Friday morning offered the faithful a heaping helping of the kind of snow that made Utah world famous.  7 to 10” of ultra light fluffulecence graced an already perfect foundation.  The West facing was a bit wind affected, though it was smooth and consistent, offering no weirdness that can be characteristic of that kind of wind assault.  The North and East facing were blower deep with face shots of legendary quality.  Of course, the faithful were in full attendance to take advantage of the long sought after treasure. They were not disappointed in the least.  With the Tram backed up, I opted to access the higher elevations via the chairs, which were walk on clear and quick to the top.  Mineral Basin opened shortly before 11:00 AM. with incredible smoothness and gently accumulated freshness.  This event did draw some of the traffic from the Tram, though the pressure remained consistent until the Tram went down with problems of an undisclosed nature.  It must be noted that Park City, The Canyons, Solitude, Brighton, and Alta also experienced issues with the lifts as well.  What was up with that?  One of the very nice features of this cycle is the smoothing effect the wind had on almost all exposures, literally erasing the hard corps bumps that had been wide spread on the heavily trafficked shots, as well as the low amplitude rumble that existed in most open areas.    More snow is in the forecast for tomorrow, promising continued additions to the already stellar ride that has been developed with this last installment.  Entrances are regaining their usual reliability, making previously sketchy drops much more realistic.  Continued pressure will continue all weekend, so consider the chair options that really are a much better play than waiting for 4 of 5 Trams.    Just a thought.  The Sun was out in force today, but clouds developed as the day warmed up a bit mitigating the full force of the radiant effect, so I think the over all winter like quality will have been maintained, making shot selection a no brainer.  We have  a great cycle going, it seems like we are in the cross hairs for the next while.  Enjoy!!!   IBBY!!!

The faithful had their dreams fulfilled Thursday with the arrival of some of the best snow of the season.  After yesterday’s scouring, I though that I would be bouncing off the bottom, dealing with wind slab, and negotiating variable depths top to bottom.  What I, and the large turn out of the faithful, found was 18 to 20” of the yummiest, most excellent product we all could have hoped for.  I did not touch the bottom or bounce off the bumps on any of the shots that I chose.  I began with Great Scott, which had sent me packing yesterday, and dropped in, turning right down the left side with face shots hitting me with every compression.  Unreal!  The energy level was off the scale, with everyone tripping on the dream state.   The winds were still pounding out of the Northwest, hammering the exposures there, stiffening and transporting the depth to the North and East faces, which were filling the tracks back in almost as fast as you could get back to a shot.  At Noon I dropped upper Primrose to find perfect untracked with a perfectly smooth ride.  The Tram remained backed up all morning, but the chairs offered quick access to the goods for those who were so inclined.  Little Cloud and Powder Paradise remained closed, so they will be a nice stash for the morning.  The air remained cold, with the Sun remaining shrouded, preserving the winter quality, so the morning will offer excellent conditions again wall to wall.  The only advisory would be to watch the West facing shots that were scoured by the wind exposing the frozen crust, which can be easily identified by the gray- brown tint showing through the fresh white coat.  More snow is forecast in the next few days, delivering more of the Utah light that we crave.  Keep the powder dreams going!!!  Powers Out!!!

There was light snow on the trailer this Wednesday morning, signaling the arrival of the long awaited installments.   I got an early start to get a jump on the crowd, which did not materialize with the low volume snow report.  The wind was howling and snow was blowing in near white out curtains.  The Tram was having issues related to the major dust storm from yesterday, and was not going to run until they found out the problem.  The entire hill had been covered with the talcum fine dust from the South desert, giving it a grayish brown tint.  The 3 or 4” of fresh snow filled in all the hollows, making the wide open slopes look like an eerie moon scape.  With very low attendance it felt like you were totally alone on the hill.  The Little Cloud chair was being hammered by the wind, which was blowing from the Southwest, filling in the North facing aspects slowly.  Regulator also looked wild with a sharp white-gray contrast as we hunkered down for the long pounding trip up.  I looked at Great Scott, but thought better of the entrance, which still was a forbidden zone, and worked my way out to the Middle Cirque.  The Traverse was wild and woolly, with wind scoured ledges and deep piles of slab to negotiate.  Nothing like a good  challenge .  I felt like I was on an expedition or something.  The middle Cirque still had not accumulated sufficient snow to buffer the very crusty base, though the new snow was dense and supple as I made my way down, following the white areas and avoiding the gray crust.  Good visibility, despite the blowing and snow, was welcome in dealing with route selection.  Continued snow is forecast through Thursday, so look for improving conditions as we move through this cycle.  The North facing will be favored with this pattern, though if the wind switches around be prepared to use your inner senses to navigate.  I suspect good things to come, and an exciting morning to show up for.  The Easter weekend will be well attended, so think about the various chair options to access your favorite sections, as the Tram may still have issues, but in any event it will be very backed up if it runs.  Our collective visualizations seem to have kicked in nicely, don’t you think?   Nice work folks.  But don’t stop now.  Bigger, deeper, all month long….. Yeah, that’s the ticket.  Ciao!!

Tuesday morning featured winds that were nuking, and they rocked the communications trailer all night long.  I checked out the Tram status, even before I went to my locker to see what the deal was, only to find it down due to high winds.  I was not surprised at this.  I suited up to ride the chairs to get a first hand look at things.  I was one of 4 folks who made it to the top via the Little Cloud Chair, which was closed behind us due to a lightning issue.  The Road to Provo proper was covered with transported snow, making it sweet and dance-able.  Dropping into Mark Malu began the challenging decent to the bottom of the hill , where I make a hasty retreat to the Forklift Chair to take full advantage of the ambiance offered there.  All of the lifts were on hold for 30 minutes until the static charge moved through.  The Peruvian Chair also began operating, offering access to that side of the hill.  Very firm conditions prevailed on all aspects, though the warm temps. kept the Groomers edge-able top to bottom, saving the day as the the runs softened as time progressed.   There was profuse tree litter all over the runs, giving some needed definition in the very flat light conditions.  I bailed after breakfast to get the small patch of lawn in front of the trailer fertilized before the rain began.  Dust filled the air in the valley, choking my eyes and nose.   Snow looks like it is just on the door step, with a nice prospect for the morning. Look for smoothing on the North facing shots, where the wind filled in the low areas with transported sugar: nice!  We will see you in the AM.  IBBY!!

An early cloud deck covered the sky early Monday morning, making me think that we were in for a dismal day.  As the Sun rose up it seemed to burn right through the clouds lighting the morning, and giving the few attendees the goods.  A warm peak temp. left exposures soft and carve-able.  Even Regulator offered firm but edge-able consistency top to bottom.  On the Peruvian side the Groomers were velvet smooth with some lower shots freshly buffed, revealing dry chalky carpets to dig into.  I dialed back the throttle to dig as deep as I could into the sumptuous quality.  Again, if you go through too fast you will miss the sweetness that is fleeting this time of the year.  The Upper Cirque still is holding the cold, though today’s high temps. definitely began to morph the product.  Still, those shots still offer great quality and will continue to do so tomorrow. Low amplitude bumps are inhabiting most of the hill, with larger amplitude features building on the popular sections.  Off trail crud is problematic on the South and West faces, as it has stiffened and morphed over the last few days, so test those sections before fully committing.  Tomorrow looks to be warm again with high South winds ahead of the weather moving in.  The Tram may  have issues if  the velocity gets too strong, but you know the Tram crew will still do their best for us.  I think the Groomers will be very nice again in the morning with some Sun to light up the day.  Today the lights went out at 2:00 PM. when high clouds moved in, making the definition a touch obscure.  I was asked about my thoughts on April snow.  This year has been a tough read all season.  We had those big cycles that were unpredicted, so I am confident that we could see some exciting days ahead.  I am always optimistic, being a firm believer in focused thoughts manifesting, I am willing to THINK BIG and let the snow fly.  How about You?!!!  Think major DUMP!!!  Wait!!! Major DUMPS!!! Ciao!!

Forgive me for missing yesterday’s post, but I was making the arduous journey through the Time Portal on my way back from the Home Planet.  Things got rough indeed as I transited the Morphogenic Field during re-entry.  I am most glad to be back to find winter- spring like conditions.  Sunday offered cold temps. with very dry chalky snow on the Groomers, that were firm and velvety top to bottom.  Even the Gad side of the hill held the cold carve-able quality on the lower aspects that I though would be bullet proof, but no, they were user friendly and groovalicious.  Mineral Basin offered a fresh treatment of White Diamonds that sent you hurrying back up the chair for more.  Very light traffic on the Tram and no lines on the Chairs kept the stoke factor high and motoring for every one so inclined.  The South facing began to feel the Sun effect around Noon by just barely breaking the chill.   West facing also resisted the Sun well into the afternoon when the high angle began to take over.  Off trail, the West and South facing are very set up and stiff, with the North and East facing still soft and winter like, though the wind did thicken the product slightly.  Tomorrow look for continued quality on the North facing and the Groomers where extra effort has been taken to widen the field in many of the major effort areas.  Touring from Hidden Peak and Gad 2 were open today opening the options on the day.  For me, the snow was too good in bounds to mount up an effort, though the conditions looked excellent from Hidden Peak.   More weather is brewing for the week, so keep thinking deep thoughts and bring this system in on track.  I missed you all while I was away, but my presence was mandatory in this instance.   Peace Out!!!

Friday brought new snow and colder temps. for the faithful, who did not want the season to turn into spring before they got the goods.  The bottom was still fully in play on all exposures, with the South and West facing still quite crunchy.  Wait, I said the same thing yesterday… well, despite the new snow the song remains the same.  You have to factor that into the mix this time of the season.  The Sun, being the important influence, remained obscured for the day preserving the quality for tomorrow.  The snow continued all day with periods of heavy gropple, bringing a sugary consistency to the fresh sauce.    Little Cloud and Powder Paradise remained closed, leaving those areas fresh for the morning, so be sure to plan accordingly.  The forecast is looking promising for more snow this week, which will help build up the softness overall, improving the conditions as we go.  Tomorrow look for the pockets of undiscovered fresh, closed areas, as well as the groomers, which promise to be buffed smooth and tasty.  I will be making the time twisting journey back through the Cosmic Warp all day tomorrow, and I am hoping all my atoms arrive fully in tact.  I have never fully trusted that process, but how else can it be done.   Ciao!!!  END TRANSMISSION

Thursday morning saw strong South winds blowing in  ahead of the next batch of weather that is moving in.   North facing aspects are slowly filling in, softening the troughs between the low amplitude bumps that are still wide spread over most of the terrain that gets regular traffic.  Lots of good smooth lines remain in the out of the way shots and the wind will only make those shots better as the wind works the sections.   The Sun was offering great visibility until the high clouds began moving in later in the afternoon, turning off the lights , though the visibility remained good, it was just less well defined.  Look for the guts and tree lines to be grabbing the transported snow and will offer the hidden lines that get better  as the wind keeps filling them in.  The approaching weather is still hard to nail, but we can hope for some nice sauce to add to the smoothing sections.  Watch the South and the West facing aspects, which still are sporting the serious crunch factor 6 that just send my knees screaming.  The fresh snow will be perfect on the Groomers where I would be looking for smooth carvage.  I am still reporting from the Home Planet and will be back on deck for Sunday.  Stir the sauce vigorously for me !!!  END TRANSMISSION

Cool morning air kept the new snow nicely refrigerated for the morning attendees.   The groomers, again, offered ripping carve-ability on the North facing aspects of the hill.  The South and West facing still sport the crunch factor just below the surface.  The high Sun angle will be working the exposed shots no matter what the air temp. does, so get to the shot of your choice early for best results.  Light traffic is still making the big vertical assault wide open for full rock and roll.  Continued great conditions are available  with the High North facing aspects still holding the cold and will continue to keep that Winter softness as we move into the next few days.  The deep trees are still sporting well defined bumps wall to wall, with soft snow to cushion the ride.  Be aware of the Sun working the exposures, with South facing  softening nicely by Noon, offering a spring like feel.  It will take a couple more days for corn consistency to appear, but that will be worth the wait.  Keep the hammer down for me and just rip it!!! END TRANSMISSION

As I suspected, winter seems to have returned to grace us with more of the special sauce that you knew had to come.  With luck, we might experience a cycle reminiscent of this time last year.  The depth today was hard to get a handle on as the wind factor had kicked in, smoothing the High North sections and adding some cushion to the underlying pack.  The West facing remains very crunchy on all the shots, making a full on assault dubious, but do it your way.  The visibility was a toss up all day with clouds and fog to deal with.  The North facing tree lines would offer the best reference points, with the addition of much better winter snow pack underneath the new snow.  Low traffic was also a feature after the last week’s busy  schedule.  Better weather and visibility for tomorrow is on tap, leaving the fog obscured shots untrammeled and waiting for the early attendants.  I am still deep in the events here on the Home Planet, but enjoy the winter snow for me and be safe.  END TRANSMISSION