowing in waist deep snow well before Halloween, and getting an early opening.   Yeah,  I could go for that, how about you?   Peace Out.