Alta, UT 2/14/09

[Admin]

Day 34: Crankin'

Alta reported 4 inches this morning. Tele Jon referred to the knee-deep 4% fluff as "an Alta 4 inches."

It positively cranked late morning, stacking up deep. The subsurface surprisingly set up overnight, so even though it was knee deep the bumps beneath in zero visibility made skiing today extremely challenging. What shocked me was how empty the place was. Jon hypothesized that locals stayed away fearing a holiday zoo, and maybe the brutal weather conditions kept many visitors elsewhere. Whatever the case, within five minutes of opening I saw only one chair ascending Wildcat with a body in it for as far up the hill as I could see.

As I said, late morning it began positively puking. Marc_C, Dale and Pat went into Alf's while Jon and I took a run off the Summer Road for low angle untracked before we packed it in -- Jon as he was tired from yesterday, and me because it's Valentine's Day and I don't relish castration. Driving down canyon the snow picked up even more in intensity. You couldn't see beyond 50 feet, it was snowing so hard.

 

[Pajarito-Bred]

It's One-Thirty in the afternoon, and you are at home after skiing a couple of hours in those conditions! I'd be ashamed to post until at least 4:30, even if it is V-day. (ahem, I'm at my computer to notice your chronological indiscrecion, skiing yesterday and tomorrow, ahem, for partly the same V-day reason)

It's a darn shame, that's my opinion, leaving all those precious flakes un-skied. My powder days are not numerous enough to waste even one run. But it must be nice to have the season pass, and ski a couple of hours whenever you feel like Alta's occasionally imperfect conditions warrant a visit.

 

[Marc_C]

It's One-Thirty in the afternoon, and you are at home after skiing a couple of hours in those conditions! ... My powder days are not numerous enough to waste even one run.

Yeah, rough life we have here in the Wasatch, where powder days are no big deal and pretty easy to come by.

 

[Sharon]

As I said, late morning it began positively puking. Marc_C, Dale and Pat went into Alf's while Jon and I took a run off the Summer Road for low angle untracked before we packed it in -- Jon as he was tired from yesterday, and me because it's Valentine's Day and I don't relish castration. Driving down canyon the snow picked up even more in intensity. You couldn't see beyond 50 feet, it was snowing so hard.

I'm so glad we don't celebrate holidays here...especially the Hallmark ones. It is just so stupid to celebrate love just one day. I think love should be celebrated when you feel like it, not when the media or businesses tell us to. What a load of crap. I feel sorry for you and anyone who is strapped in by the bullshit.

 

[salida]

None of those rough, challenging bumps under the snow over on the other side of the baldy shoulder. Ahem.

PS First tram went up at 815 this morning, a whole hour earlier than alta...

 

[Skidog]

None of those rough, challenging bumps under the snow over on the other side of the baldy shoulder. Ahem.

PS First tram went up at 815 this morning, a whole hour earlier than alta...

If vis was bad on the alta side I can only imagine how bad it was at the bird :roll:

Man that place gets socked in...

Im sure lone pine was nice though

M

PS..call us all when you're 35-50+ years of age and let us all know if you're still getting up for "8:15 trams"... :lol:

 

[Skidog]

As I said, late morning it began positively puking. Marc_C, Dale and Pat went into Alf's while Jon and I took a run off the Summer Road for low angle untracked before we packed it in -- Jon as he was tired from yesterday, and me because it's Valentine's Day and I don't relish castration. Driving down canyon the snow picked up even more in intensity. You couldn't see beyond 50 feet, it was snowing so hard.

I'm so glad we don't celebrate holidays here...especially the Hallmark ones. It is just so stupid to celebrate love just one day. I think love should be celebrated when you feel like it, not when the media or businesses tell us to. What a load of crap. I feel sorry for you and anyone who is strapped in by the bullshit.

Interesting I was unaware that "hallmark" or the "media" existed in 1836??? :roll:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Valentine

I guess you never had any good valentines...

Oh yeah and if I read the first thread correctly..Admin DID in fact ski pow today??? Did you?

M

 

[Patrick]

call us all when you're 35-50+ years of age and let us all know if you're still getting up for+ "8:15 trams"... :lol:

No that just you guys, nice going salida.

I think love should be celebrated when you feel like it, not when the media or businesses tell us to. What a load of crap. I feel sorry for you and anyone who is strapped in by the bullshit.

I'm with Sharon with that one. I've never celebrated Valentine day, ah yes, the wife is on my side with that one.

because it's Valentine's Day and I don't relish castration.

castration > powder!!! No (censured) on a Powder day. :lol:

 

[tirolerpeter]

None of those rough, challenging bumps under the snow over on the other side of the baldy shoulder. Ahem.

PS..call us all when you're 35-50+ years of age and let us all know if you're still getting up for "8:15 trams"... :lol:

Actually, I drove up a little after 11 AM hoping for the best. The road going up was getting pretty bad by then; and going down was looking really gnarly. I pulled into Wildcat and saw (or rather didn't see) that visibility was definitely going to be an issue. I decided that: "Discretion (mine) is the better part of valor." Tomorrow is another day for those of us Utards that live close by. I got behind somebody in an SUV with Nevada plates heading back down the valley road. He must have done the whole run in "low" because he never got it over 15 mph. BTW, I'll be 63 in May. Short of a "true" dump over the previous night, I'm not racing up for an 8:15 AM Tram either

And, instead of fighting the "lovers" for a romantic dinner in some over-crowded restaurant this evening, Susan cooked a special dinner for us and we shared a nice bottle of Champagne. It was probably the 42nd Valentine's dinner we have celebrated together. We would be at number 43, but I was in Southeast Asia in 1969.

 

[icelanticskier]

It was probably the 42nd Valentine's dinner we have celebrated together.

congrats on that! somethin to be proud of fer sure. lesley and i had a simple night of chinese and a powwow on where to ski the pow when we hopefully get some new pow this coming week.
rog

 

[Sharon]

Interesting I was unaware that "hallmark" or the "media" existed in 1836??? :roll:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Valentine

I guess you never had any good valentines...

Oh yeah and if I read the first thread correctly..Admin DID in fact ski pow today??? Did you?

M

I did ski powder today...but it was not deep like Utah powder, but it was a fantastic day of skiing in the sunshine anyway. I got home after dark because the skiing was so good that we skied until the sun went down.

and as far as St Valentines in 1836...was it required to have a romantic dinner with your sweetie and give cards, flowers and chocolates in 1836?

regardless...I never did celebrate any Christian holidays. Did YOU go to church today Matt?

I didn't get a box of chocolates or a fancy dinner but I did get 4 lift tickets and my own laptop from my honey as well as plenty of lovin from him this week. He baked us some brownies tonight and we watched WALL-E. We have had plenty of romance and we can have it whenever we want and it doesn't have to be scheduled for a particular day because it's a holiday. That's just stupid.

 

[Tony Crocker]

Another Valentine's powder day out here too. But not quite up to the epic one in 2001: http://webpages.charter.net/tcrocker818/bldy2141.htm