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ss20 Takes on Utah
- Thread starter ss20
- Start date
ss20
Well-known member
You were right. I finished the day well under my daily average for $$$. Albion was 7/8th full. Sugarloaf and Supreme lines maxed out at 8ish minutes from my estimate.
Meanwhile we heard Snowbird sold out of lessons...I'm sure they sold out of parking as well.
We’re coming up tomorrow. Brighton was busy Friday and Friday night.
ss20
Well-known member
Snow is firm but the weather is still stunning. Finally looks like we'll get 6"+ Tues-Thurs this coming week. Even the old-timers are impressed at how well the snow is holding up.
My life has been crazy. New friends. New lady. Making more money that I expected. Drinking more PBR than I ever have before, even compared to college. I can't complain about a damn thing.
My life has been crazy. New friends. New lady. Making more money that I expected. Drinking more PBR than I ever have before, even compared to college. I can't complain about a damn thing.
ss20
Well-known member
We are back to decent conditions. Today was 12" of fluff! Powder day today and while Snowbird was a shitshow Alta had lines under 5 minutes and Albion lot half full. Coming home took 10 minutes more than a dry commute. Nobody comes to Alta anymore, it's too crowded!
I will say that the parking reservations have made our season. We have now skied almost all but four days at Alta exclusively. I did ski both Alta/Snowbird yesterday and the lines at Snowbird on all lifts were long. I heard from more than one visitor there that they have seen people park at Snowbird (free parking) and then ride the bus to Alta. I wish that they would coordinate with each other.
As I said in another thread, I am really torn because I like the terrain at Snowbird but the level of service has denigrated to such a terrible level. The recent IKON announcement showed that Alta at least thought about their passholders in weighing IKON. Snowbird didn't. It seems that Snowbird now only cares about IKON and Seven Summits members. Their $10 million book of season passholder business has melted. It makes no sense.
jimk
Well-known member
The Bird was pretty good March 7 and 8. Good snow, reasonable crowds. It's spring break time and I can tell there are a lot of out of towners on the hill. Hopefully LCC and BCC get a big dump 1-2 feet tonight and tomorrow!!
(I didn't ski on Sunday the 6th, which was a bad day for crowds/traffic at the Bird. Son went up and said the drive took 90 mins longer than usual.)
3/8/22, On Big Emma with one of my three daughters that ski.
(I didn't ski on Sunday the 6th, which was a bad day for crowds/traffic at the Bird. Son went up and said the drive took 90 mins longer than usual.)
3/8/22, On Big Emma with one of my three daughters that ski.
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You are lucky--17" last night. I am running a conference that ends today and then jetting out for vacation to Hawaii. So now it is going to snow.......
jimk
Well-known member
A mid-winter break in Hawaii ain't chopped liver! 
ss20
Well-known member
Two feet+ is just what the doctor ordered. Exactly the snow we needed.... first 12-16" dense and supportive, followed by Utah fluff. I was super super lucky. No AM assignment so I got to go out and ski! I was very early up the Supreme lift right as it opened. I got 2 first tracks runs through the woods between No. 9 and Challenger. Amazing! And the obligatory ski school Vail Ridge hot lap. I had a mid-day assignment but got to go out again from 2:45-close. Even better fresh tracks to be had. Highlights being two consecutive laps on woods near Eagles Nest and a lap on Gunsight to end the day. I am sore from skiing for the first time since January! It's so much fun to have a truly epic powder day when I actually know where to go, LOL. Tomorrow is my first day off in three weeks but I will be at Alta bright and early!
jimk
Well-known member
Happy for you!
I'm actually taking today and tomorrow off to do some non-ski stuff with visiting family members, but I have another couple months out here in UT to make up for it.
And I'm hoping to ski the Bird on Fri-Sun, crowds be damned.
No complaints. A week in Big Sky, ten days in Maui. Not bad.A mid-winter break in Hawaii ain't chopped liver!
ss20
Well-known member
AWESOME! I'm not at the seniority level yet to be teaching bottomless pow to high level kids, but I do have plenty of kids and adults going on ungroomed intermediate terrain with me. Yesterday I took some kids on fresh powder on Race Hill at Alta and they LOVED it. It's so cute as you hear them hooting/hollering/"yewwwwing" like adults do! It really is an innate response!
ss20
Well-known member
It was a week of HEAT here in Utah. Valley temps were near 80 for a few days. I knew the sun was SUPER strong here...but here's something I nearly learned the hard way... I'm used to shadows=fast sun=slow in the northeast. A slight, but noticeable change in surface. Here it's a 10fold difference it feels like! Keeps you on your toes!
10" of wet snow tonight. Another 3" coming Thursday. Wet/cold for the next week or so looks to be the pattern. I bought an Ikon base for this spring and next winter. So stoked to start exploring more of the places I dreamed of visiting!
10" of wet snow tonight. Another 3" coming Thursday. Wet/cold for the next week or so looks to be the pattern. I bought an Ikon base for this spring and next winter. So stoked to start exploring more of the places I dreamed of visiting!
ss20
Well-known member
Solid day at Snowbird today. 134 and last for me. Some of the most variable skiing I've ever done. My first run down Peruvian had 5" of powder, refrozen "grooming", and a firm wind/sun packed crust at the bottom which was just starting to soften up. Top half of the Cirque is open and it's skiing fantastic! First time I've gotten first tracks in that area (I've only got about 10 lifetime days at the Bird). Old Ladies was a gem today hidden in plain sight of the lift. At noon there was still 3" of powder in a 200 foot wide corridor that was horrific on either other side. Mineral did not turn to slush til late.
It was weird not ending the season doing Superstar laps or even doing bumps in general.... I guess 2nd tracks down this part of Cirque makes up for it!
It was weird not ending the season doing Superstar laps or even doing bumps in general.... I guess 2nd tracks down this part of Cirque makes up for it!
Congrats on 134 days, that is not easy to do!
ss20
Well-known member
6 days a week December 1-May 1!
Gonna shoot for 150 next year. Also looking into a NZ work visa in the near-far future.
jaytrem
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You could always come to NJ and work in the dome. I'm sure that's just as good as NZ.
ss20
Well-known member
The never-ending season continues.... first June skiing I've done (never had the desire to do Killington with walk-on/walk-off even with season passes).
Great day at Alta today, June 15th. Skiing might be continuous to the bottom... there is a very short walking patch at the Collins angle station but there could be a way around it. I hiked Baldy shoulder, then traversed/5 minute hiked up to the top of the Saddle, then hiked 5 minutes out of the stream bed towards the Collin's mid station and skied ShNina's all the way. Perfect weather. I hiked, did not skin. Took me the same amount of time to get up as the skinner's. 90% of my hike was on dry ground, 10% was on snow that had already been bootpacked. Get it while you can, gonna be a lot more patches in a week or so. Bottom of Corkscrew will be walking required probably by the weekend.
Great day at Alta today, June 15th. Skiing might be continuous to the bottom... there is a very short walking patch at the Collins angle station but there could be a way around it. I hiked Baldy shoulder, then traversed/5 minute hiked up to the top of the Saddle, then hiked 5 minutes out of the stream bed towards the Collin's mid station and skied ShNina's all the way. Perfect weather. I hiked, did not skin. Took me the same amount of time to get up as the skinner's. 90% of my hike was on dry ground, 10% was on snow that had already been bootpacked. Get it while you can, gonna be a lot more patches in a week or so. Bottom of Corkscrew will be walking required probably by the weekend.
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