Monday morning began clear and cold with a groom job that took advantage of the old Man Made, combined it with the new fresh from the other day, turning into a carpet of butter.  Fully carve-able turns with no slippage at all.  With my edges that is saying a lot.  Very light attendance created an almost back country feel. Big Emma reminded me of the Tri Chutes drainage when it gets wind slabbed and as smooth as can be.  I was also using today’s visibility to scope out the shots of the Gad Chutes.  The sparse snow points out, in sharp contrast, the choke points, reefs and snags that inhabit that area. With a bit of observation you can remember  those features, when we get snow, to plan your routes, both gaining entrance and the safe approach to the shot.  I got word that Thursday is the day for the Tram opening.  I got that from the most informed of sources.  Did any one notice that they featured the Communications  Trailer in the new 2012 Movie.  They sure got all the details  right.  Makes you wonder doesn’t it?  Well I bailed at 1:00 PM. leaving a fine day but I have much to do to get all set up: antennas, dishes, and such like.  See  you dark and early tomorrow. Ciao!!

What a difference a day makes.  Monday started out with 8” new inches of 7% adding to the solid base established in the past few days.  The carve-ability was greatly enhanced and I was finally able to stand on a turn with a bit more confidence.  Up until now I have been totally shwagging each turn as I dealt with:  1 the lack of edges  and B the variable edge-ability, at least for me.  Yesterday, a couple of friends had tuned skis and were leaving lacerations,   so my bad.  That is why THE BIG GIANT HEAD invented the MONTANA  machine.  Duh!!!  The early runs were very nice and consistent  giving the light crowd the goods for this early season teaser. The Snow Making has been full on and some areas look close to good to go. The off trail remains perilous at best.  I went poling around in some of the off trail areas, slowly moving through the untracked, I found the  snaggs that I knew I would find.    The Tram is scheduled to open on Wednesday at last hearing , so keep your fingers crossed.  Perhaps there will be enough snow to access the Center:  we’ll see.  Tomorrow morning should be quite again and will offer some groovalicious  corduroy for the early risers.  The early runs are always special to me.  The quiet, the total lack of pressure, and the general vibe of the new day.  OK, TTFN !!

The  Snow  Men and machines are holding up the base in fine form.  Every morning, thus far, has increased the buffer on the main open run.  Sunday was still quiet and clear in the Am. delivering a sweet ride to the early risers.  As the morning wore on more folks arrived and  the firmer spots began showing through, though there was plenty of soft fluffage to dig into.  The base is really resisting bump development, keeping the overall coverage solid.  Off trail is still too thin to contemplate, however, a number of intrepid thrill seekers have been finding their way to some of the gut areas, which so look inviting, but are in reality slabby and rotten after all this time without snow.  All of those areas will be good to go in due time, so you take your chances knowing that the deck is stacked against you.  The Sun was awesome this morning creating some great back lit snow making  photo ops.   This season I am bound and determined to get more photos on the site and keep my camera with me at all times.  It seems that some weather is finally moving in during the late afternoon, so perhaps tomorrow will gift us with some fresh product to sample.  The temps. have dropped so plan to dress for the chairs.  Still no access back to the center, but they are working on the issue. I heard that the Tram may open on Wednesday, giving us a little more head room.  This week should be quiet on the hill presenting a perfect opportunity to dial in some turns and get the rust out of my joints.  The Zoom chair has been opening at 8:30 AM , but I don’t know if that will continue during the week.  In any case I will be there just in case they do.  MMMMM fresh corduroy!!

Saturday morning brought flat light, good visibility, and  very light attendance.  The morning sun was trying to get established , but lowering clouds put the dimmer on that. The temps were a bit brisk , which required an extra layer or two.  I had dressed for “How I wanted it to be” yesterday and was treated to top down driving.  I thought better of that this morning and dressed up for the impending weather.  The hill was quite uncrowded and the line at the chair non existent.  Continued Snow Making efforts keep adding to the main run.  While other areas are getting shot,  there is still not nearly enough to cover the ragged terrain.  Again, I saw seekers scoping and dropping small cliff bands in the off trail areas.  No new snow and Zero base make that an intelligence test!  The developed run is holding up in fine shape with no rocks being uncovered , and the bump development negligible.  Smooth cruising was really fun, and I kept to the left in the slow lane letting the heat seekers blow by.  I have been looking over my shoulder whenever I make a change in fall line so as not to get tagged.  I fended off injury all summer in the Dark Matter Wars and I am not going to get taken out on the Fun Way.  Subtle flakes of the white and fluffy began falling as I was heading out , and the late risers getting in gear made for a festive atmosphere.  More coming tomorrow , though it won’t make the off trail any less treacherous.  Inflate your shoes,  Stay on the Yellow Line, Thank You!

You know how when you wake up from a relentless dream, quickly you cannot remember, for the life of you, what is was about or for how long it lasted.  Today was like that.  I found myself wide awake and saw the same folks I saw just yesterday and not being able to remember much of my dream of the Dark Side.  It is at times like those you have to wonder about time itself.  Where does it go?   The conditions Friday were way better than I had hoped for.  A serious snow making effort solidly covered the main run down from the top of Zoom and I never hit a rock. Granted the Man Made is firm, however, it was very carvable and was resisting the formation of bumps.  A very nice groom job primed the run and it sure paid off.  A consistent crowd was working the slope giving some room to move, though the room is limited.  Off trail is down right thin.  There are deposits, but absolutely nothing underneath, making off trail incursions a very bad idea.  I saw one individual launch a small cliff band and promptly double release  head first into the scree:  That had to hurt, I don’t care where your from!!  Fortunately he had a helmet on and was extremely lucky.  That easily could have been a life ender or a very bad day.  Looks like a new installment is on the way to help the snow guys.  Tomorrow could be a bit more crowded, but the slope will be groomed, making for a fun morning.  Get there early for the best of the day, however, it’s all good! IBBY!

Tomorrow is it.  I went up today to find out the skinny and check on any thing new.  The Gad Zoom chair will be open as well as Chickadee at 9:00 AM.  The Man Made efforts have been on going and one of the Snow Makers told me the Man Made is skiing nicely.  There has been improvement in the looks of Big Emma though the cover is going to be thin especially toward the outside .  It is not going to be a go where ever type opener and every  one will be concentrated so be aware.  I also found out that there will not be an open route back to the Snowbird center  so you should plan on parking accordingly.   The forecast is for a warmer day tomorrow with snow to come over the week end. OK…. I’ll see you tomorrow!!

I was delivered back here on Tuesday by a trans dimensional craft cleverly disguised as a green pick up , so as not to alarm the the neighbors.   My long struggle with the Dark Side had, once again, been completed.  I can assure you I dealt sternly with the DARK MATTER, laying it low, and smashing it into submission.  I was aided in the EXIT  by sympathetic agents who still remain in the frey, dealing with the mop up operations.  I pulled the Award Winning Communications Trailer down from the high desert and have spent the week getting it ready for the season.  A quick trip to COSTCO supplied me with a full season supply of aluminum foil, so I am good to go.   Today I made my first trip to THE BIRD to get a first hand look at the hill.  Strong snow making efforts have been ongoing to the top of Regulator.  I did not get up the Tram to get a look, but the Big Emma section had a solid section covered to the bottom of the Zoom lift.  Off the prepared section is ultra thin and would be nothing but trouble if you were to venture of the main section.  More snow is in the forecast and we must get the serious dancing going to get the requisite amount of KARFUNDA to kick this season off to a big start.  I was not able to get a firm answer on a Friday opening, so check the Snowbird site early to get the official word.  It is good to be back on planet and I am looking forward to a great season.  Now every one :  Get Dancing!

Those afternoon thunder bumpers yesterday dumped some rain on the snow and saturated it.  The early snow up high was crispy and needed a bit of time to thaw out.  The lower mountain had become sludge, so the dividing line was  the last 1000′.  Sunset gully was still the route to the bottom on the Peruvian side but the run out was very sketchy and little willow bungies were sticking out threatening to grab hold and knock you down.  Obviously by next week end the walk down will be manditory on both sides of the mountain if you opt to ski to the bottom.  The High elevations thawed rapidly and the groomers were nicely granular and smooth.  The off trail began to break by 10:00 AM and the traffic had made these areas much more negotiable.  Entrances have melted out  in most aspects so a down climb is required in the upper Cirque.  West facing is all but gone off the Cirque traverse so next week will be completely gone.  Good cover remains in the Little Cloud bowl area and Regulator is holding on , but the middle section is going away rapidly.  The Bass Highway has long sections of walking now and by next week you can count on it being totaly gone.  That is redundant I know but I reiterate for emphasis.  See you next week!!!   BACK TO THE HIGH DESERT!

Saturday morning was a touch crispy, though the heat was on as the sun is really high in the sky, which thawed out the chill in record time.  Regulator held off the longest and was very edge-able right from the word GO.  Off trail was holding off a touch as well ,but by 10:00AM upper Peruvian was getting there.  The lower mountain cable shot is still the only direct shot to the bottom and the Bass Highway gap is getting much longer by the hour.  Another section lower down will be gone by tomorrow, so expect a bit more ambling to get your skis back on.  The dirty snow on the cat tracks is sluggishly slow and requires pole pushing to keep things going and even the folks with wax were in on the fun.  The upper mountain is best for the best quality .  A Free Style Camp is set up on Hoopie’s Crotch so that area is cordoned off, however, a lane is accessible to the right hand side of the course.  Look for some of the more used sections of off trail for best sliding as these areas have had natural traffic grooming and the sun cup roughness is not as bad.  It seems as if the consistency was getting softer a tad earlier this morning so for best conditions plan on an early start or if you like the guish later will do.  Tomorrow should be about the same and the walks will be just that much longer .  The 20 minute Trams are still make-able but by seconds only, so no lolligaging or you will have a 20 minute wait.   See you on the early buckets!!!

Hi there! I am back for a short duration to take advantage of the last days of the season.  Friday was clear and cool with an 8:00AM first Tram.  The overnight temps. did not freeze up the snow pack, however, it was certainly supportable.  The off trail is super sun cupped making for some rough riding.  By 10:00AM the softness began and off trail became more manageable and invited a bit more adventurous lines.  Significant meltage has occurred over the past week leaving some shots, which had good entrances last week, unapproachable without down climbing .  Very minimal grooming has been done in the out of area sections and the routes to the bottom, and mandatory walking is required to traverse the ,now melted clean, sections of the cat tracks.  The Bass Highway is one such section so plan on a bit off a hoof, and care should be taken going into this area as the width of the remaining snow is skinny and will only accept cautious deceleration.  One of my good friends was brutally clocked last week end by an up hill skier jamming the section.  Unfortunately both were injured and took a ride through the rocks and stumps.  Be aware!!  !The dirty snow is very slow and the whiter snow is a bit faster, but do not let that lull you into a false sense of wild abandon, as a nasty double eject could have your name on it.  The dwindling terrain and congested skiable terrain presents hazards so I am only mentioning this as I want every one to go into the FUN summer season injury free.  The Peruvian side is doable and there is one solid way down the cable lines on the lower mountain , however, the lowest run out section is undermined by rivulets and you can break through at any time.  Again, care should be taken.  Walking is mandatory coming out of the Chips section as well as Who Done It.  Twenty minute trams are a bear to make with the walking and the variations, so the most quality will be found up high.  Mineral Basin is closed for the season.   Go early and get the best of it because it goes fast.  See you tomorrow!!