It was a three-man posse today: Bob Dangerous, Marc_C and yours truly. It was a day-after day today, when just about anything was guaranteed to be tracked out.
And it pretty much was. We rode Collins and went out Cecret Saddle, finding tracked up but dry loose snow. We were bound for Devil's Castle for stuff that was a little fresher, and thus boarded Sugarloaf...which stopped a good 10 times during our ride due to apparent mechanical problems. Sugarloaf goes down for a few hours or even a day often enough, and instead of heading for the Castle we crossed Sugarloaf Pass into Snowbird instead. If the Sugarloaf chair went down, and I don't know if it did or not, we didn't feel like experiencing the heavier lines on the remaining chairs.
Snow surfaces were good in Mineral Basin, still soft on west-facing aspects as it never got too warm yesterday, but we rode the MBE to get to Silver Fox. Bob had heard from friends that it was good, but I was a bit disappointed in the small, somewhat scratchy bumps. Hopping instead into the trees on skier's right, I found what I was looking for: light, dry chowder.
From there we sped down groomers, Marc_C and yours truly on Chip's, and Bob on Anderson's, to Rothman Way and Wilbere Ridge to get back to Gadzoom. Up Gadzoom and Little Cloud, we headed back into Mineral Basin. We traversed all the way out to The Bookends, which Marc_C and Bob skied. I dropped a couple of turns to the lower traverse and headed even further out to the Sunday Cliffs, finding lightly tracked powder and even a few turns of untracked.
By now it was pushing towards noon, and we learned through Bob that the Rustler Lodge at Alta has started a Sunday lunch buffet for $12.95, and we headed there. I've now found what must be the best ski area lunch deal in Utah. The all-you-can-eat buffet includes non-alcoholic beverages (beer or wine are available for additional $), and today featured a fabulous Mexican meatball soup or tomato bisque, green salad or caesar salad, and such delights as peppered smoked ahi; smoked Ruby trout; an Oaxacan seafood stew with fish, calamari, mussels, clams and shrimp; smoked BBQ brisket; yellow rice; vegetarian stroganoff; and more, all served in a sit-down dining room with stunning views out each of the oversized windows. The dessert table featured carrot cake and cookies, and the check came with thin chocolate mints made right in SLC at a local confectioner. All of that for basically the same price as a greasy burger, fries and soda on the hill. I know where I'll be eating on Sundays from now on! There's a photo below of a plate to illustrate.
After lunch, Bob was ready for a Baldy hike. Me, I was happy just to be rolled out of the door of the Rustler. Bob struck out for Sunnyside, and Marc_C and I boarded Collins, but one Hourglass/Eagle's Nest/Rustler 4 combo was enough to do me in for the day.
It was sunny and in the 30s on the mountain today, with a 133-inch mid-mountain snowpack. This afternoon, I was running errands in the Salt Lake Valley wearing only jeans and a t-shirt, for it was sunny and 60 degrees down here. Life in Utah truly does not suck.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some helmet pads to wash, for today I suddenly, unexpectedly, and without warning came down with a rather severe case of the helmet stinkies. Ewwwwww....
And it pretty much was. We rode Collins and went out Cecret Saddle, finding tracked up but dry loose snow. We were bound for Devil's Castle for stuff that was a little fresher, and thus boarded Sugarloaf...which stopped a good 10 times during our ride due to apparent mechanical problems. Sugarloaf goes down for a few hours or even a day often enough, and instead of heading for the Castle we crossed Sugarloaf Pass into Snowbird instead. If the Sugarloaf chair went down, and I don't know if it did or not, we didn't feel like experiencing the heavier lines on the remaining chairs.
Snow surfaces were good in Mineral Basin, still soft on west-facing aspects as it never got too warm yesterday, but we rode the MBE to get to Silver Fox. Bob had heard from friends that it was good, but I was a bit disappointed in the small, somewhat scratchy bumps. Hopping instead into the trees on skier's right, I found what I was looking for: light, dry chowder.
From there we sped down groomers, Marc_C and yours truly on Chip's, and Bob on Anderson's, to Rothman Way and Wilbere Ridge to get back to Gadzoom. Up Gadzoom and Little Cloud, we headed back into Mineral Basin. We traversed all the way out to The Bookends, which Marc_C and Bob skied. I dropped a couple of turns to the lower traverse and headed even further out to the Sunday Cliffs, finding lightly tracked powder and even a few turns of untracked.
By now it was pushing towards noon, and we learned through Bob that the Rustler Lodge at Alta has started a Sunday lunch buffet for $12.95, and we headed there. I've now found what must be the best ski area lunch deal in Utah. The all-you-can-eat buffet includes non-alcoholic beverages (beer or wine are available for additional $), and today featured a fabulous Mexican meatball soup or tomato bisque, green salad or caesar salad, and such delights as peppered smoked ahi; smoked Ruby trout; an Oaxacan seafood stew with fish, calamari, mussels, clams and shrimp; smoked BBQ brisket; yellow rice; vegetarian stroganoff; and more, all served in a sit-down dining room with stunning views out each of the oversized windows. The dessert table featured carrot cake and cookies, and the check came with thin chocolate mints made right in SLC at a local confectioner. All of that for basically the same price as a greasy burger, fries and soda on the hill. I know where I'll be eating on Sundays from now on! There's a photo below of a plate to illustrate.
After lunch, Bob was ready for a Baldy hike. Me, I was happy just to be rolled out of the door of the Rustler. Bob struck out for Sunnyside, and Marc_C and I boarded Collins, but one Hourglass/Eagle's Nest/Rustler 4 combo was enough to do me in for the day.
It was sunny and in the 30s on the mountain today, with a 133-inch mid-mountain snowpack. This afternoon, I was running errands in the Salt Lake Valley wearing only jeans and a t-shirt, for it was sunny and 60 degrees down here. Life in Utah truly does not suck.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some helmet pads to wash, for today I suddenly, unexpectedly, and without warning came down with a rather severe case of the helmet stinkies. Ewwwwww....
