Snowbird, March 9-10, 2011

[Tony Crocker]

I've had a very quiet couple of days. I have a cold and so have limited my ski time: 11,100 vertical on 3/9 and 15,600 on 3/10. Tuesday Al and I rolled out at 11:30AM, did one Cirque run and 3 on Gad 2. Snow was unconsolidated and variable, some scraps of powder deep in the trees. We checked out Powdershots from 3/8 at lunch, then one more tram run, Great Scott for me.

Wednesday was sunny and warm. Lower runs and areas with direct sun are transitioning to spring conditions. The upper mountain was windy, so some very pleasant wind sift conditions are developing in leeward areas. I particularly enjoyed Little Cloud Bowl and Upper Primrose. Upper Silver Fox is similar but roped off for the Big Mountain Comp the rest of the week. I skied the Upper Cirque first run, but I could see snow blowing in there later in the day.

I joined several of our Iron Blosam group late morning and no surprise ended up in Tigertail/Thunder Bowl.

I was exhausted after that and thus fortunate to find the Little Cloud windsift run before lunch.

After lunch I went on my own, Little Cloud to Rasta, then a survey groomed run into Mineral Basin, doesn't look good for going off trail there yet. I skied down to the base via Upper Primrose and Chips, off the hill just after 3 for a short nap.

 

[Admin]

As I suspected, absent a decent shot of new snow it sounds like a groomer weekend. And the avi report bears that out as well:

Light snow is falling in some places this morning, but the grazing storm system isn’t managing to produce much - 1 to 3” near Thaynes on the Park City side, a trace to zero elsewhere. After a warm, windy day and night, winds and temperatures did decrease after midnight. Most stations below freezing this morning, and the westerly winds are less 15 mph, gusting to 20. (Speeds are still higher in the Ogden area mountains, temperatures are just falling below freezing in the Provo area mountains). Between the wind and the sun, dry soft snow is temporarily an endangered species, only to be found on very sheltered, upper elevation northerly facing slopes.

May be time to get Mrs. Admin back up there for her lesson.