Snowbird, UT 5/17/08

[Admin]

Day 60: Temps in the mid 60s under a blazing sun, with wall-to-wall corn. What's not to like? 8)

Hard to believe, then, that I had a hard time motivating myself this morning to get up there and didn't even leave the house until 11. I haven't skied in three weeks. Half of our usual posse is spending the weekend at a mountain biking festival in the San Rafael Desert. Driving though the Valley this morning I passed people towing boats and campers, bicyclists out riding and golfers swinging clubs. With temps at 5,000 feet reaching the mid-80s (it's 85 here at my house as I type this) I had visions of Elmer's glue. I was never so happy to be wrong.

I headed up the Peruvian chair and through the tunnel into Mineral Basin, and even skier's left of Lone Star wasn't yet porridge. Skiing under the chair Bobby Danger and Skidog passed overhead, and the two waited atop Hidden Peak for me to arrive.

After that we discovered that Old Lady's was in her prime -- an inch or two of perfect billiard table-smooth corn over a supportable base, and we ripped it up again and again, lap after lap, quickly running into Marc_C as well. A couple of runs later Bob's friends Jennifer and Georgie joined us for a trip out to Hourglass, and the run after that we ventured even further into Gad Chutes, all the while remaining mindful of our need to cut back in time to return to Little Cloud.

After a couple of hours things were finally starting to get heavy and we wrapped things up with a trip down Great Scott to cold beers under the hot sun along the Bypass Road. I have to hurry up as we're all getting together for dinner this evening, too. Tomorrow we'll be guiding semi-lurker Sheahunter's wife around when it'll be even 5-10 degrees warmer.

It just doesn't get any better than this.

And Thank God for digital cameras! I somehow shot 395 frames today, which with a film camera would've left me broke. Here are some of the best of them:

 

[Tony Crocker]

Where is Hourglass? Similar area/aspect as Candelabra?

When was the last time it snowed? Looks it's finally settled out to widespread corn. As opposed to my visit 3 years ago this weekend.

Cover looks comparable even though snowfall is only 85% of 2005. Any chance they will go past June 1?

 

[Marc_C]

Where is Hourglass? Similar area/aspect as Candelabra?

Identical - it's the first of the Gad Chutes from the Mid-Cirque traverse gate. Next one to the north is The Wide One, then Video, then Candelabra. Wide One and Video are still skiable (we did Wide yesterday), Candelabra is toast.

When was the last time it snowed?

Got a few inches this past week, and about a foot around 12 days ago.

Looks it's finally settled out to widespread corn. As opposed to my visit 3 years ago this weekend.

Yes, it has! Joyous until warming/softening makes it unsupportable. Although the lifts were running till 3p through this weekend, we've been stopping between 2 and 2:30 - it's just too sloppy and heavy after that, on all but the highest aspects.

Any chance they will go past June 1?

Yes - they've even hinted at it, but it all depends, and May is the biggest weather crap-shoot of the year. While the past 3 weeks have been abnormally cool, this past weekend and the next 2 days are 10 to 20 degrees above average. It was 86 at my house when I got home this afternoon.

 

[Sharon]

Skidog, you should be wearing a hat, or you'll burn your solar sex panel

 

[Tony Crocker]

Is something going on between these 2 that the rest of us should know about :lol: ?

 

[Skidog]

Skidog, you should be wearing a hat, or you'll burn your solar sex panel

I did....too late...

I put on, correct that SLATHERED on sunblock that morning, but the first hike of the day with Bobby D mustve sweat it right off....weirdest thing...just the very hairline and forehead burned like a mother...

Oh well....hot or not...some sort of hat from here on out.

M