new year's eve 2011

Well, the one thing New Year's Eve 2011 had in common with New Year's Eve 2010 is that it was the as-yet coldest day of the season - although not nearly so cold this year as last year.  It was 4F at the top and about 14F at the base and rather windy, but it really didn't seem all that cold (i.e., we didn't have to wear our face masks).  It was chilly enough to go in for an early lunch/warm-up and we definitely took advantage of the free hot beverage refills.  After lunch the winds died and the clouds broke up, so that was good.


What else is there to say?  We saw the Supreme chair's resident porcupine trundling along among the trees; those soft bumps on 3 Bears had hardened horribly; and several trails - including Sugarbowl and the whole top half under the Collins lift - were completely wind-scoured of all their snow, leaving rock-hard ice for people to try to ski down.  Still, despite the cold and the wind and the icy patches, it still wouldn't be the worst day of the season.  That would come on 1/1/2012.


PS - what did we do to ring in the new year?  Steaks on the grill, pink "champagne" (Bouvet brut rosé sparkling wine, from the Loire Valley, Cabernet Franc grapes) and some episodes from SyFy's Twilight Zone marathon. And asleep well before midnight, once the neighbors stopped launching fireworks from out front of our house (B was not happy that Utah has now decided to let the hoi polloi shoot off fireworks on New Year's in addition to throughout most of the summer).