alta, with refreshed eyes

We had gotten word that our friend Will was coming out for a guys' ski trip.  He is a really good telemark skier and has skied in Utah a number of times, including with us in 2013.  This time, a group of seven Sugarloafers were renting a place between Alta and Snowbird; Will and one buddy, Ben, were coming out early and wanted to know if we'd ski with them on Sunday.  You betcha!

They had skied the 'Bird the day before and were getting acclimated to the elevation.  Ben had never been to Utah before and he was all agog about the mountains; no matter where we skied, he had a huge grin on his face, constantly exclaiming over the views or the terrain or the snowpack.  It was so fun and, to be honest, good for H and me: after ten years, we've become accustomed to Alta that to see it again through Ben's eyes was a good reminder of how dang lucky we are to have this as our home mountain.

Will had a few requests on where to ski but for the most part, H was our tour guide.  He did not disappoint and kept us off the groomers* all day.  We did Fred's Trees, Spring Valley, the Ballroom and the little trees below Main Street, Sunspot, Columbine, the Saddle traverse and the trees above Watson's, Yellow Trail, East Greeley to Glitch/Glatch, Razorback to the bumps below Cecret Lake and through the trees below Cabin Hill, through the gates off Challenger to White Squaw / Hammerhead, Devil's Castle (patrol got it open a little before lunchtime), the Supreme Bowl, So Long and Last Chance out in Catherine's Area, etc., etc.  We didn't get to Wildcat but that was okay.

View of Alf's High Rustler from the GMD patio

I bailed out at 2:30 p.m., just as they were heading into Devil's Castle.  The three guys stuck it out until the last Collins chair, then had a couple of pitchers of PBR, one on the patio and then one upstairs in the saloon after the patio closed down.  When he got home (on the second to last bus of the day!), H said that Will and Ben had huge grins on their faces the whole time.  That's just the way you should respond to a good day at Alta. 

*  In places where I didn't feel strong enough, I would take the groomer.  Since I know Alta as well as I do, I was almost always able to meet back up with the guys further down the mountain or, if that wasn't possible, just back at the lift.