Day 55: Straight into summer.
At least that's what it felt like. I skied all day just in my baselayer crewneck top. Without a hard refreeze overnight, ungroomed and untraveled terrain turned manky in a hurry on Saturday, even on north-facing terrain like Eagle's Nest. Groomers softened quickly.
Dale and I headed up just after 10 a.m. to find the place positively deserted.
The upper 25% of groomers in Collins Gulch were still rather firm, which is why everyone was riding Sugarloaf in the a.m.
We hooked up with Amy, Marc_C and Tirolerpeter, but a late-morning run into Yellowtrail and Backside was already unsupportable mank. It was therefore time to check off yet another line previously unskied for me, Perla's.
I've skied the other three, including Main and Little Chutes on many occasions, so I was anxious to scratch off Perla's. Dale and I were the only two interested so up we went.
It was a gorgeous day -- not a breath of wind, cloudless skies with views all the way to the Uintas.
We stopped atop Perla's for a while to enjoy the day and watch others reach the summit.
Two such Baldy hikers were Big John and Chris, whom I first met earlier this winter when I gave him a lift up canyon. Chris shot photos of us dropping into Perla's, which I hope that he'll ultimately add to this thread.
The snow in Perla's was dry but firm, with a bit of wind sift on top. As you can see in the above photo the surface was anything but smooth, which provided a bit of extra challenge. It stayed that way all the way to the final three turns above the Ballroom traverse, which instantly turned to mank as Marc_C, Amy and Tirolerpeter waited there for us.
We headed down to lunch on the Watson's beach mid-mountain, where a talented band played for the entertainment of the few of us actually there yesterday.
After lunch we cruised out a very user-friendly High T through Piss Pass to High Boy, followed by what seemed to be absolutely everyone who was there yesterday, including half of Alta Ski Patrol. It was the only run being skied heavily, and the bumps were big, round and forgiving.
A next run into Eagle's Nest showed the difference that traffic was making, as that was darned near unskiable to me.
Marc_C and Tirolerpeter called it a day at that point, and staked out a table on the GMD patio for après-ski beers while Amy, Dale and I took one last run in Stonecrusher. Not as unconsolidated as Eagle's Nest, it was still nowhere near as pleasant as High Boy, so while Dale continued down Amy and I struck out through the woods and across Lone Pine over to High Boy, no easy feet in the deep, wet unconsolidated snow. We eventually reached GMD and enjoyed some beers before heading home, marveling at the density of folks on High Boy at 4:45 p.m...
...while virtually no one was anywhere else.
I'd love to be up there today, for it's a carbon copy of yesterday, but alas I have some unexpected stuff that needs my attention in the Salt Lake Valley today.
At least that's what it felt like. I skied all day just in my baselayer crewneck top. Without a hard refreeze overnight, ungroomed and untraveled terrain turned manky in a hurry on Saturday, even on north-facing terrain like Eagle's Nest. Groomers softened quickly.
Dale and I headed up just after 10 a.m. to find the place positively deserted.
The upper 25% of groomers in Collins Gulch were still rather firm, which is why everyone was riding Sugarloaf in the a.m.
We hooked up with Amy, Marc_C and Tirolerpeter, but a late-morning run into Yellowtrail and Backside was already unsupportable mank. It was therefore time to check off yet another line previously unskied for me, Perla's.
I've skied the other three, including Main and Little Chutes on many occasions, so I was anxious to scratch off Perla's. Dale and I were the only two interested so up we went.
It was a gorgeous day -- not a breath of wind, cloudless skies with views all the way to the Uintas.
We stopped atop Perla's for a while to enjoy the day and watch others reach the summit.
Two such Baldy hikers were Big John and Chris, whom I first met earlier this winter when I gave him a lift up canyon. Chris shot photos of us dropping into Perla's, which I hope that he'll ultimately add to this thread.
The snow in Perla's was dry but firm, with a bit of wind sift on top. As you can see in the above photo the surface was anything but smooth, which provided a bit of extra challenge. It stayed that way all the way to the final three turns above the Ballroom traverse, which instantly turned to mank as Marc_C, Amy and Tirolerpeter waited there for us.
We headed down to lunch on the Watson's beach mid-mountain, where a talented band played for the entertainment of the few of us actually there yesterday.
After lunch we cruised out a very user-friendly High T through Piss Pass to High Boy, followed by what seemed to be absolutely everyone who was there yesterday, including half of Alta Ski Patrol. It was the only run being skied heavily, and the bumps were big, round and forgiving.
A next run into Eagle's Nest showed the difference that traffic was making, as that was darned near unskiable to me.
Marc_C and Tirolerpeter called it a day at that point, and staked out a table on the GMD patio for après-ski beers while Amy, Dale and I took one last run in Stonecrusher. Not as unconsolidated as Eagle's Nest, it was still nowhere near as pleasant as High Boy, so while Dale continued down Amy and I struck out through the woods and across Lone Pine over to High Boy, no easy feet in the deep, wet unconsolidated snow. We eventually reached GMD and enjoyed some beers before heading home, marveling at the density of folks on High Boy at 4:45 p.m...
...while virtually no one was anywhere else.
I'd love to be up there today, for it's a carbon copy of yesterday, but alas I have some unexpected stuff that needs my attention in the Salt Lake Valley today.
