Snowbird 1/1/2025

S

Sbooker

Well-known member
We’re back in SLC. The decision on where to go was difficult as Alta probably would have been best but Tom is on a snowboard and considering I don’t know how much snow time he’ll get in the next few years we wanted to let him do the thing he enjoys most so it was Snowbird or Snowbasin. Emily and myself love Snowbird but Kylie is a little intimidated by it (which is strange because she isn’t by Jackson). Kylie said she’d go to Snowbird if she could have an easy day.

Tom was kind enough to offer to cruise around with Kylie while I skied with Emily for a while. There were no lift lines aside from the tram so we opted to catch two lifts (Gadzoom and Little Cloud) to do a few laps of the Cirque.
That was all going well until I got bucked off a bump on the traverse while trying to dodge a rock. I went head first under the rope which had Gad Chutes closed. For a gaper like me the traverse is more challenging than the runs off the top.

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The cold temps ensured the snow was nice.

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Emily somewhere near Mid Cirque I think.

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The Peruvian lift line about 11am.

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Emily was chuffed to be able to easily ski some more difficult runs.

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Kylie’s dad that passed recently was named Roger.

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Emily likes Snowbird because of the abundance of interesting natural features that suit non expert skiers.

It started snowing moderately as we left at 4pm.
 
I'm still pleasantly surprised by manageable crowds, though Jan. 1 is usually light vs. the prior 5 days.

I assume Kylie and Tom's departures back to Oz are imminent.
 
Tony Crocker said:
I'm still pleasantly surprised by manageable crowds, though Jan. 1 is usually light vs. the prior 5 days.
Click to expand...
Low snow levels in the first half of December may have discouraged some travelers. Locals have no reason to ski LCC/BCC during the holiday weeks when there is low coverage and no powder storms. There are assorted approaches to paying for lift access for a local that includes blackout dates during holiday periods.
 
MarzNC said:
Locals have no reason to ski LCC/BCC during the holiday weeks when there is low coverage and no powder storms.
Click to expand...
LCC/BCC have had 3 feet of snow during the holiday week. That has improved surfaces but terrain expansions have been modest due to control work required after the extended dry spell the first 3 weeks of December. After another 8 inches last night all of Alta's avalanche exposed terrain remains closed today.
 
Tony Crocker said:
I'm still pleasantly surprised by manageable crowds, though Jan. 1 is usually light vs. the prior 5 days.

I assume Kylie and Tom's departures back to Oz are imminent.
Click to expand...
Kylie and Tom go back tomorrow. I understand this trip appears rushed and it has been. If it were up to me alone there is no way we would have paid huge money for holiday flights and battled the crowds over the festive season. But the prime objective was to get to two oldies together for what will likely be a last time.
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Skiing was always going to be involved if there was snow but it was a secondary thing to a degree. Despite that we’ve had some fantastic ski days. Our Mountains Collective Passes have paid for themselves with Tom getting 7 days at super high quality mountains. Kylie and I used the passes in New Zealand in September and will use them in Chamonix in March. And Emily and I will likely get some days on it next week in BC.
We also went to Homestead Crater which we’ve been wanting to do for ages.

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We have taken in wonderful scenery that we just don’t get at home and spent nearly a couple of weeks together as a family which is rare now the kids have their licences and boyfriends and girlfriends and busy social and work lives.
 
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