Boy oh boy, did we get April showers this past weekend. With warm temperatures taking the snow level all the way up to nearly 11,000 feet, this meant nothing but rain down at the ski areas' bases -
Alta even closed early for the day. Poor Powder Mountain, who opened late due to low snow conditions, was forced to close for the season a week early as their creeks opened up and rose with the rainfall.
Needless to say, we did not go up on Saturday to ski in the rain (my outerwear is old enough to have worn off all its initial water-proofing and the spray-on updates only go so far) and when we checked out the mountain cameras Sunday morning, it looked socked in and unpleasant. With rain up so high, anything off-piste froze up overnight and much of Alta was closed. Flat light and groomers didn't sound appealing.
So we were homebodies instead, timing our walks/runs around passing showers and addressing the stacks of laundry hitherto ignored. I also did a bunch of cooking: brownies-from-scratch, a New Mexico-style green chile stew, coconut jerky (doesn't absorb the marinade well, to be honest) and my first attempt at bao, steamed Chinese-style buns. The bao were fun - not something I'd attempt on a weeknight, but the steamed dough was fluffy and soft and I'll definitely do some again.
The clock is ticking on how much more skiing we'll get. Here's hoping we don't get too many more washout weekends before the resorts close up for summer.
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
Saturday, April 7, 2018
happy easter fool's day
Assuming that things would be frozen up first thing in the morning, we slept in a little bit on Easter Sunday/April Fool's Day and took the 8:10 a.m. bus to Alta. It felt indulgent and decadent to have that extra time; next Sunday, when the ski bus is no longer running, it will feel even moreso because we will leave even later since driving won't take as long as the bus does.
As it was the day before, there was scarcely anyone there until midday. For good reason because, yes, the snow had frozen overnight and it was much harder than it had been Saturday morning. We did four runs down Collins to start and then I announced that I was tired of skidding sideways down Corkscrew. We moved over to Sugarloaf where conditions were better. The temperatures were about the same as Saturday, even with clear skies, as the north wind kept things cooled off. The snow up at elevation definitely took its time in softening.
The snow did get decent around 12:30 p.m. Skier's left down Extrovert was heavy and soft; Upper Big Dipper and Rock N' Roll got good too; and H reported huge, soft bumps on the back of Razorback. We finished out our day with a ride up Wildcat, and then beers on the Goldminer's Daughter patio, as the crazies (20-somethings wearing outfits) finally came out to play in the sunshine - a true harbinger of spring at Alta.
As it was the day before, there was scarcely anyone there until midday. For good reason because, yes, the snow had frozen overnight and it was much harder than it had been Saturday morning. We did four runs down Collins to start and then I announced that I was tired of skidding sideways down Corkscrew. We moved over to Sugarloaf where conditions were better. The temperatures were about the same as Saturday, even with clear skies, as the north wind kept things cooled off. The snow up at elevation definitely took its time in softening.
On the approach to Chartreuse/Extrovert
The snow did get decent around 12:30 p.m. Skier's left down Extrovert was heavy and soft; Upper Big Dipper and Rock N' Roll got good too; and H reported huge, soft bumps on the back of Razorback. We finished out our day with a ride up Wildcat, and then beers on the Goldminer's Daughter patio, as the crazies (20-somethings wearing outfits) finally came out to play in the sunshine - a true harbinger of spring at Alta.
Thursday, April 5, 2018
spring is springing
Even though it feels like winter never really started here, spring showed up this past weekend. It got quite warm down in the valley on Saturday - close to 70 F and the flowering trees have started to, well, flower - while up at Alta, temperatures ranged from 30F in the morning to 48F in the afternoon. I didn't even wear my boot covers! (And yes, my toes did get cold before noon.)
It was not at all crowded, whether from people being away for spring break or people just having moved on to warm weather activities. The snow was pretty firm to start, although not frozen, and the high, thin clouds kept the sun at bay enough that things were just starting to soften up before lunch.
Noting that, we didn't bother going off-piste until after lunch, when we ventured into Catherine's Area. We went all the way out to our favorite (but very short) glade and found the snow still deep and soft, and not hammered by too much ski traffic. We discussed a Devil's Castle run but H thought it prudent to try Cecret Saddle first to get a feel for what the snow might be like without having to do a lot of hiking; I applauded his forethought because while the coverage was decent, the snow was kind of grabby, making it a lot of work to turn. With that information, we opted out of a Castle run.
Other good runs were down Extrovert (Sugarloaf chair) and in through the lowest gate off Rock N' Roll (Supreme chair). The hero run of the day, however, was after lunch off Supreme: down Upper and Lower Big Dipper, where the snow had softened to a smooth, buttery consistency. That's the best of spring skiing right there.
The view up from Cecret Saddle
It was not at all crowded, whether from people being away for spring break or people just having moved on to warm weather activities. The snow was pretty firm to start, although not frozen, and the high, thin clouds kept the sun at bay enough that things were just starting to soften up before lunch.
H in Cecret Saddle
Noting that, we didn't bother going off-piste until after lunch, when we ventured into Catherine's Area. We went all the way out to our favorite (but very short) glade and found the snow still deep and soft, and not hammered by too much ski traffic. We discussed a Devil's Castle run but H thought it prudent to try Cecret Saddle first to get a feel for what the snow might be like without having to do a lot of hiking; I applauded his forethought because while the coverage was decent, the snow was kind of grabby, making it a lot of work to turn. With that information, we opted out of a Castle run.
Looking east towards the Uintas
Other good runs were down Extrovert (Sugarloaf chair) and in through the lowest gate off Rock N' Roll (Supreme chair). The hero run of the day, however, was after lunch off Supreme: down Upper and Lower Big Dipper, where the snow had softened to a smooth, buttery consistency. That's the best of spring skiing right there.
Tuesday, April 3, 2018
rugby comes to utah
Technically rugby has been here - club, high school and college level - but now there's Major League Rugby. And Utah has one of the eight inaugural teams: the Utah Warriors. The first game of the first season was held at Rio Tinto as the finishing touches are being put on the Warriors' permanent home stadium out in Herriman. My office was offered a block of free tickets and so H and I scooped two of them up, happy to have entertainment for a Friday night. The Warriors' marketing department did their job well because over 9,000 spectators showed up to see the home opener.
I know absolutely nothing about rugby and H knows just a little more than I do, gleaned from eavesdropping on conversations while in New Zealand for business. When the ball was moving on the field, it was exciting: the players are huge and very strong and play without helmets or pads, making for brutal tackles. But there did seem to be more standing around than we expected and the home team did not hold their own, succumbing with a final score of 42-15. The crowd seemed into it, however, and I hope that Utah's team in this fledgling professional sport can maintain the fan support.
Utah in black, Glendale (CO) Raptors in yellow
I know absolutely nothing about rugby and H knows just a little more than I do, gleaned from eavesdropping on conversations while in New Zealand for business. When the ball was moving on the field, it was exciting: the players are huge and very strong and play without helmets or pads, making for brutal tackles. But there did seem to be more standing around than we expected and the home team did not hold their own, succumbing with a final score of 42-15. The crowd seemed into it, however, and I hope that Utah's team in this fledgling professional sport can maintain the fan support.
Friday, March 30, 2018
not the best day
Sunday started off mostly sunny and I, dressed for snow showers in my down vest and storm jacket, was immediately overdressed. It didn't matter all that much, however, because I only managed a handful of runs before succumbing to brutal foot cramps. As I scampered for the bus at 10:30 a.m., the clouds - which were already thick across the Salt Lake Valley - started creeping up the canyon, reaching tendrils a la horror movie fog into the Alta base area.
H stuck it out until 12:30 p.m., at which point everything was totally socked in, and he decided that the cold and damp were just not worth it. Before that, he had attempted a run in the Backside when ski patrol dropped the rope but it was just awful - it had softened up Saturday and then set up hard overnight. It was truly a day for the groomers, which were firm but not rock-hard, and that just doesn't inspire us to stick it out until the end.
The best part of my day was when I was almost home. I had taken the bus down, locked my skis, boots and poles in the back of the truck and then walked home. When I was just across the street from the house, one of our neighbors (whom we never, ever see) was walking down the street with a new dog: Jaxson, an eight month old brown Australian cattle dog, just rescued three weeks ago. He was very, very sweet, leaning into me for pats and showing off his newly-learned "sit." Hopefully we'll see him a little more as the season eases into spring.
Baldy in the morning
H stuck it out until 12:30 p.m., at which point everything was totally socked in, and he decided that the cold and damp were just not worth it. Before that, he had attempted a run in the Backside when ski patrol dropped the rope but it was just awful - it had softened up Saturday and then set up hard overnight. It was truly a day for the groomers, which were firm but not rock-hard, and that just doesn't inspire us to stick it out until the end.
And then the clouds started creeping in
The best part of my day was when I was almost home. I had taken the bus down, locked my skis, boots and poles in the back of the truck and then walked home. When I was just across the street from the house, one of our neighbors (whom we never, ever see) was walking down the street with a new dog: Jaxson, an eight month old brown Australian cattle dog, just rescued three weeks ago. He was very, very sweet, leaning into me for pats and showing off his newly-learned "sit." Hopefully we'll see him a little more as the season eases into spring.
Tuesday, March 27, 2018
sugarsnow
We had a wet and sloppy storm on Thursday, with rain up to (and, in places, over) 9,000 feet - not good for the snow. Alta did get a few inches before the storm moved out and Saturday morning we headed up there, keeping our expectations firmly in check. As we were heading for the bus, H got a text from a former co-worker, D, who said he'd meet us at Goldminer's Daughter.
Alta didn't seem too busy - apparently lots of people had reservations about what that rain might have wrought - but there did seem to be a lot of beginners there. The front side was quite firm and we saw a lot of people skidding out and going down on the hardpack. We three shifted to Sugarloaf for a couple of runs and while the snow was better there, it was a lot windier. We then moved to Supreme where conditions were clearly the best: this was the only place with any lift line.
We did three runs in Catherine's Area, along with the rest of the hordes. I had to speak sternly to several newbies who had stopped in the traverse but once we got past the first meadow, the crowds thinned dramatically. Once we got out into it, the snow was actually pretty good - certainly much better than any of us expected. The texture of the snow was curious, though, as it was sugary, like dry, tiny-grained corn snow you find back east in the spring. It was easy to ski in because it was dry and didn't clump up.
D left around 12:30 for a prior engagement. H and I had a late lunch, then went back out for a few more runs until the clouds moved in. With the light now flat, we called it a day, getting back home around 3:30 p.m. The best part for me was that this was the first time in weeks that I felt like I was skiing well. More of that please!
Alta didn't seem too busy - apparently lots of people had reservations about what that rain might have wrought - but there did seem to be a lot of beginners there. The front side was quite firm and we saw a lot of people skidding out and going down on the hardpack. We three shifted to Sugarloaf for a couple of runs and while the snow was better there, it was a lot windier. We then moved to Supreme where conditions were clearly the best: this was the only place with any lift line.
We did three runs in Catherine's Area, along with the rest of the hordes. I had to speak sternly to several newbies who had stopped in the traverse but once we got past the first meadow, the crowds thinned dramatically. Once we got out into it, the snow was actually pretty good - certainly much better than any of us expected. The texture of the snow was curious, though, as it was sugary, like dry, tiny-grained corn snow you find back east in the spring. It was easy to ski in because it was dry and didn't clump up.
D left around 12:30 for a prior engagement. H and I had a late lunch, then went back out for a few more runs until the clouds moved in. With the light now flat, we called it a day, getting back home around 3:30 p.m. The best part for me was that this was the first time in weeks that I felt like I was skiing well. More of that please!
Friday, March 23, 2018
ooooo fun stuff
The snow kept coming overnight and into Sunday, a very welcome thing for those of us in northern Utah. When we got up Sunday morning, the canyon alerts told us that the canyon would be closed for avalanche control until 8 a.m.; given H's brutal bus rides earlier this season, we decided that it would be best if we got on the 7 a.m. bus rather than the 7:30 a.m. one (*all bus times are actually departure-from-the-house times). We got to the bus stop, where there were only a couple other people, and when the bus pulled up, it was full enough that we had to stand but not jam-packed. The bus headed up 9400 South and easily made it across Wasatch Boulevard before stopping in the line of traffic waiting for the canyon road to open. The traffic gods were smiling on us, it seems, because the powers-that-be opened the road before 8 and it only took us 1.5 hours from our house to Goldminer's Daughter. The snow had stayed high and the road had stayed clear. It was a good omen.
It was still snowing - not heavily but steadily - and it was cold (8F at the top), which kept the snow light and fluffy. The crowd waiting for Collins to open was massive - although not nearly as bad as H experienced on Saturday - so we thought we'd head straight to Supreme to see if we could get into Catherine's Area ahead of the crowds. We did get in there and the snow was great. We cruised down So Long and went into our favorite gate there, with deep snow under the trees. We stayed at Supreme for the whole morning, actually, skiing areas, that I haven't skied all season due to the low snow conditions: the Spiney Chutes in Supreme Bowl, under the chair in Hammerhead/White Squaw, Vicky's, all the way out to Last Chance. The snow was great and I felt like I wasn't fighting too much given how light and fluffy it was. H also gave me some coaching and I tried to keep my hands forward and not drop my arm behind me in the turns.
I did have to go in to warm my toes up for a bit but around that and lunch (large bucket of fries because we were starving), we stayed at Supreme and Sugarloaf: the trees off Rock N' Roll, Razorback, Extrovert, Chartreuse, etc. Even with the ski traffic, the snow was light enough that it wasn't getting clumped up, plus it really didn't seem that crowded, all things considered.
At 2ish my legs were tired: I just haven't skied that much off-piste this year. H did another couple of runs off Collins before joining me in the lodge. We had a couple of quick beers and caught the 3:04 bus down. We got seats and traffic wasn't too bad at that hour. Soon enough we were back home, heating up homemade soup for dinner, our [my] tired legs complaining a little. But we weren't complaining - what a great day of skiing.
In the trees through the first gate off
So Long in Catherine's Area
It was still snowing - not heavily but steadily - and it was cold (8F at the top), which kept the snow light and fluffy. The crowd waiting for Collins to open was massive - although not nearly as bad as H experienced on Saturday - so we thought we'd head straight to Supreme to see if we could get into Catherine's Area ahead of the crowds. We did get in there and the snow was great. We cruised down So Long and went into our favorite gate there, with deep snow under the trees. We stayed at Supreme for the whole morning, actually, skiing areas, that I haven't skied all season due to the low snow conditions: the Spiney Chutes in Supreme Bowl, under the chair in Hammerhead/White Squaw, Vicky's, all the way out to Last Chance. The snow was great and I felt like I wasn't fighting too much given how light and fluffy it was. H also gave me some coaching and I tried to keep my hands forward and not drop my arm behind me in the turns.
About to shoot the chute
I did have to go in to warm my toes up for a bit but around that and lunch (large bucket of fries because we were starving), we stayed at Supreme and Sugarloaf: the trees off Rock N' Roll, Razorback, Extrovert, Chartreuse, etc. Even with the ski traffic, the snow was light enough that it wasn't getting clumped up, plus it really didn't seem that crowded, all things considered.
At 2ish my legs were tired: I just haven't skied that much off-piste this year. H did another couple of runs off Collins before joining me in the lodge. We had a couple of quick beers and caught the 3:04 bus down. We got seats and traffic wasn't too bad at that hour. Soon enough we were back home, heating up homemade soup for dinner, our [my] tired legs complaining a little. But we weren't complaining - what a great day of skiing.
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
the luck of the irish
That overnight storm (Friday into Saturday) was an overproducer, dropping a good 9" on Alta to start the day. It would continue snowing all day as well, providing free refills and amping up the avalanche danger. I continued my recent trend of psyching myself out and didn't go up (instead making scratch brownies and curried red lentil soup, as well as ticking some chores off my list) but H did, and eagerly.
When he got up to Alta at 8:25 a.m., he reported that Goldminer's Daughter Lodge was full and the corral was half full with 50 minutes until opening. By the time he got out there to stake his claim in the singles line, he was pretty much standing on the front steps to the skiers' services building and it took him 35 minutes to actually get on a chair once the lifts opened. Because of all the recent new snow - Alta finally hit the 100" base depth mark on St. Patrick's Day - a lot of terrain was closed. The best available skiing was thus on the front side which kept the Collins lift very busy all day.
But it was worth it because the snow was so good. Because of the avalanche danger, ski patrol had closed Main Street, which runs right along the base of Mt. Baldy and which is often closed when there's a lot of new snow. The in-bounds slide danger was high enough on Sunday, however, that patrol closed Mambo too, which I've never seen them do and which is the main intermediate run down from the top of Collins. Skier traffic was instead routed into Spring Valley and Strawberry until skiers got to the Watson shelter. None of this bothered H at all, who happily did run after run in Fred's Trees, Sunspot, Racecourse and Watson's Line, etc., finding untracked snow each time, despite the skier traffic. He even jumped back onto the High Traverse and did a run down High Rustler.
At 1:45 p.m., he had managed to ski himself tired what with "[snow] and no lunch plus skiing off-piste [Friday]." Also, Powder Mountain announced a 30-minute lightning hold around then, with the arrival of a cold front, and he had no interest in being caught out in any of that. Wise man. He caught a down-canyon bus and got home in reasonable time. I'm not saying for sure, but there MIGHT have been napping on the couch before dinner.
When he got up to Alta at 8:25 a.m., he reported that Goldminer's Daughter Lodge was full and the corral was half full with 50 minutes until opening. By the time he got out there to stake his claim in the singles line, he was pretty much standing on the front steps to the skiers' services building and it took him 35 minutes to actually get on a chair once the lifts opened. Because of all the recent new snow - Alta finally hit the 100" base depth mark on St. Patrick's Day - a lot of terrain was closed. The best available skiing was thus on the front side which kept the Collins lift very busy all day.
Top o' High Rustler
But it was worth it because the snow was so good. Because of the avalanche danger, ski patrol had closed Main Street, which runs right along the base of Mt. Baldy and which is often closed when there's a lot of new snow. The in-bounds slide danger was high enough on Sunday, however, that patrol closed Mambo too, which I've never seen them do and which is the main intermediate run down from the top of Collins. Skier traffic was instead routed into Spring Valley and Strawberry until skiers got to the Watson shelter. None of this bothered H at all, who happily did run after run in Fred's Trees, Sunspot, Racecourse and Watson's Line, etc., finding untracked snow each time, despite the skier traffic. He even jumped back onto the High Traverse and did a run down High Rustler.
At 1:45 p.m., he had managed to ski himself tired what with "[snow] and no lunch plus skiing off-piste [Friday]." Also, Powder Mountain announced a 30-minute lightning hold around then, with the arrival of a cold front, and he had no interest in being caught out in any of that. Wise man. He caught a down-canyon bus and got home in reasonable time. I'm not saying for sure, but there MIGHT have been napping on the couch before dinner.
Sunday, March 18, 2018
a good day to play hooky
A nice midweek storm brought over a foot to Alta, which gave H all the reason he needed to take a day off from work to go skiing. It was a beautiful morning and there was a lot open, so he was able to take full advantage, skiing off-piste all day, including Racecourse, Fred's Trees, Extrovert, Chartreuse, Catherine's Area and Eagle's Nest, among others. The run down Eagle's Nest required a journey out along the High Traverse - in essence reversing a portion of this hike we did last summer - and was his first time out there all season, due to the winter-long low snow conditions.
At 1:45 p.m., the light went flat as the leading edge of the next storm moved in. H figured that he'd had the best of the day and hopped on the bus. We've been getting a fair number of active storm systems recently (better late than never, that's for sure) and the forecast was for some good overnight snow into Saturday.
View from Greeley Pass, looking towards Eagle's Nest access
Looking at the canyon road from Eagle's Nest vicinity
At 1:45 p.m., the light went flat as the leading edge of the next storm moved in. H figured that he'd had the best of the day and hopped on the bus. We've been getting a fair number of active storm systems recently (better late than never, that's for sure) and the forecast was for some good overnight snow into Saturday.
Around where Eagle's Nest "cliffs out"
Friday, March 16, 2018
some days it's a struggle
Some days it's a struggle. Not for H, in this case, but for me on Sunday. I woke up feeling less than great and shooed him off up to Alta while I slept in a little longer. When I got up, I puttered around until noon, when I looked out the window, saw gorgeous blue skies and was completely annoyed with myself for not sucking it up and just going skiing. So I texted H to let him know I was coming, threw my skis in the car and drove up to Alta.
Nice blue skies at lunchtime
I've never gone up so late before: the main parking lots at Goldminer's Daughter and Albion were completely full and the road was lined with overflow cars. I finally found a spot up above the Albion lodge, near where the Summer Road gate is. I put on my boots and walked down to the maintenance shed, where the bunny slope comes back to the Sunnyside lift, already sweating in the bright sun despite having radically layered down since the day before.
I took the Sunnyside lift up and skied over to Alf's, where I got to Supreme in time to see H getting on a chair six ahead of me. I knew I'd never catch him on the run down - he skis so much faster than I do, on both his alpine and telemark set-ups, and he was on alpine this day - so at the bottom, I skied right under the lift, waving my arms like a lunatic until he saw me as he was heading up again.
In the trees below East Castle
H waited for me at the top of the lift and we did four or five runs together, going into the fun trees under East Castle and the Apron, gliding through some buttery soft spring snow on Big Dipper and Rock N' Roll (and then having to scramble a bit as some rocks were already coming up through the melting base). But I was having a horrible time with my boots with painful foot cramps on both feet, despite a quick run into the lodge to take them off and put them on again. The snow was pretty nice and the crowded parking belied the crowds, but I just couldn't enjoy myself with the pain in my feet. Super-annoying. H decided to stay to finish out the day and take the bus back down, so I drove back down the canyon, windows down and 1980s New Wave tunes cranked. I didn't get the feeling back in my poor, abused toes until I got out of Little Cottonwood Canyon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
