We decided to do a Alta/Bird pass yesterday to mix things up. Started the day off at Alta doing a run down Glory hole, it was okay at the top but pretty chunky for the bottom 3/4ths. Then we hit Eagles Nest, which skied very well so we went back for another run. Virtually no crust and just packed powder/chalky snow. We then decided to head over to Snowbird.
I think we took either Blackjack or Westward Ho over there. Top half off Wildcat was decent, but the Snowbird side of the ridge was a breakable crust and avalanche debris. Not fun, but we got on the Tram and did a run down Great Scott to Primrose Path. Great Scott skied really well, chalky snow all the way down to the run out, the bottom 1/2 on Primrose Path was okay, probably better than most of the stuff we hit at Alta, with the exception of Eagles Nest, and North Rustler the day before. We did another lap of that same run and I forgot how fun it can be to have 2000 ft runs without traversing much.
After lunch we went up the Tram and dropped into the area that runs into the Little Cloud Lift, not sure what it was called, but we didn't take the Road to Provo. Top half of that area was good and a little inconsistent towards Little Cloud, except when we found some trees to play in, they were fun. We went up Little Cloud and down Shireen, which was about the same as the previous lap.
We then skied down Blackforrest, which was pretty fun and chalky and down to Gad 2. On the lift ride up we realized that we needed to hustle since it was 3pm and the lift out of Mineral Basin to Alta closed at 330. We hustled down Gadzooks and through the trees where we could find them . Up Gad 2 again and down to Little Cloud and back up. The run down mineral basin was as bad as you'd expect it to be espcecially with the light being flat. After that miserable run we went up the lift to the top of Sugarloaf and made one last lap down Eagles Nest. We finished up around 4:10.
Overall a really fun day, and we had a great time at Snowbird. I think that Tony's right about Snowbird, it really does stay much softer and chalkier than Alta. Obviously there's places at Alta that skied very well, but overall we found a lot of good stuff at Snowbird that was steep, fun and easily accessable. Also, Snowbird was dead, as dead as Alta. The deck by the Tram was very quiet and the mountain was empty. I'll be back again next winter and probably in the spring too.
Also, same as last week Monday's the day to be in LCC, Alta says 17 inches new and they only reported 2 inches in their 4am email. Ski the day I leave, seems that me leaving is good luck for you guys.
I think we took either Blackjack or Westward Ho over there. Top half off Wildcat was decent, but the Snowbird side of the ridge was a breakable crust and avalanche debris. Not fun, but we got on the Tram and did a run down Great Scott to Primrose Path. Great Scott skied really well, chalky snow all the way down to the run out, the bottom 1/2 on Primrose Path was okay, probably better than most of the stuff we hit at Alta, with the exception of Eagles Nest, and North Rustler the day before. We did another lap of that same run and I forgot how fun it can be to have 2000 ft runs without traversing much.
After lunch we went up the Tram and dropped into the area that runs into the Little Cloud Lift, not sure what it was called, but we didn't take the Road to Provo. Top half of that area was good and a little inconsistent towards Little Cloud, except when we found some trees to play in, they were fun. We went up Little Cloud and down Shireen, which was about the same as the previous lap.
We then skied down Blackforrest, which was pretty fun and chalky and down to Gad 2. On the lift ride up we realized that we needed to hustle since it was 3pm and the lift out of Mineral Basin to Alta closed at 330. We hustled down Gadzooks and through the trees where we could find them . Up Gad 2 again and down to Little Cloud and back up. The run down mineral basin was as bad as you'd expect it to be espcecially with the light being flat. After that miserable run we went up the lift to the top of Sugarloaf and made one last lap down Eagles Nest. We finished up around 4:10.
Overall a really fun day, and we had a great time at Snowbird. I think that Tony's right about Snowbird, it really does stay much softer and chalkier than Alta. Obviously there's places at Alta that skied very well, but overall we found a lot of good stuff at Snowbird that was steep, fun and easily accessable. Also, Snowbird was dead, as dead as Alta. The deck by the Tram was very quiet and the mountain was empty. I'll be back again next winter and probably in the spring too.
Also, same as last week Monday's the day to be in LCC, Alta says 17 inches new and they only reported 2 inches in their 4am email. Ski the day I leave, seems that me leaving is good luck for you guys.
