Date(s) Skied: July 4, 2011 :flag:
Resort or Ski Area: Snowbird, UT
Conditions: Spring--Corn
Trip Report: For only the third time in Snowbird's 39 year history, there was skiing on the 4th of July. I could not miss it. Originally, I had hoped to ski on Friday, July 1st (Canada Day, eh?) in part because my wife had to work, but we were both pretty sick still, so I postponed my visit until the 4th because when do you get to ski on the 4th of July?
After reading Snowbird's Blog the night before, I got the message that it was going to be busy so I needed to get there early. Even that did not prepare me. I got up at 6:00am and was on the road at about 6:40. I pulled into the Snowbird Center at 7:05. Man, I love the short commute. Even then the lots were filling fast. :blink:
I booted up and picked the appropriate socks for the day:
Having already visited Snowbird the week before, finding the locker room and tickets were a breeze. The only regret I had was that none of the shops were open so I could not snag a commemorative shirt before starting for the day:
I got my ticket and was in line at about 7:20am. By then the line was starting to spill into the plaza. The enthusiasm got me more energized than my coffee on the way up Little Cottonwood Canyon.
At 7:30am they began loading the first tram. I made my way in and watched as they turned away the two guys ahead of me who had store-bought vouchers. Turns out that they were no good for summer skiing and they were directed to the ticket office for the right tickets. I was scanned and waved through to the tram. We crammed in for the ride:
As we climbed to Hidden Peak, the horizon got darker and more foreboding. For most of the week before we had basked in sunshine and Utah heat, and the day before it hit 100 degrees in SLC. But on the way up to Snowbird I thought it looked a bit darker than normal for that earlier in the morning and feared rain.
The tram operator addressed us as we began the final approach to Hidden Peak. "OK, so as you can see, we have some inclimate weather in the area. Pay attention to the weather. If it thunders or if there is lightning, we close immediately. Go inside. Don't stand on the tram deck because it is steel."
"Go inside where?" I thought. "There are 2,000 acres of land to ski, and much of it is open with no shelter." :blink:
We all piled out of the tram and folks hooted and hollared as they stepped into their bindings. I figured worst case was a run or two before thunderstorms and that would be fine for me. Hell, I had never skied in JULY before!
Seeing that the cat track down Hidden Peak to Little Cloud was rocks and required walking, I started down Chip's Access to head to Mineral Basin for some recon:
The run was well groomed corn and did not disappoint, nor did Lupine Loop, but the view across the Basin revealed a dwindling snowpack from the weekend heat:
That said, there was still almost eight feet of snow in places to enjoy on several hundred acres and some lines were still primo.
Second run was down the other side of Mineral Basin, requiring a walk down the bare cat track:
Meh, I wore my older boots, so no worries.
Path to Paradise was narrower than the week before and had some cracks starting to form on the edge. Still, nothing to shake a stick at:
Having surveyed Mineral Basin, I decided to ski a still firm Regulator Johnson to Little Cloud, which had also lost some snow:
But I was still all smiles and enjoying the day.
Regulator Johnson with "Private Parts" exposed (on the right).
American Twin Fork Peaks:
Getting up early paid off and let me get in several runs before the lines formed. Yes, summer skiing can be quite popular. As I was hitting runs, the tram was ferrying hundreds of rabid skiers and riders salivating at the chance of making history by skiing the record 202nd day of the season for Snowbird:
Word came up the lift later in the morning that the line for the tram at the Snowbird Center wound into the plaza and was almost an hour wait. That is to get to the skiing. But being on the first tram gave me the luxury of having plenty of leg room for the first couple hours. Where to go next?
A run down Road to Provo and Mark Malu made me think that it was time to do some exploring off the groomed stuff.
First run was down a tasty Old Lady's Slide that I had hit twice the weekend before. Sweet corn and bumps:
Resort or Ski Area: Snowbird, UT
Conditions: Spring--Corn
Trip Report: For only the third time in Snowbird's 39 year history, there was skiing on the 4th of July. I could not miss it. Originally, I had hoped to ski on Friday, July 1st (Canada Day, eh?) in part because my wife had to work, but we were both pretty sick still, so I postponed my visit until the 4th because when do you get to ski on the 4th of July?
After reading Snowbird's Blog the night before, I got the message that it was going to be busy so I needed to get there early. Even that did not prepare me. I got up at 6:00am and was on the road at about 6:40. I pulled into the Snowbird Center at 7:05. Man, I love the short commute. Even then the lots were filling fast. :blink:
I booted up and picked the appropriate socks for the day:
Having already visited Snowbird the week before, finding the locker room and tickets were a breeze. The only regret I had was that none of the shops were open so I could not snag a commemorative shirt before starting for the day:
I got my ticket and was in line at about 7:20am. By then the line was starting to spill into the plaza. The enthusiasm got me more energized than my coffee on the way up Little Cottonwood Canyon.
At 7:30am they began loading the first tram. I made my way in and watched as they turned away the two guys ahead of me who had store-bought vouchers. Turns out that they were no good for summer skiing and they were directed to the ticket office for the right tickets. I was scanned and waved through to the tram. We crammed in for the ride:
As we climbed to Hidden Peak, the horizon got darker and more foreboding. For most of the week before we had basked in sunshine and Utah heat, and the day before it hit 100 degrees in SLC. But on the way up to Snowbird I thought it looked a bit darker than normal for that earlier in the morning and feared rain.
The tram operator addressed us as we began the final approach to Hidden Peak. "OK, so as you can see, we have some inclimate weather in the area. Pay attention to the weather. If it thunders or if there is lightning, we close immediately. Go inside. Don't stand on the tram deck because it is steel."
"Go inside where?" I thought. "There are 2,000 acres of land to ski, and much of it is open with no shelter." :blink:
We all piled out of the tram and folks hooted and hollared as they stepped into their bindings. I figured worst case was a run or two before thunderstorms and that would be fine for me. Hell, I had never skied in JULY before!
Seeing that the cat track down Hidden Peak to Little Cloud was rocks and required walking, I started down Chip's Access to head to Mineral Basin for some recon:
The run was well groomed corn and did not disappoint, nor did Lupine Loop, but the view across the Basin revealed a dwindling snowpack from the weekend heat:
That said, there was still almost eight feet of snow in places to enjoy on several hundred acres and some lines were still primo.
Second run was down the other side of Mineral Basin, requiring a walk down the bare cat track:
Meh, I wore my older boots, so no worries.
Path to Paradise was narrower than the week before and had some cracks starting to form on the edge. Still, nothing to shake a stick at:
Having surveyed Mineral Basin, I decided to ski a still firm Regulator Johnson to Little Cloud, which had also lost some snow:
But I was still all smiles and enjoying the day.
Regulator Johnson with "Private Parts" exposed (on the right).
American Twin Fork Peaks:
Getting up early paid off and let me get in several runs before the lines formed. Yes, summer skiing can be quite popular. As I was hitting runs, the tram was ferrying hundreds of rabid skiers and riders salivating at the chance of making history by skiing the record 202nd day of the season for Snowbird:
Word came up the lift later in the morning that the line for the tram at the Snowbird Center wound into the plaza and was almost an hour wait. That is to get to the skiing. But being on the first tram gave me the luxury of having plenty of leg room for the first couple hours. Where to go next?
A run down Road to Provo and Mark Malu made me think that it was time to do some exploring off the groomed stuff.
First run was down a tasty Old Lady's Slide that I had hit twice the weekend before. Sweet corn and bumps: