Snowbird, March 29, 2016

Tony Crocker

Administrator
Staff member
Most of the snow from the hard to predict storm came early, 6 inches during the ski day Monday and another 10 overnight. We got away early but made a poor choice to start the day at Snowbird Creekside. I have to buy a lift ticket every day with my Mammoth pass, and one ticket window opened 8:30AM and finally a second window at 8:40. Even though I was about 10th in line I got my ticket at 8:51 and joined Liz well beyond the end of the Gadzoom lift maze.

Once Gadzoom opened we moved quickly and were pleased to board Little Cloud without a line there. There was plenty of room to make your own track between the lift and Regulator Johnson coming down, and unlike last week, the snow though dense was not windswept. I ducked through a couple of short tree shots on the way to Gad 2, where I was informed it would be another hour before it opened. I made some fresh tracks down lower Bassackwards and rode Gadzoom and Little Cloud up top again.

I figured I had time to take a long run down Forbidden Forest/Taxwoods and was somewhat surprised to see it had been skied quite a bit by 10AM. Colin got some great pics in there about 9:30. I rode Gadzoom again to the Organ Grinder gate and Gad 2, which had opened at 9:50. After a run near the liftline I wanted to get to Tigertail. The upper 2 gates were closed but by traversing left from the third gate I did make it to lower Tigertail.
IMG_3884.JPG


There were only a handful of tracks there, which was fortunate as there was a refrozen subsurface which I contacted only rarely on the steep lower pitch. I later found that Liz had taken the same gate and Ted’s Bowl back to Gad 2, finding it sufficiently untracked that she did it again.

Meanwhile I skied some low angle powder on Baby Thunder, figuring it would be a little while for the next opening, Mineral Basin. Liz had skied Baby Thunder nearly untracked before 10AM before she went to Gad 2.

Once again I guessed late, as Mineral Basin opened about 10 minutes before I got there. I skied two tracked powder runs in the Silver Dipper and Double Down areas, then a mellow run on Baldy when the Mineral Basin lift line was at its 10+ minute peak. Exiting Mineral Basin I opted for the High Baldy traverse. I worked my way skier’s right, eventually exiting a chute near Keyhole. I then skied down to lunch with the usual sizable group at Rendezvous at 1PM. This included Bobby Dwore’s friend Paul, who was sharing a birthday with Liz.

After lunch we rode the tram and someone tipped off the tram operator to lead a happy birthday song to Paul and Liz. We skied Wilbere Bowl, then took Gadzoom and Little Cloud up to ski Restaurant Roll. It was now 2:45 so Liz and I had to leave for her footbed appointment with Amy’s bootfitter Brent in Park City.
IMG_3886.JPG


It was a typical powder day frenzy so were both cooked by 2:45 anyway. I skied 24,600 vertical, about half of that in powder. It did not snow much but it remained thick overcast with some flat light all day. That was not great for pictures but ideal for preserving the snow. At this time of year even a little bit of sun will soften the snow, as happened with last week’s storm.
 
Back
Top