sunny sunday

According to the weather report, Sunday was to be a little warmer, a little windier, with high thin clouds.  The meteorologists got it right this time: it was already 30F at the summit when we got on the first chair at Collins.  My feet scarcely got cold all day - so it was clearly warmer than it has been!  Again, it wasn't all that busy but it sure seemed like there were a LOT of kids and beginner skiers out there.  (Since when did Alta turn into a beginners' mountain?) 

Ski patrol opened Devil's Castle for the first time this season - H had thought they would wait until Christmas so we were surprised to see the line of folks traversing in there.  Well, there were a lot of people lined up to get in there initially but then, throughout the day, we really didn't see all that many people heading in there for repeat runs.  We didn't go in ourselves as we thought it still looked bony.  There were a fair number of folks hiking up the Apron; that's probably where the best snow was since it never gets sun this time of year and relatively few people are willing to do the work to ski it.

PBR time downstairs at the Goldminer's Daughter

Again, we split our time evenly between Collins, Supreme and Sugarloaf.  The conditions were not quite as frozen as on Saturday but the high traffic areas still skied off quickly.  I thought 3 Bears was in some of the best conditions it ever is; Razorback was skiing pretty well too but by the afternoon some rocks were starting to surface (a/k/a "sharks").  When we quit at 2 p.pm, it was nearly 40F at Wildcat base - it almost felt like spring skiing!  Snowpack-wise, northern Utah is still just barely above average but that will change quickly since no decent storms are in the near forecast.  It's a waiting game now.