volklyokel

Last day was the best, as it often goes. Over the weekend the Wastach picked-up about two feet of new snow. The locals were crying for it, so it was a good thing to finally get it. I opted for a somewhat short day at Snowbird (this cold/bronchitis has kept me at about half of my normal daily skiing). It was a primo powder day with about 10" to glide through practically everywhere. Anyway, for anyone who has followed this thread, I hope it has whetted your appetite. It sounds like there are a sequence of storms lining up to come into the Wastach Front over the next week, so if you're planning a trip out, you should have some really good powder conditions out here. Cheers everyone - I see that Doug has made his pilgrimage to Jackson. Hope he's having a good time. John - AKA V.Y.

Was at Brighton, yesterday and Deer Valley today. I've posted photos from each. Here is a repeat of the link. Tomorrow I'll step it up a little and head to Snowbasin. Forecast is for light snow overnight, but this system is coming from the west-southwest, so it will probably be wetter than the typical lake effect powder. At this point, anything will do. I've enjoyed the skiing but haven't been able to equal numbers of runs and vertical as I have in the past. A combination of not being in the best shape and, at the same time, trying to shake a case of bronchitis has held me back.

Ugh. Anyone coming out here to start their ski season, better do tons of deep knee bends before coming out. I wish I had. I had one of my wimpiest starting days of my life (I guess being 53 gives me some wiggle room, but not much). Anyway, Solitude was solitudinal on inauguration day. Which is great, room for everyone. Its all packed powder, everywhere. I hope for those coming out soon, this doggone omega block high pressure system moves its ass eastward or dissipates soon. There hasn't been any new snow in at least a week and there is a hint of a small amount (couple of inches) Thursday night and Friday. Anyway, the weather was pristine which is a far cry from the code red inversion that the SLC valley endured all day. I have posted photos and rather than give individual links, here is a link to the main Utah 2009 folder. Six photos from Solitude. I'll be adding more as each day goes on. I am on track to keep to the schedule I gave in my opening post. I hope each day to be able to go further, longer, and faster. Just do it! My kick ass run, today, was on Diamond Lane, which is always a good time. I got on every lift except the Summit lift (my desire was to get a look at Honeycomb, but my muscles rebelled and won). I doubt that Honeycomb is much fun, given the lack of new snow. Sol-Bright which is a nice cruise through the woods on a narrow trail, is closed because of mud on the north-facing slope. The new high speed quads (Apex and Moonbeam Express) are very welcome, but I'm glad that the Summit and Powderhorn chairs are still doubles. The Sunshine lift remains a slow-moving triple. I'll bet the Sunshine lift might be next, if the econ doesn't hammer the resort. I can't imagine the Summit chair ever becoming a HS quad. The slopes that start from there couldn't handle that kind of flood of people. More tomorrow, unless my muscles go into total shut-down mode. Thanks for the interest and I hope my photos help those making a visit soon.

Just a forewarning that starting the 20th (inauguration day, or as I'm calling it ignore-uration day) I'll be riding Wasatch trails. Nice to be back on PSAR having not been very active for a while. Last year's move to the DC area has taken me further from my favorite southern PA hills. This year, like last, I may only have the skiing I do out here in Utah as my only ski days. Anyway, since I have family out here, we're heading to Hardware Ranch today for a sleigh ride and a good look at the local elk. Tomorrow is another family day and then once everyone heads to work, then I'll hit the slopes (can you imagine living in Utah and NOT skiing - well, that's my family). Here's the plan: 1/20 - Solitude (perfect place for inauguration day) 1/21 - Brighton 1/22 - Deer Valley (the Sundance Festival is in full swing, so I'll keep an eye out for celeb skiers) 1/23 - Snowbasin 1/26 - Snowbird I return to the east on 1/27. I'll be a sore puppy, having not had any ski time up to this point in the season. Weather is mostly clear, hazy in the SLC valley. No significant snow in the forecast, nor has there been any for the last five days, so finding any untracked off-piste pow will take some creative cache snooping. It looks like its going to be a groomer kind of week, doggone it. Sometimes you hit it good, sometimes not. Bases are running between 60 and 85 inches. Temps near 30. More Tuesday... with links to photos

Sheesh - I'm on an airplane on the 26th, heading back. Sorry to miss you Johnny. I'll be up at Snowbird on Monday the 24th, though.

Strawberry was closed in the morning I was there, so the chutes off of DeMoisy Peak were closed as well. With the 1.5 feet of snow we've gotten in the past couple of days and the 1-2 feet expected tonight, I'm sure the chutes will be in good shape, at least for the first few who venture off from there, tomorrow or Saturday. Honeycomb was open on 12/19 when I paid Solitude a visit, and lots of folks were making the trek, with quite a few heading for Fantasy Ridge. I opted not to head that way. Snow coverage looked good, but was deceivingly skimpy. People who went down Honeycomb were looking at their ski/board bases afterwards. Again, with last night's snow and tonight's expected dumping. Honeycomb will be great tomorrow and Saturday. Solitude was great with about 10 inches of overnight powder having fallen. I rode mostly ungroomed blues spanning from the Sunrise lift to the Eagle Express. Made a couple of runs off of the Summit chair, but as I mentioned above, didn't stray into Honeycomb. I saw too much shrub sticking up through the snow for me to want to stray down the canyon. Today, I spent the morning at Brighton and rode a mix of greens and blues. I was skiing solo and didn't drift into stuff beyond what I was comfortable with. But little dips into the trees led me into 12-15" powder caches and I have to say that it was B+ grade of powder. Not totally light and fluffy, but a bit thicker than normal. The storm that dropped this came from the southwest, and was warmer than usual. Salt Lake Valley was up to 49 degrees today. But tonight, a cold front approaches from the northwest, so we really can't complain about today's thick snow. The 1 to 2 feet of dry pow that comes tonight will be great on top of good thick, base snow. I plan on hitting Snowbird either tomorrow or Monday. We'll have to see whether Little Cottonwood Canyon Road is open in the morning. I've posted a dozen photos on my PBase site. I'll let the you have a look, if you're interested.

Arrived in Utah Saturday, and since I have family out here, I can't hit the slopes right away, nor every day. So this trip's report may be a little spotty and hit and miss. Got out on Monday (12/17) up to Snowbasin, east of Ogden. About 65% of the mountain is open, and the Strawberry area didn't open until after noon due to wind concerns, and I never got over there. I had picked up a couple of friends on my way to Snowbasin and rode all day with a rather beginning teen snowborder, so that kept the number of runs/vert a bit low. Actually it suited me just fine since it was my first day out skiing for the season. I knew I was "rusty" when I got to the resort and realized that I left my poles back at my sister's! Won't let that happen again! But the folks at Snowbasin were cool about renting me some of theirs, but I must admit, theirs seemed too flexible for my taste. Conditions were basically packed powder. The area hasn't received any decent snowfalls for at least five days. 7-10" is predicted for tonight. Anyway, with the beginner snowboarder, we warmed up with a quick run on Little Cat (bunny run, but bigger than the whole of Roundtop), and then hopped the Becker chair and started down green runs Slo Road and had hoped to catch Bear Hollow and Snow Shoe, but my beginner boarder missed a turn and went down an intermediate run called Willow Springs. She did better on it than the green runs, so I suggested we ride up the Needles Gondola and give it a go from the top. She was a little scared at the top, but with some coaxing I was able to start her down Sweet Revenge, then down easier slopes on Porcupine and Middle Bowl Traverses into Bear Hollow. We took a break for lunch and then made two more runs from top to bottom, coming down runs through Porcupine Bowl, under the Needles Gondola and finishing on City Hill Which has enough steep to keep me interested. My young boarder made some dramatic improvements in her technique, yesterday, and had a lot of fun. I don't know if I was much help, a skier who has never been on a board is probably not much help. I was trying to get her to use the edge more. Here is a shot from part way down when an opening in the clouds made for some interesting light on the mountains. I hope to get up Big Cottonwood Canyon and visit either Brighton or Solitude tomorrow (today's a family day), after the new snow falls. Could be a great day tomorrow. When I'm on my own, I'm more apt to take more photos, so I hope to have a good batch, tomorrow. Thursday, I am aiming for Snowbird or Alta, depending on who has the more enticing snow report. Its good to be flexible on where you go... More later - VY

This morning, the models are putting the significant snow further north, like the map Papasteeze posted yesterday. The GFS model puts the most snow over Connecticut at a foot plus. The NCEP models show more in NE PA. Elk could hit it big. But the precip forecasts for resorts in central, southern and eastern PA might not get this one. Check out the maps by clicking on this.

I missed this question when it was first posted. I'd have to say that RT03 gave a pretty helpful answer. I'm no park runner, but I keep an eye on them when riding the lifts. With last year's snow struggle, I'd have to give RT an A+ for trying to get the parks up and running. Personally, I find RT to be a good local exercise hill, a place to refine skills. If you're in Harrisburg, it's just a hop down the freeway. But as a destination, its not all that exciting. I'd be hard pressed to recommend to anyone driving more than two hours to go there, especially if there are other hills closer to them. RT gives you 600 feet of vert, which isn't too much. But I find the lack of crowds (weekdays), quality grooming and the general friendliness of the locals to be its strong points. Its worth checking out and keeping an eye on as the season develops, especially since it is so close to Harrisburg. VY

Roundtop did some real hiccuping at the end of the season. They announced they're closing, then they stayed open; they re-announced they're closing, then they stayed open; and on and on. Nonetheless, it was a good season and they made some bucks off of my season pass. I'm happy and they're happy, not a bad deal. On to nature and railroad photography. See you next season...

Roundtop closes tomorrow, Monday, 3/19. It was a good season while it lasted. Sorry we had such a slow start because I only just broke 200k of vertical! Here is a pie chart plot of my skiing vertical by mountain: Because the weather was so warm through December and January, Utah skiing comprises a little more than a quarter of my skiing this year. Roundtop takes the claim for being where I skied the most vert. Thanks to the R/T staff, once again, for making it as good as you could, when the cold air finally got here! VolklYokel

Looks like an old video of goofy stunts from the late 80's. The Tangerine Dream sound track added some fun, but the editing was pretty bad. I liked the train jumping sequence, with good old Southern Pacific locos (which are mostly gone now).

Thursday brought me to Brighton. A small front passed through last night, giving the Salt Lake Valley rain, but it dropped 6-8" of new snow up in Big Cottonwood Canyon. No chains needed, thankfully. I opted to begin the day on the Milli side, riding up the lift with about a dozen other powder hounds. It was good, but the powder was thicker than usual. This storm was a bit damp and I'd call the powder "good" by PA standards, but not as light and fluffy as I've ridden before in Utah. It took work to ride it well. After a couple of mixed runs on the Milli side, I jumped over to the Crest express and came down Thunder Road, which was loaded with 5-6" of new snow. Hopped on Snake Creek Express where I made quite a few runs down various combinations of runs. Only the green runs had attention by the groomers, so it was best to stay on the blues/blacks, unless you wanted an easy ride. I took a few of those too. Like I said, the new snow took work. Took a break for lunch, rode up the Majestic Quad, back over to Snake Creek Express for a couple more runs, then down for one ride up the Great Western lift, coming down Elk Park and Golden Needle. Clouds began to break in the afternoon and with the already thick snow beginning to turn into thick paste, I opted to make one last run down off the Snake Creek Express. This photo is a panorama taken from the top of Great Western Express. Brighton is really a beautiful place. Other photos are in my Utah Gallery. Just scroll through and enjoy.

Skied Solitude today and, as I always do here, I had a blast. Weather was just like Monday, warm, with temps near 50 by noon. The snow was really fine for the first 90 minutes, then slowly moved to slippery peanut butter and then greasy mashed potatoes in some places that caught lots of sun. I made runs off practically all the lifts. I worked the bottom of the resort in the morning. But my second run was on Diamond Lane, which is one of my favorite speed steeps. Then I ran Serenity off the Eagle Express and then moved up the hill to the Sunshine/Summit Lift and made several runs from there. I had never explored much below the Sunrise Chairlift, but found some nice, hardly used runs, notably Timberline. I took a ton of photos, with the best being posted here. Here's a shot from the top of Honeycomb Canyon. I opted not to drop in, as I prefer it in powder. Folks I talked to who ran it said it was one mile of good fun, at the high elevations, and two miles of slog. Kind of glad I opted out and stayed on the front side. Anyway, the view was damn nice.

Spent Monday at Snowbasin. Went up with a couple of friends who are pretty much beginner snowboarders, so it kept a lid on how much I was able to ski. It was a pretty busy day for Snowbasin, the worse crowd I encountered was in having to wait maybe 3 minutes in the lift line for the Strawberry Express Gondola. Conditions were sweet at opening, packed powder, very smooth. Had a high overcast until about 11, then sun came out and warmed up everything. Conditions went to "peanut butter" not long after that. I only made 6 runs in 10,500 feet of vert. Because of the beginners I was with, I ran a couple of greens to begin with. I probably was little help being a skier giving pointers to snowboarders, but there was a noticeable improvement in their abilities as the day wore on. After those green runs, I left the beginners to practice on the bunny slope and I hopped on the Needles Express Gondola and headed over to Strawberry Basin. Made a couple of runs there, hopping between various blues that lace the whole basin. Took a lunch break at the main lodge and ran a couple more greens with the friends before packing it in. Pics can be seen in this gallery, but here is one of Strawberry Peak laced with lots of powder lines, most likely ran over the weekend. A Snowbasin employee informed me that Saturday was their second busiest day of the season. Off today with family. Up to Brighton or Solitude tomorrow. Looks like the rest of the week is going to be warm.