the week of skiing (first part)

H usually takes the week between Christmas and New Year's off to ski.  Despite the complete lack of snow so far, he stuck to tradition, and added a couple of additional days to boot.

Monday 12/22 - The conditions were worse even than they had been the just-previous weekend.  The snow totally set up hard, despite the warm temperatures.  Rocks were poking through as Alta tried to move the snow around.  The parking lot wasn't full and even some of the locker room regulars declined to come up.

Gloomy Monday

Tuesday 12/23 - Conditions were so bad.  Really thin.  Nobody (relatively speaking) was skiing - and this is with Alta having the most snow along the Wasatch Front/Back.  H gave up and took the bus home a half hour earlier than he had been.

Thin Tuesday

Monday 12/29 - There had been a small storm over the holiday, adding about a foot to the snow totals.  When H went up, it was colder to start and definitely more crowded, being the holiday week.  He rode a chair with a retired ski instructor who declared it to be "the worst start in 52 years."  She ought to know.  At least it was sunny.

Bluebird Monday

Tuesday 12/30 - Same as Monday but deteriorating conditions since no new/additional snow.

Sunny Tuesday

Wednesday 12/31 - Each day, said H, is just a little worse than the day before.  No new snow. 

Hard pack NYE

Thursday 1/1 - A storm moved in.  But even Alta, with its base area at 8,000+ feet, was 41F and raining when H left at 12:30 p.m.  He was soaked through and pretty chilled by the time he got home.

Wet start to the year

'tis more of the season

 On Boxing Day (not a thing in the U.S., I realize, but don't care), the whole crew went to Millcreek for a longer (4.1 miles) hike.  All the dogs enjoyed this more than the Corona Arch hike, I think, since they could be off leash.  Milton and Stevie chased each other in the straightaways; and the weiner dogs did awesome, just needing some assistance in the steep or really rocky parts.  Also the water crossings: the water wasn't high but their legs are so, so short.

M post hike

I remembered to bring post-hike beers this time, although it wasn't quite as nice a day as it had been on Christmas.  Still, a parking lot hang is a parking lot hang!  Afterwards, we took advantage of the four dogs being tired for the four people to stroll over to Woody's.  We took control of the jukebox and had a couple of pitchers, then walked back home for leftovers.

E and Oliver

To give the smaller dogs a break, on Saturday, while H and Milton went for a 4 mile trail run, A, E and K put some money back into the local economy.  We went to the thrift store owned by Milton's rescue, Underdog, and were pleased to see it's pretty good.  It's a big place with a wide variety of things: I got four cookbooks; K bought books and record albums and postcards and a dog collar; E got an amazing 70s-esque caftan.  We cruised Main Street next, hitting up a couple of little boutique shops and Back of Beyond Books, before having lunch at The Spoke.  Dinner was at home: vegan BBQ pulled pork (soy curl) sandwiches.

Not literally all of us in flannel

And then the long holiday weekend was over.  E and K got up and got going early.  H, M and A were not too far behind: doing a town walk and then cleaning house before heading back to SLC ourselves.  Traffic was light, the road was clear and dry, and we all made it home safe and sound.  And then H got organized for the week of skiing ahead.

'tis the season

With some extra hours worked and plus some PTO, we headed to Moab early Christmas Eve.  H wanted to leave at 6 a.m.; A was leaning towards 7; we somehow split the difference and were on the road by 6:30.  Traffic was light, the roads were dry and it was (unbelievably) 64F when we rolled into town around 10 a.m.  That's St. George temperatures, not Moab.

Too warm for December

Our guests for the weekend, E and K, had laughed heartily when we said what time we were leaving.  They left SLC around the time we arrived in Moab, so we had some time to spare.  After unloading and unpacking, H did a five mile trail run on Pipe Dream while A and Milton did a 3.25 mile town walk.  It seemed quieter in town than it had over Thanksgiving, but it certainly wasn't a ghost town.  With the ski areas not having any snow, we figured we'd see more folks in the desert.

A moseying past Bowtie Arch

E and K arrived mid-afternoon, their three little dogs - 9-year old mix Stevie and 17 year-old mini-dachshunds Oliver and Lily - in tow.  Soon there were small dog beds and blankets everywhere, the fridge was full to bursting and the holiday had officially begun.  We had pasta with lentil bolognese and a salad for dinner and then, because it was still so crazy warm, we had Christmas Eve champagne around the fire pit in the backyard.

K and Oliver 

On Christmas morning, we all enjoyed a delicious breakfast casserole that E had made before heading out for a hike.  We decided on Corona Arch, H and I figuring that it had been at least a decade since we'd done that one.  The trailhead parking lot was pretty full but it didn't really seem like that many people out on the trail.

Corona Arch ahead

It was a stunning morning, warm and sunny with a bright blue sky overhead.  We did keep the dogs leashed for the most part since there were signs about it and all the other dogs (and there were lots) were on their leashes.  When the elderly weiner dogs got tired, the girls just put them in backpacks, although I was amazed at how much they actually walked.  There are a couple of spots that the dogs - even Milton and Stevie - didn't love, involving chains and a metal ladder, but there are work-arounds and any fit dog can deal with them.

On approach

We did a little gift exchange back at home and went next door to see our neighbor A's brother's family's new puppy.  When it got dark, H and K and Milton drove up to Sand Flats Recreation Area: K is a photographer and wanted to get some shots of the night sky.  I helped E put together dinner: vegan Wellington with mashed potatoes and gravy.

New Christmas bandana

There were ginger cookies, dog snuggles and lots and lots of laughing after dinner.  H even stayed up until 10 p.m.!  Happy Christmas indeed.

Art shot

with love from utah

 Closing out 2025 with Christmas in Moab and ushering in 2026 with skiing (or, "skiing").  Posts forthcoming!  Until then, 

stumped

On H's fifth day of skiing (which A also would have hated, for several reasons), the official report was "no visibility and windy AF."  It was windy AF down in the Salt Lake valley too so I wasn't surprised.

Lots of rocks up there in Devil's Castle

The crummy visibility and crummy conditions (hard, fast, thin, rocky) were two reasons why A would have hated skiing this day.  The reason is as follows.  We really try to keep things positive around here but sometimes something seeps through.  

When we moved to Utah sixteen years ago and started skiing at Alta, the Supreme lift quickly became our favorite.  It was an old triple chair that required skiers to stand on a conveyor belt to load.  Because it was a triple, it had a fast singles line, since most folks ski in multiples of two; it served my favorite terrain; it was hidden, so not too many beginners ever found it; and the conveyor belt often provided entertainment.

In 2017, Alta built a new Supreme chair, a high speed detachable quad, replacing the old triple and the poky Cecret double.  The new lift loaded right outside Alf's lodge and had an eight degree bend, providing a rough ride in the middle.  I hated it: because it loaded at Alf's, all sorts of beginners now rode it, skiing expert terrain that they maybe shouldn't be on; the singles line was a mess; and that bumpy section in the middle was awful.  Meanwhile, Alta was all, woohoo, no one's ever done a chairlift with a bend before!  

Well, that's because the engineering doesn't work.  Most chairlifts have a life of 20-30 years before they need replacing.  The new Supreme lift got just seven years: due to too much stress because of that bend, Alta had to replace it last summer.  And in order to keep the existing loading/unloading points, they had to cut down a ton of trees to move the lift towers. 

That used to be my favorite tree at Alta

Including what used to be my favorite tree at Alta, an old, twisted, weathered but strong limber pine, clinging to a cliff just above the Diving Board jump feature.  Now it's just a stump, all its years of long life gone in an instant due to poor planning.  Stupid new new Supreme lift.

So as not to end on a negative note, while H was documenting Alta's savaging of its terrain, Milton and A did their Dimple Dell walk, made lentil soup and did more KitchenAid mixer-assisted baking: more ginger cookies and a loaf of olive oil bread.

 

 

definition of flat light

On Saturday,  H's fourth day of skiing at Alta, with very little (if any) new snow (despite the small storm that brought rain to the valley on Friday), there were only a handful of people on the bus.  Easy to get a seat!  The mountains were likely losing snow like crazy, however, since it was already 30F when H started skiing at 9:15 a.m.  And whether you want to call them "low clouds" or "fog," that sort of low-hanging moisture just eats snow.  When H got home, the official report was: "Visibility was not great - you would have hated it." 

Flat light and low clouds

While H was shredding what could be shredded, Milton and A did their Sego Lily loop walk (3.2 miles); made a leek, kale and potato frittata; took care of the laundry (started some new and put away clean); did some work on organizing for the upcoming holidays; baked giant ginger cookies with the new KitchenAid stand mixer A won at her company holiday party; and walked to the library for more books.  When H got home from his post-skiing trail run, the official report was: "Feels like October."  And I sure wish it would actually get cold because the plants (weeds) in our yard are still green and growing.  

Fluffy bush

day three at alta, more of the same

 Sunday, H's third day on the hill, was pretty much just like Saturday.  Fewer people to start, perhaps: he went from boarding the bus to disembarking at Goldminer's Daughter in less than thirty minutes.  No new snow, too warm for December, still got skied off quickly despite not too many people there.  He was on the 1:09 bus heading home.

The EBT is looking a little thin 

("It's all looking a little thin," says H)

Meanwhile, Milton and A were pretty busy.  We did our Dimple Dell walk, then vacuumed a little.  We made [all vegan, of course] bolognese pasta sauce for the freezer, blondies for H, and cream of broccoli soup and a just barely passable loaf of olive oil bread for dinner.  We also put together work gifts (those homemade pistachio-cranberry cookies and orange-cranberry pinwheel cookies) and decorated our little tree.  

Good for dunking in soup, anyway

fewer people, at least

On H's second day of skiing, after a week of record warm temperatures and no snowstorms, there were five people on the ski bus for the way up, and four for the way down.  Opening day excitement has waned and it's pretty much just season pass holders up there right now.  Alta has been able to make snow overnights (although they're probably losing some of it during the sunny days) and all the lifts but Supreme are now open, although terrain is still limited.  What is open is quickly skied off, even with fewer skiers; H took the 1:09 bus home.

Coverage is thinner than it looks

He did get his first mustache compliment of the season, however: "Sick 'stache, man."  And he rode the lift with a kid from Fryeburg, Maine, who is working at Goldminer's Daughter this season.  And he didn't hit any big rocks whilst skiing - he says they're easy to spot and avoid since there isn't much snow to hide them.

On the plus side, we hear from our friends back east that Sugarloaf is off to a very good start, with lots of snow and plenty of cold temperatures.  So that's good.

Our street is like Las Vegas with 

everyone else's lights

Those of us (Milton and A) who stayed down in the valley did a five mile walk through Dimple Dell, where Milt play-wrestled with a new friend, Murphy the golden retriever; stood in line for 25 minutes at the post office; baked dog biscuits, more pistachio-cranberry cookies and orange-cranberry pinwheels.

opening day

 Utah's ski areas are off to a slow start - the worst in twenty-five years, according to a local news story.  Alta pushed back their opening day, then pushed it back again, then again, finally opening on Sunday December 7.  Traditionally they open Thanksgiving weekend, but not only wasn't there any natural snow, it hadn't even been cold enough to make snow.

Before the light got completely flat

We did finally get a storm that enabled them to open 12/7.  I didn't get a pass again this year so H will be skiing solo this 2025/2026 season.  The late start date meant that the ski bus was running so he hopped on the early bus, which was packed with people.  Up at the Goldminer's Daughter lodge, he ran into a number of locals in the locker room, and then commenced the standing in line.

Alta only had two lifts running - Sunnyside and Collins - and about one run open off each lift.  They warned that conditions on the bunny slope (Sunnyside lift) were for intermediate skiers and anyone skiing off Collins should be expert level.  Because it was opening day, it was crowded; because there were so few lifts, the lines were long; and because there were so few available runs, they were choked with skiers.  H, when he returned on the 2:09 bus, reported that I wouldn't have liked it, due to the flat light, crowds of people and hard, icy conditions.  Not the most promising start to the ski season, but at least it has started.

Down in the valley, A and Milton baked chocolate chip blondies (successful), pistachio-cranberry cookies (successful but not pretty) and ginger cookies (complete failure); made applesauce from some of our CSA apples; and made a batch of Anasazi beans.

love local

As we inch ever closer towards Christmas, little (and not so little) local holiday markets and fairs are popping up across the Salt Lake valley.  I don't usually go to such things but this year, when I saw the Love Local market being held at the Wasatch Community Gardens, I felt compelled to put some money back into the local economy (aside from supporting our favorite bartenders at Woody's).

The winter garden beds at Wasatch Community Gardens

It was a $5 entry fee (going to WCG) and then there were lots of vendors selling hand made soaps, balms, oils, notecards, textiles, wreaths, pottery, herbal mixtures and tinctures, preserves, pickles, paintings, carvings, jewelry, mushroom-growing kits, decor and ornaments, hot sauces and relishes, candles, dog and cat treats, tote bags ... There were a couple of food vendors too, selling Thai street food and empanadas and arepas, plus a little beer/wine garden.

My haul

It seemed pretty well attended, and I had gotten there towards the early side - and had to circle several times before finding a parking spot.  Everyone was friendly and it was great to see folks out supporting small local businesses.  We need more of that.