Alta, UT 3/4/2006 - powder day

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Day 35.

I usually subscribe to the theory that if you can feel the bottom, it isn't a powder day.

But today still qualifies in my books. 7 inches of 6% blower dressed Alta today, and it skied exceptionally well. It didn't hurt, either, that we spotted the patrol turning around the closed sign atop the Baldy Shoulder traverse right as we got off our first lift ride up Collins. The Kid and I were only the second and third bodies out the traverse! Then, we popped onto Main Street that had been groomed overnight before the snow started! \:D/

We then headed straight to Catherine's. My favorite line had yet to have a track in it! We headed out beyond the area boundary as usual, and while the refrozen crust underneath the snow on that western aspect was more noticeable than elsewhere, it still skied mighty fine.

We headed up Sugarloaf in hopes that Devil's Castle would open, and while folks were already lining up at the gate we opted to ski down to a recently opened Cecret Saddle instead, looping back to Sugarloaf via Cabin Hill. While waiting in line at Sugarloaf we saw the first skiers heading out the Castle Traverse, so of course we high-tailed it out there and started bootpacking.

We traversed way, way out to an entire northern aspect without a single track in it. Amazing!!

We headed into Devil's Castle the other way -- off of Supreme -- twice before one more full-on Castle hike from Sugarloaf. That was enough to call it a day at 1:10, so we rode Sugarloaf one more time to get back to Baldy Shoulder and cruise back to the truck, 14,426 verts later -- not a bad tally considering that every run except for the first required at least some degree of hiking.
 

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Why wasn't this L-A-S-T weekend? :cry:

Looks like a killer day - blue skies, fresh snow. Only 19 days until I return...
 
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