before the [possible] storm

The word was: 27-41 possible inches of snow in the mountains, storm starting Saturday evening and running through Monday morning.  We were skeptical but hopeful - if you can be both - as we headed to Alta Saturday morning.  It's the start of some February vacation weeks and we thought the vacation crowds might be tempered somewhat by the fact that the last new snow was on Thursday.  When we got up there, it never ended up feeling crowded (despite the full parking lot when we left) but the snow was pretty much tracked out everywhere.

Rock Gully or maybe Bear Paw

off the Wildcat chair

We had an okay time, given the no-more-freshies and the fact that we were both skiing poorly for some reason.  The storms last week had dropped enough snow that ski patrol opened up a bunch of the avalanche gates that have been closed all season, so we played around in the trees under the Castle Apron, took the low traverse across the Supreme Bowl into Catherine's Area, scooted across the Cecret Saddle and corkscrewed our way through Keyhole Gulch.  Even though we weren't ripping it up (due to our suckitude), it was still awful fun to get into some new terrain after skiing the same stuff for so long.

By 5:30 p.m. Saturday evening the skies had pretty well clouded over but no snowfall.  We cracked open a couple of PBRs and toasted wishfully that the forecast might be right.