E. Nigma
New member
Powder day work rules were enacted today, so I went to Alta for a few runs before going to work.
A slightly disappointing 9" of new snow was reported at 5:30 a.m. with light snow still falling, so there were probably 10" or so on the ground when the Collins lift started loading the biggest line I've seen all season at 9:15. That was only the pre-opening crush, for lines were no more than a minute or three for the remainder of the morning. Anon E. Mus and I headed straight for the High T and into Watson Line, which sported only one track. The top couple of turns had been hammered hard by the overnight 45 mph wind gusts, but the remainder of Watson Line delivered dreamy boot-top. I came in below the Tower 10 Traverse, so we monkeyed around the Saddle to return to Collins.
For the second run the lower Backside gate remained closed, and we didn't feel like killing limited time hiking to High Notch, so we opted instead for Fred's Trees. Inconsistency was the rule here, for the wind had worked it hard, but there were pockets of good snow to be found amongst only a few tracks.
I'd meant to head for Wildcat, but screwed up and boarded Collins again. Oh, well. :roll:
By now the Backside gate behind the Collins patrol shack was open, so we headed to Yellow Trail. Nothing like 500 verts of knee-deep in the morning, huh? Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous.
We then rode Sugarloaf to get over to Supreme and straight out to Cath's. This, my friends, delivered the best turns of the season. Again, the high areas near the ridgeline were wind-drifted, but it just got better and better as we headed down. I sped over a blind rise just to skier's right of a "Cliff Area" sign, hoping for the best, and was rewarded with a broad face with only one track. But it just kept getting better when we headed out of bounds along the lower half of the southern end of Patsy Marley and found...drum roll, please...the turns of the year. Five hundred verts or so of untracked, consistent, light, fluffy knee-deep as it had blown in perfectly there. Best of all, no bottom could be felt. Positively orgasmic.
From where we dropped out it was easier to get to Sugarloaf than Supreme, so we boarded Sugarloaf just to cruise down Devil's Elbow to get back to Supreme. Two more Supreme runs were enjoyed -- one in No. 9 Trees to White Squaw Chutes, and one out the Supreme Bowl gate to the Tower 12 chute, continuously working our way left and right in search of fresh.
By now, the other locals had left to go to work, and so did I.
A slightly disappointing 9" of new snow was reported at 5:30 a.m. with light snow still falling, so there were probably 10" or so on the ground when the Collins lift started loading the biggest line I've seen all season at 9:15. That was only the pre-opening crush, for lines were no more than a minute or three for the remainder of the morning. Anon E. Mus and I headed straight for the High T and into Watson Line, which sported only one track. The top couple of turns had been hammered hard by the overnight 45 mph wind gusts, but the remainder of Watson Line delivered dreamy boot-top. I came in below the Tower 10 Traverse, so we monkeyed around the Saddle to return to Collins.
For the second run the lower Backside gate remained closed, and we didn't feel like killing limited time hiking to High Notch, so we opted instead for Fred's Trees. Inconsistency was the rule here, for the wind had worked it hard, but there were pockets of good snow to be found amongst only a few tracks.
I'd meant to head for Wildcat, but screwed up and boarded Collins again. Oh, well. :roll:
By now the Backside gate behind the Collins patrol shack was open, so we headed to Yellow Trail. Nothing like 500 verts of knee-deep in the morning, huh? Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous.
We then rode Sugarloaf to get over to Supreme and straight out to Cath's. This, my friends, delivered the best turns of the season. Again, the high areas near the ridgeline were wind-drifted, but it just got better and better as we headed down. I sped over a blind rise just to skier's right of a "Cliff Area" sign, hoping for the best, and was rewarded with a broad face with only one track. But it just kept getting better when we headed out of bounds along the lower half of the southern end of Patsy Marley and found...drum roll, please...the turns of the year. Five hundred verts or so of untracked, consistent, light, fluffy knee-deep as it had blown in perfectly there. Best of all, no bottom could be felt. Positively orgasmic.
From where we dropped out it was easier to get to Sugarloaf than Supreme, so we boarded Sugarloaf just to cruise down Devil's Elbow to get back to Supreme. Two more Supreme runs were enjoyed -- one in No. 9 Trees to White Squaw Chutes, and one out the Supreme Bowl gate to the Tower 12 chute, continuously working our way left and right in search of fresh.
By now, the other locals had left to go to work, and so did I.
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