Days 12-14: Standing in front of a fire hose.
I started my weekend off on Friday with a half day of skiing at Alta. Warm temps, clear blue skies. Although three inches of fluffy new snow fell the day before, much of it was left untracked as there was almost no one else there. Only twice did I ride a lift with someone else.
The first wave of the big storm arrived overnight Friday night and left several inches of new snow to start the day with an expected lull in the action. It was dense and creamy, so much so that it kept you off the sub-surface. Mid-morning, however, the leading edge of the real storm finally arrived with big, fluffy Chamber of Commerce-style snowflakes gently floating down out of the sky.
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPN21pNmjI8&feature=youtu.be[/video]
The start of the storm on Saturday morning
We got separated from TheOtherAmy and Corey. When Bobby Danger and AmyZ opted to head on an exploratory run to Snowbird around mid-day, I skied two more runs and called it quits, opting instead to save some leg for Sunday.
Sunday was the real deal.
Snow was falling at 2" per hour. The wind was howling to the point that you'd turn away from it to keep your face from getting sandblasted. We went to Supreme early on and arrived shortly after that lift first opened for the day, rewarding us with three quick laps before others caught on to the fact that Supreme was open.
But it was heavy lower down -- around 14% mid-mountain at 9,700 feet and perhaps as high as 20% near the 8,500-foot resort base. Honestly, this wasn't good snow for skiing, but it's just what the doctor ordered to lock in a solid base for the rest of the season.
After lunch we made the mistake of trying a bus run. The snow was so dense, and sufficiently windslabbed that I went over the handlebars twice in less than 100 feet. The others seemed to fare much better, but I just couldn't ski it.
By the time we got back, shortly after 2 pm the weather had shut down both Collins and Wildcat. We took a quick lap on Sunnyside before Bobby Danger and I called it quits. The snow level kept rising, and by the time I drove down canyon it was raining at the base of Snowbird.
With only 15 minutes remaining on the Winter Storm Warning, the snow total now reported from this storm is 28". Some areas have reported as much as 4" of water weight, a remarkable amount of moisture for a storm around here. Base depths are now 5 feet, and it should be topped with 6-12" of our more typical Wasatch fluff as a Christmas present this Thursday. Winter has arrived!
I started my weekend off on Friday with a half day of skiing at Alta. Warm temps, clear blue skies. Although three inches of fluffy new snow fell the day before, much of it was left untracked as there was almost no one else there. Only twice did I ride a lift with someone else.
The first wave of the big storm arrived overnight Friday night and left several inches of new snow to start the day with an expected lull in the action. It was dense and creamy, so much so that it kept you off the sub-surface. Mid-morning, however, the leading edge of the real storm finally arrived with big, fluffy Chamber of Commerce-style snowflakes gently floating down out of the sky.
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPN21pNmjI8&feature=youtu.be[/video]
The start of the storm on Saturday morning
We got separated from TheOtherAmy and Corey. When Bobby Danger and AmyZ opted to head on an exploratory run to Snowbird around mid-day, I skied two more runs and called it quits, opting instead to save some leg for Sunday.
Sunday was the real deal.
Snow was falling at 2" per hour. The wind was howling to the point that you'd turn away from it to keep your face from getting sandblasted. We went to Supreme early on and arrived shortly after that lift first opened for the day, rewarding us with three quick laps before others caught on to the fact that Supreme was open.
But it was heavy lower down -- around 14% mid-mountain at 9,700 feet and perhaps as high as 20% near the 8,500-foot resort base. Honestly, this wasn't good snow for skiing, but it's just what the doctor ordered to lock in a solid base for the rest of the season.
After lunch we made the mistake of trying a bus run. The snow was so dense, and sufficiently windslabbed that I went over the handlebars twice in less than 100 feet. The others seemed to fare much better, but I just couldn't ski it.
By the time we got back, shortly after 2 pm the weather had shut down both Collins and Wildcat. We took a quick lap on Sunnyside before Bobby Danger and I called it quits. The snow level kept rising, and by the time I drove down canyon it was raining at the base of Snowbird.
With only 15 minutes remaining on the Winter Storm Warning, the snow total now reported from this storm is 28". Some areas have reported as much as 4" of water weight, a remarkable amount of moisture for a storm around here. Base depths are now 5 feet, and it should be topped with 6-12" of our more typical Wasatch fluff as a Christmas present this Thursday. Winter has arrived!
