Powder Mountain, UT 10/27/12

[Admin]

Day 1: Pow Wow

Friday night's sushi wasn't supposed to be a planning meeting, but it was hard to ignore the 42 inches of new snow that fell at Powder Mountain this week. By the time Bobby Danger, AmyZ and I left we all had plans to meet at Telejon's house at 7:30 a.m. to head north.

It was a beautiful morning with a thick layer of fog hanging over Pineview Reservoir as we crossed Trapper's Loop.

Fog over Pineview Reservoir (photo: Bobby Danger)

Snow depths increased dramatically as we climbed the steep access road to Powder Mountain. Others had already hammered some of the more obvious skinning destinations like Sunset and Lightning Ridge, but we had other plans. Our skins were in the car but we weren't going to need them.

Sunset - Bobby quipped that this looks as good as some eastern areas look all winter

James Peak (photo: Bobby Danger)

For those who may be unaware, Powder Mountain is an upside-down ski area -- you park at the top. What Pow Mow calls "Powder Country" in season constitutes runs back down to to the access road, where a bus picks you up to return to the ski area. Today, however, Jon's car -- the "Jondola" -- provided our lift service. We parked atop Hidden Lake at 8,894 feet and used the car to shuttle back to the top after each run by taking turns driving.

Oops, we're in violation!

Atop Hidden Lake (L to R: Admin, AmyZ, Telejon) (photo: Bobby Danger)

Ready to roll

There were easily a half dozen other carloads doing precisely what we were doing, but they were taking different lines than we were. We got in 7 laps total at around 1,300 vertical feet each on west and northwest aspects. Our first run was as much exploration as it was skiing, finding the right angles to the sun and the untracked snow. Every other run, however, delivered in spades. And I somehow never hit anything but snow the entire day. We thought about the irony of the fact that we were enjoying an October powder day at one of the few resorts in the country that still doesn't make any snow at all. And honestly, they could have fired up the lifts had they wanted to.

One happy Admin! (photo: Bobby Danger)

Telejon droppin' the knee (photo: Bobby Danger)

Powder Country, on what looks for all the world like a December day (photo: Bobby Danger)

AmyZ (photo: Bobby Danger)

"I wanna be a cow. boy. bay-beeeeeeeee..." (photo: Bobby Danger)

Admin's track through Powder Country aspens (photo: Bobby Danger)

At the pickup point

Telejon

After skiing we headed for the Shooting Star Saloon in Huntsville, the oldest continuously operating tavern in Utah, where we each ordered a Super Star Burger, a $10 heart attack on a bun comprised of two hamburger patties, cheese, bacon and grilled kielbasa, served along with the warm, friendly and sarcastic service of the affable barmaid.

The Shooting Star

"What? Cash only? Let me check my wallet..."

Inside the Shooting Star - note Bobby's belt! (L to R: Bobby Danger, AmyZ, Telejon)

Typical Shooting Star décor

It was a great way to end what was for us a great start to the ski season!

 

[Bobby Danger]

wow-pow-mow !!!!!! it was a very good week in that part of the state for the sport of snow skiing (l.c.c. got half of what up north got ) and to start the year off with jondolas the first day to the tune of six runs myself felt just right . snow had three days to settle in so it wasn't really deep but it sure was consistent snow . snow surface looked to be very bumpy in places (had a bit of b.c. feel) but unless one hit one of the more larger lumps in the snow i never hit a thing. that for all intensive purposes may be some of the years finer aspen skiing . nice long runs of 1200 to 1300 verts in length west northwest facing snow . only one pic to add .

looking forward to hiking tom. up l.c.c. . was a fun day with amy-jon -and admin .

 

[mrgskier]

Wow! Pow Mow really delivers! I am very jealous. Once again it looks like no October skiing for us here in the east (unless you want to endure the CF at Killington). All we are going to get is 3 - 10" of rain out of the hurricane.

I am looking forward to many adventures this winter in the SLC area...let's hope the snow pack cooperates!

 

[mrgskier]

PS. Excellent pictures....you really captured the moment!

 

[EMSC]

=D> =D>

Way to show us slackers how to get after it.

 

[Tony Crocker]

=D> =D> =D>

west and northwest aspects

It looks like (I've learned to check Google Earth, not just trust trail maps for this sort of thing) you would have to hike up to the top of Hidden Lake lift to get a NW fall line back to the road. No matter, the sun is low this time of year, the snow looks great and the rest of us are jealous.

Once again it looks like no October skiing for us here in the east

A certain ski streaker is on his way to West Virginia......should make an interesting story when we read about it here in 2015.

 

[Admin]

We were able to drive right to the top of the Hidden Lake lift.

Sent from my Android phone using Tapatalk 2

 

[Harvey]

Woo hoo!

Um, can I ask...

Were you the only ones using your plan of attack? (Looks like it). If so why?

Nice surf board in the pic of Admin, Amy and Telejon.

 

[otisdelarosa]

This is gonna be great! Snows are everywhere! \/ :snowball fight:

 

[baldyskier]

Great pics. Looks like you got in some great runs. Gotta love PowMow, even in October.

 

[Admin]

Woo hoo!

Um, can I ask...

Were you the only ones using your plan of attack? (Looks like it). If so why?

There were about a half dozen carloads shuttling Powder Country, but the were all skiing more obvious but far less attractive (snow quality wise) lines. There was one group of boarders using a Tacoma to access lines just west of ours by a few hundred yards but no one else was close. I'm guessing that Powder Country's reputation for mostly south facing lines with a lot of crap underneath were the biggest factor in dissuading people from doing what we were doing.


Sent from my Android phone using Tapatalk 2

 

[Tony Crocker]

I'm guessing that Powder Country's reputation for mostly south facing lines with a lot of crap underneath were the biggest factor in dissuading people from doing what we were doing.

That is my impression. Normally you would ski the longest fall lines SW down to the bus pickup. But the Google Earth view shows you get a more NW tilt skiing from the top of Hidden Lake angling more toward Sunset.

 

[Admin]

I'm guessing that Powder Country's reputation for mostly south facing lines with a lot of crap underneath were the biggest factor in dissuading people from doing what we were doing.

That is my impression. Normally you would ski the longest fall lines SW down to the bus pickup. But the Google Earth view shows you get a more NW tilt skiing from the top of Hidden Lake angling more toward Sunset.

Much easier to see on a topo than Google Earth and very easy to see in person.

 

[Bobby Danger]

we were skiing the right shoulder of moose hollow ending each run somewhere low in the bottom of the hollow. the aspen trees i took the pictures in are looking at sundown lift to basically our north - with some west exposure to our right going down the hill . where the only other people that even came close to where we were , they were at least at the start of their run on direct west facing , only they went further right ,can only imagine that they dealt with a bit of crust, with alot of cold snow just below the surface . and more north exposure to our left , but not going to far left led to where everyone was hammering it . don't know why anyone else wasn't where we were , the snow where we ended skiing on except for the first run was superior to anything where the majority was .