Well I went and got my Pick up Truck for the summer festivities, I was free to get up early Friday morning for the morning corn.  Very warm overnight temps. had Regulator going off from the get go, so dalliance will be problematic.  The glue effect began coming  on at 10:00 AM, to give you an idea of the timing.  Very minimal cat work in the out of bounds areas limits the best conditions.  The off trail snow is heavily sun cupped and was very punchable, sending me back to the groomed section to take advantage of some semblance of solidity.  The catted area was only one pass wide, so the emphasis is on the upper mountain, which was very nice and Regulator was wonderful.  Again, it reminds me of Red Baldy when it is like that.  Mineral Basin was good, but getting soft even earlier, with grabbiness on the flat areas.  One could seriously double eject if one were not careful.   By 11:00 Am the lower mountain was really sloggy and I had to bail.  It is possible to get to the bottom on both sides of the mountain. The lower return out of Peruvian gulch has melted out ,so it is wise to use the lowest road which comes out of Who Done It.  Who Done It tis still covered, but is going fast.   Be sure to do a bit of scoping on the Tram ride up to get a handle on coverage.  The Bass Highway is still covered and full, but gets Goopy and very slow.  Big Emma is still covered, and it too is going fast,  so be aware.  The weather is moving up from the South, so the forecast is not promising.   I will make it up again tomorrow and will post the latest , however I will not be there Sunday or Monday , so you will have to make the turns for me .  Ciao!!

I checked the Snowbird site before leaving the trailer and the peak was reporting 44 degrees. Any thoughts of a tour were quickly dispensed with.  I hit the Forklift chair first thing ,so that I would not miss the window, short though it was.  Again, minimal grooming in the back country areas left little to work with, but it certainly was enough.  The lions share of folks took advantage of Mineral Basin and left the front side to the top to bottom crew.   20 minute Trams gave way to a casual back to back program making the laps much easier to negotiate.  The off trail was still pretty rough and took slow careful turns to get through it.  The Baldy access was open and lots of takers were going for the Baldy chutes.  The temps. were warm and getting warmer, and I had to bail at 12:30 PM when the dreaded glue spots cropped up. It is usually that time of day that the high North gets going, but I was mowing the lawn and getting the swamper going before the heat wave hits.  A very nice day, and I had fun.  The Paving Season begins officially tomorrow for yours truly, so I will say so long for now and think cool thoughts for me, Thank You!!!

Well, I thought I would not be posting any more due to the full season end, but I was asked by so many folks what the deal was that I decided to keep the commentary going on each day I attend.  Today, being Saturday, was great right off the bat.  The temp. on the peak was 31 degrees on first Tram and Mineral Basin was well into the softening.  A very eager group continued to stream in and fill each Tram, forcing the pace to move up from 20’s to casual back to backs.  Mineral Basin was the early call for most of the folks looking for the goods as the front side was decidedly crispy, and Regulator , which had been re-tilled, was edge-able, but could not take any velocity if you were smart.  The magic time was 11:00 AM for the first glimmering of softening to begin, but regulator held off the sun’s assault for much longer.  The Peruvian side of the hill is now OUT OF AREA and all markings are gone.  All terrain below the top of the Gad Zoom chair is considered OUT OF AREA as well.  There is also very minimal grooming, and I do mean minimal, in these areas.  That is not to say that it was not good just very limited.  The off trail was really unskiable until at least 12:00 Noon on some aspects and much later on due North facing.  Mineral got too mushy and folks started migrating back to the front side, but there was still walk on trams for all.  After 1:30 PM.  most of the off trail became good to go and you could depend on  the solid base to buffer the nasties.  Serious sun cupping was profuse and made for a very bumpy ride, so off trail  was not optimum.  Regulator became sumptuous and reminded me of Red Baldy if you sipped it as a fine wine.  Tomorrow should be very similar so get there early for the most vertical or wait and get there for the softening window, your call.  For myself, I am going to get it all and chuckle about it. How about you?!!!   P.S.  A very good band was playing on the plaza, making a very festive party time.

Today is Sunday and it is Mother’s Day.  Did you remember?  Good!  My Mom  was the first to put me on skis when I was 5.  The skis had straps that went over your galoshes.  We had a small hill in the back yard and she taught me to shuffle around and climb the hill with a side step.  I still use those techniques every day, so thank you Mom!  Today was a day a Mom could be proud of.  The groomers were buffed and expansive.  Mineral Basin went off early, as the overnight temp. was a bit warmer and the morning warmed up rapidly.  11:00 AM was the magic number for front side softening and 12:30 PM saw Regulator beginning the process.  The lower mountain was very sweet and stayed nice for a long time.  I called it quits when the cat tracks began to get the glue spots going, but the pitches were still happening well after that.  The Trams were full, however, a back to back program could easily be maintained with an effort, if you were so inclined.  High clouds moved in and filtered the sun a tad, but that did not cool things off much.  Well that is the last day of the regular season, though I did hear a rumor about another week perhaps.  Check the Web site in the AM for an update.  So it is time to hook up the trailer and pull it up to the high desert,  all the better to get those TRANSMISSIONS.  Great season, hope you all had fun.  We will do it again next season, until then keep your foil hat on whenever possible!!

That’s right I was actually present on a Saturday.  Folks noticed and asked what the deal was, so I’ll just say that it is the last couple of days left of the regular season, and I thought I would take advantage of a beautiful day to get a first hand taste.  Tasty it was, as the expanded grooming included  a re-till of all the major runs giving them an edge-able surface.   Mineral, of course, was softening soonest, but the peak temp. was still none too balmy.  The cold overnight air set things up for the morning, making the re=till effort all the more welcome.  Good skiing was available from first Tram on.  Flawless blue skies and very light winds were just icing on the cake.  The softening began around 11:00 and turned the nice to great as the corn morphed into a dessert like sherbet.   Regulator was the last to go off at 12:00 Noon , but was very slow getting to that sweet stage.  All the better, as the goodness lasted that much longer.  By 2:00 PM the glue spots cropped up in a few locations, so I called it to spare my knees.  Tomorrow’s forecast looks very much the same and the timing should  be close too, so plan you attack accordingly.  The Off trail held off longer today as well , but suffered some damage from late tracks left in the slush from yesterday.  The smooth goodness is gone ,but a few spots still hold some good lines.  The Tram line was moving briskly with walk-ons the rule, although lollygagging would cost you a red light, so for a back to back program a good pace was a factor.  This time of year,though, who’s worrying.  Should be good fun tomorrow so see you early!!!

Friday morning was cold.  I could see my breath as I stepped out of the trailer and surveyed the morning.  The temp. on the peak was 17 degrees with a brisk NW wind.  I hit the Forklift chair first off to let softening occur and checked on the Twins situation, which was clean and green to stay open for a bit longer due to the cold.  I took a Mineral Basin recon run to check out the aspects and get a handle on the timing, but decided to forgo the tour to take advantage of the expanded grooming and retilling which had been done overnight and early this morning.  The retilling gave the groomers a edge-able consistency ,but each turn drew up the cookie crumbles.  They were later mashed with the warming of the sun, but certainly not by the air, which stayed cold and crisp long into the morning.  With the wind factor, the air stayed down right cold.  Regulator finally broke at 12:00 Noon and was really special with granular sugar wall to wall.  The lower mountain remained buttery with out the dreaded glue spots developing, even on  the cat tracks.  The off trail became workable as well as the afternoon progressed, giving the hill much larger scope.  Still the Western exposures are too marred by slide debris to ensure any real lines, so the North and the East sections offer the best off trail skiing when the softening occurs.  Keep a watchful eye out to catch the short window.  The  peak temp was still only 28 degrees at 1:00PM to give you an idea of the overall air mass.  Tomorrow might come in a tad warmer , but the skiing is great right off on first tram, so get the most out of these last few days of the regular season.  And hey, dress for how you want it to be!!

A beautiful Thursday morning told me to get after it.  A nip in the air, as I parked in the lot, indicated that  a  tour to the Twins might be in order.  I hustled out of the locker room and made a bee line to the Forklift chair to start the day out right.  I  put together a small party and mounted up.   Winds on the peak were moving briskly and the Temp. was a lot warmer than I had hoped.  A quick check into Mineral Basin found that the south aspects had already had become too soft to traverse the East Pass.  Adding that to the significant wind from the north, left no alternative than to bag the tour and stay in area.  Grooming had been significantly expanded overnight, covering all the old usual standbys.  The warm morning had left all the elevations spring time smooth and delicious.  The North wind held the warming effects down, so a much longer window was happening of all fronts.  Mineral was the first to go away, but the front had lots of time to stay fresh before the saturation hit the wall.  No waiting for a thaw, as it was good to go  where ever.  By 1:00 PM the slush factor got fully engaged and the off trail was happening if you were so inclined.  The glue spots were sparse and not too much of a hindrance , though the straight up cat tracks became intermittent with a major loss of glide.  The open terrain is smooth and workable in the soft state.  The West exposures have major wet slide and goo ball damage.  Hit one of those toasters or micowaves and your day is over, guaranteed!!  Take  a tour around and scout the exposures before heading off trail to avoid an unpleasant descent.  Tomorrow will be more of the same, so I am going to be there early and make a game plan then.  First Tram rocks!!!

I had to spend the entire morning waiting for the TRANSMISSIONS  to end.  Can’t they keep it short.  Or more to the point, send them when I am not trying to get to the hill.  Unfortunately my foil hat got used for last nights Bar B Que, so I was wide open.  When I did get to the hill at 11:30 AM the softening was just hitting it’s stride and casual back to back Trams were running with light traffic.  The grooming has gotten even more sparse, leaving the old standbys rumpled and  tricky.  Every thing became approachable by 12:30 PM when the full thaw hit.  There was some high speed runners charging the heavy slush with wild abandon, much like a fresh powder day,  requiring a look over the shoulder during every turn.  I had thought I was done with that annoying necessity… But NO!  The smooth groomers became delightful, during that window between crust and sludge.  I always pretend that I am doing an exotic out of area apron, without the hiking.  Tomorrow should be similar with the snow going off at about the same time.  I am going to be there for first boat, damn the TRANSMISSIONS!!

Some times you wake up, look outside , and just know that the day will be a challenge if you go.  Tuesday morning was just such a morning.  I was not too enthused, but there are mere days left of the regular season , so I figured I better go up and do it just because.  Light rain on the Plaza, while waiting for the first Tram, and a shrouded mountain top did nothing to improve the energy level.  However, a contingent of the truly hardy was on hand for the ride up.   Numbering a dozen season hardened warriors, they surveyed the minimal grooming and the possible options.  The wind was blowing briskly on the peak, and the temp. was hanging at 33 degrees, making the precip. just barely snow.  Chips was nice and carvable and the warm temps. made the lower section  soft corn on the groomers only.  Off trail was touchy, though traversable , begging one to bail for the limited grooming areas.  A 20 minute Tram schedual made for perfect timing  for non stop back to backs.  After 11:00AM the time was moved up to 15 minutes with increased traffic.  11: 30 AM  brought a full on rain event which saturated the lower mountain , rendering it glop and glue.  My knees just said NO WAY!!  It was at this juncture that I made my way back to the valley to get stuff done.  With a break in the precip. tomorrow should provide good , uncrowded groomers, so I am down with that.  See you then!!

At 6:00AM this Monday morning the sky was clear, and I got up super charged, as I am able to get the last week of the full season before I have to leave the real world.  There were few hard corps takers for first Tram and that was to be expected as the clouds had rolled in, though they clung only to the highest peaks.  I went out into Mineral Basin to start out the day, as the Tram was running on a 15 minute schedule and there is no way to make it .  The back was very velvety as the new snow had been tilled into the old surface, making a very skiable surface.  I ventured off trail on 3 occasions, just to test the water, and found it to be about 4” of grabby snow, so I moved quickly back out to safer terrain.  My knees, at this late stage of the season, are getting fatigued and I am not going to push it.  Jumping back to the front side found Chips to be velvety as well with the till mixture prepared in the same fashion.  The grooming had been cutback significantly,  and  care needed to be taken to avoid meandering into some gnarly section.  Moving over to the Gad side  found the new snow deposited on top of the groom job from last night.  Being only 2 to 3” deep made the grabbiness negotiable and down right enjoyable.  I went back for more.  The underlayment was certainly crusty, but the quality on top gave it a very carvable feeling.  The sun came out occasionally, now and again, making the freeze let up, and a nice corny essence prevailed.  The clouds moved in and out all day and the temps. were a tad on the cold side.  I did finally, in fact, wise up and put on a hat before I left the locker…. Pain instructs.  More unsettled weather on the way so you just have to show up to know.  Only a few days left of the regular season so get it while the getting is good!!!