Day 56: Beautiful day in the neighborhood.
Alta was empty today during the Saturday of bonus weekend, especially in the morning. A few more came out during the day but not enough to create anything remotely resembling a crowd. In was nonetheless warm, sunny, cloudless and windless. In a word, perfect.
Dale and I arrived at 9 a.m. to find GMD shuttered for the season. I booted up on the patio on the few benches that remained and I joined Skidog, Bobby Danger and Tele Jon. The group would ebb and flow throughout the day, including Dale's friends Mark and Geneveive, and Chris whom I met hitching up LCC earlier in the season. Tirolerpeter made a cameo appearance during lunch.
Alta reported six inches from Thursday/Friday, but the dense snow had already compacted by the time we got to it. I boarded with the others and expected to wait at the top for Dale, but when we saw that Ballroom/Baldy Shoulder never opened yesterday, and we were about the 10th chair up Collins this morning we headed straight there and planned to hook up with Dale later. It wasn't quite what I had hoped for, however, finding it stiff, wind affected and inconsistent. Areas that were skied yesterday actually skied quite better than unskied areas today. Therefore, on our second lap while the boys went out to Armpit I waited for Dale at the top of Collins...
...and we all rejoined at the bottom of Armpit.
Shortly thereafter we became separated again. The others headed across the Baldy Shoulder traverse to the top of a Wildcat lift shuttered for the season for the past two weeks (only Collins and Sunnyside are operating this weekend), while I returned to the base to pick up Dale again, this time with Mark and Geneveive. We headed out the High T to Piss Pass, finding Thirds perfectly smooth with a consistent cream cheese layer of new snow atop it as the morning sun was already working its magic. Divine! Next lap was Backside with the entire group now reassembled, and it was thicker still, but I'm glad we were able to get to it when we did.
On our next lap we picked up Chris, but the group splintered again. I was with Mark, Genevieve, Dale, Tele Jon and Chris heading out the High T to a wonderful Greeley Slot while the others returned to Backside. We never saw the others again, and concluded that they ended up next door at the Bird. Jon and I were content to stay put as this is the last weekend for Alta and there will be plenty of time next door in the coming weeks.
Greeley Slot was so good that we returned, this time skiing Garbage Chute, which only had a couple of tracks in the fresh snow. After that run, things become somewhat of a blur in my mind. We lunched again at Watson's as it was the only food option today, which Jon and I accessed from the Wildcat Ridge via the turbo traverse from Collins. We sat on the Watson's Beach and again listened to the same band as last week. They were serving as a "special" last week's Utah trout from upstairs at Collins Grill which has since closed for the season -- it's the first time I think I've actually paid to eat leftovers, but it was quite good as a sandwich.
We skied a West Rustler after lunch, finding things softening up rather nicely, and finished the day with a High Boy which wasn't quite ready for prime time -- scratchy underneath, and balled-up new snow on the bumps. Tomorrow's our big day with a parking lot BBQ planned.
Alta was empty today during the Saturday of bonus weekend, especially in the morning. A few more came out during the day but not enough to create anything remotely resembling a crowd. In was nonetheless warm, sunny, cloudless and windless. In a word, perfect.
Dale and I arrived at 9 a.m. to find GMD shuttered for the season. I booted up on the patio on the few benches that remained and I joined Skidog, Bobby Danger and Tele Jon. The group would ebb and flow throughout the day, including Dale's friends Mark and Geneveive, and Chris whom I met hitching up LCC earlier in the season. Tirolerpeter made a cameo appearance during lunch.
Alta reported six inches from Thursday/Friday, but the dense snow had already compacted by the time we got to it. I boarded with the others and expected to wait at the top for Dale, but when we saw that Ballroom/Baldy Shoulder never opened yesterday, and we were about the 10th chair up Collins this morning we headed straight there and planned to hook up with Dale later. It wasn't quite what I had hoped for, however, finding it stiff, wind affected and inconsistent. Areas that were skied yesterday actually skied quite better than unskied areas today. Therefore, on our second lap while the boys went out to Armpit I waited for Dale at the top of Collins...
...and we all rejoined at the bottom of Armpit.
Shortly thereafter we became separated again. The others headed across the Baldy Shoulder traverse to the top of a Wildcat lift shuttered for the season for the past two weeks (only Collins and Sunnyside are operating this weekend), while I returned to the base to pick up Dale again, this time with Mark and Geneveive. We headed out the High T to Piss Pass, finding Thirds perfectly smooth with a consistent cream cheese layer of new snow atop it as the morning sun was already working its magic. Divine! Next lap was Backside with the entire group now reassembled, and it was thicker still, but I'm glad we were able to get to it when we did.
On our next lap we picked up Chris, but the group splintered again. I was with Mark, Genevieve, Dale, Tele Jon and Chris heading out the High T to a wonderful Greeley Slot while the others returned to Backside. We never saw the others again, and concluded that they ended up next door at the Bird. Jon and I were content to stay put as this is the last weekend for Alta and there will be plenty of time next door in the coming weeks.
Greeley Slot was so good that we returned, this time skiing Garbage Chute, which only had a couple of tracks in the fresh snow. After that run, things become somewhat of a blur in my mind. We lunched again at Watson's as it was the only food option today, which Jon and I accessed from the Wildcat Ridge via the turbo traverse from Collins. We sat on the Watson's Beach and again listened to the same band as last week. They were serving as a "special" last week's Utah trout from upstairs at Collins Grill which has since closed for the season -- it's the first time I think I've actually paid to eat leftovers, but it was quite good as a sandwich.
We skied a West Rustler after lunch, finding things softening up rather nicely, and finished the day with a High Boy which wasn't quite ready for prime time -- scratchy underneath, and balled-up new snow on the bumps. Tomorrow's our big day with a parking lot BBQ planned.
/ :-D