another day in paradise

Superbowl Sunday is often a good day to go skiing.  It tends to be busy in the morning but then people leave early to get into their spots for the game, whether down out of the canyon or in front of a resort bar's television.  This year, Alta seemed crowded to start but but the lift lines weren't completely horrific.  Once ski patrol opened Devil's Castle (around lunch), that took a lot of pressure off of the Supreme lift; the football devotees cleared out in the early afternoon. 

 

Clouds over Brighton, blue skies over the Uintas

It was another mild day on the hill: sunny in the morning and then clouding up as the day went on.  While Alta had groomed out their usual groomers, there were still good bumps to be had, although many were too big for [my] comfort.  With H's increased facility off-piste, we were able to ski together for most of the day.  I did take off for some solo Supreme runs before lunch, venturing out into Catherine's Area.  It was still pretty good there, especially way out where the only people I saw were backcountry skiers on the Brighton side and a lone snowshoer heading up to Catherine's Pass.  The snow was still soft and deep in the trees but was getting crusty in sun-bake spots and tending towards stiff/heavy in untracked areas.

For some reason there was a whole lot of lift line shenanigans going on: people cutting the singles line, people falling over whilst loading and unloading the chairs, people dropping the bar on my head.  I did have a few nice chairlift conversations, including one with some middle-aged guys from Florida, there with a big group for their regular Alta vacation; and one with a couple from Montreal who had never been to Utah before, who had skied thus far at Snowbasin and Deer Valley (I suggested Solitude next) and who were having the best time ever.  The snow was good, the temperature pleasant and they were at Alta - how could they not?