last day at alta, 2012/2013

Sunday was Alta's for-real Closing Day.  Weather-wise, the conditions were fairly similar to the day before but a little warmer, a little breezier and a little cloudier.  Because it was slightly warmer, the snow got grabby much quicker than it had on Saturday; because of the especially sticky snow, we only did one tour of Sugarloaf/Supreme, staying for the rest of the day on the front side (Mambo, Main Street, Sunspot, etc.).

Hanging out at the top of Collins

But Closing Day at Alta isn't about the skiing, really.  It's about the party.  The people-watching was fantastic: feather boas, Afro wigs, tutus, cut-off jeans shorts, ballgowns, Scooby-Doo, the Big Bad Wolf, a plush lizard, vintage one pieces.  H was a little disappointed that there weren't more girls in bikinis (although we did see a couple) while I was most impressed with the guys playing frisbee while skiing.

Last self-portrait of the ski season

Like last year, there was a grill and live music going outside at Watson Shelter.  Like last year, it was super-crowded but the lift line at Collins was mellow and cheerful.  Like last year, the parking lot tail-gating got going early and apparently kept going late - there were at least two live bands playing out there, people dancing, cooking out, drinking beer.

Nice sky over High Rustler

Although my legs were really tired from the heavy snow, I managed to keep skiing until 4 p.m.  The bar at Goldminer's Daughter was closed and we'd forgotten to bring any PBRs with us, so we walked around the parking lot for a bit, listening to the music, before heading home.

So sad!

It was a beautiful weekend to wrap up the 2012/2013 season.  Sure, the snow was below average (by about 50 inches) but H and I managed to beat our total ski days from last year even so: 52 (H) and 44 (me). Alta is such a special place we really do go into a bit of a funk for a few days once it closes.  What's ahead for us now is a ton of laundry and switching over to summer activities.  And yet ... only about 200 days until Opening Day!