gorgeous spring weekend day

Alta is only open on the weekends through May 6, 2018, now - although when you get weekends like the one we just had, you can't really complain.  Saturday was spectacular: sunny and clear, with temperatures ranging from 28 F in the morning to the low 50s (at the base areas) in the afternoon.

 Wow - that sky

The trails on the front side were pretty firm when we got up there but the sun-bathed back side was skiable right from the start.  We stayed at Sugarloaf for the morning, just doing laps as the snow got softer and softer.  Skiers' left down Extrovert got quite nice, in fact.  H, with stronger legs than I, did runs both into Yellow Trail/East Greeley and Devil's Castle.

People trekking into Devil's Castle

Alf's has closed for the season so we did a quick lunch at Watson's Shelter.  Watson's is not our favorite since it is so much smaller than Alf's.  But there were scarcely any people skiing, plus it was warm enough to sit on the deck were you so inclined, so there was plenty of seating.

Sugarloaf chair selfie

After lunch, the snow got heavy and sticky fast.  We abandoned Sugarloaf to ski Collins and the top half stayed pretty skiable.  From just above the angle station to the base, however, the snow was suffering under the strong sun, grabbing at our now-waxless skis.  We quit at 1:30 p.m. and, after a quick change at the truck, nabbed patio seats for a couple of beers.  The Goldminer's Daughter's patio was fairly well-attended, with people coming and going in between ski runs; at the Collins chair, the lifties had taken down the unnecessary corral and folks were able to ski right onto the lift.  The epitome of a spring ski day, by all accounts.

It's even pleasant in the parking lot