february thaw

It was warm today: low 40s in the sun both in the valley and at the base of Alta, and a hot 28 up on the mountain.  The sun was out and the snow, which has held up remarkably well considering the last new snow was the 16 inches we got Monday night, was soft. 

View of West Rustler from the patio

H decided to go with his alpine gear today - and then, as soon as we'd gotten on the very first Collins chair to carry us out of the base area, said that he missed his tele skis - and thus ended my days of (1) being faster than him and (2) not challenging myself particularly. We went all over the eastern part of the resort: hiking up under lower East Castle and Devil's Castle and playing in the deep snow and trees there; hiking up into Catherine's Area and playing in the glades; hiking up to the high traverse out towards Devil's Castle and playing in the bowl; traversing over the Cecret Saddle, skirting the lake and playing in the trees; playing in the steep, narrow chutes under the Supreme chair and in the Supreme Bowl.


It was great. We were working hard and having to unzip jackets and base layers almost immediately - and this may be the very first time I have ever skied in February without handwarmers tucked into my mittens. Tomorrow is supposed to be even better - no high, thin clouds to diminish any of the sun's warmth - and we're already rethinking our layering. Afterwards, we paused for a couple of PBRs on the patio of the Goldminer's Daughter lodge. We weren't alone: all sorts of folks were enjoying the late afternoon sun and mellow vibe. Good times for sure.

Apres!