Day 42: If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes...or go in for lunch.
It was just Bobby Danger, AmyZ and yours truly today. A dry cold front was forecast to blow through around late morning, so I was surprised to see as much sunshine as we saw this morning.
It may be the holiday weekend, but it just didn't feel like it today. Last weekend felt busier, and there seemed to be a sharp dropoff in visits between yesterday and today. That may, however, have been because 80% of the clientele seemed to be crammed onto one run: Devil's Elbow. Groomers were firm and fast, but the off-piste felt a bit stiffer this morning than it did yesterday. Few were venturing off the beaten paths.
We dropped into Snowbird via Keyhole proper.
Although blue skies to the west of the Wasatch teased us earlier in the day, thick clouds had now reached the Canyon ahead of the front's arrival. Light went completely flat and it was impossible to see the surface even on lower Primrose Path.
We were able to load the next tram after walking into the waiting area. Like yesterday, Snowbird actually felt even less busy than Alta for the first weekend that I've observed all season. The summit of Hidden Peak, however was now completely socked in. We therefore just cruised via braille down Lupine Loop to Baldy Express to return to Alta.
While at lunch at Rustler the front brought with it a brief but intense snow squall.
[vimeo]http://www.vimeo.com/59865801[/vimeo]
One run after lunch is all it took to send us home. The temperature had dropped 10 degrees, the wind picked up to mildly annoying levels, and the base on the groomers froze up solid. The skiff of new snow wasn't enough to improve things, either, so all three of us hit the road.
This week's forecast is starting to look more and more promising.
It was just Bobby Danger, AmyZ and yours truly today. A dry cold front was forecast to blow through around late morning, so I was surprised to see as much sunshine as we saw this morning.
It may be the holiday weekend, but it just didn't feel like it today. Last weekend felt busier, and there seemed to be a sharp dropoff in visits between yesterday and today. That may, however, have been because 80% of the clientele seemed to be crammed onto one run: Devil's Elbow. Groomers were firm and fast, but the off-piste felt a bit stiffer this morning than it did yesterday. Few were venturing off the beaten paths.
We dropped into Snowbird via Keyhole proper.
Although blue skies to the west of the Wasatch teased us earlier in the day, thick clouds had now reached the Canyon ahead of the front's arrival. Light went completely flat and it was impossible to see the surface even on lower Primrose Path.
We were able to load the next tram after walking into the waiting area. Like yesterday, Snowbird actually felt even less busy than Alta for the first weekend that I've observed all season. The summit of Hidden Peak, however was now completely socked in. We therefore just cruised via braille down Lupine Loop to Baldy Express to return to Alta.
While at lunch at Rustler the front brought with it a brief but intense snow squall.
[vimeo]http://www.vimeo.com/59865801[/vimeo]
One run after lunch is all it took to send us home. The temperature had dropped 10 degrees, the wind picked up to mildly annoying levels, and the base on the groomers froze up solid. The skiff of new snow wasn't enough to improve things, either, so all three of us hit the road.
This week's forecast is starting to look more and more promising.
The National Weather Service":1yjehv35 said:
