Park City Mountain Resort 12/28

There's no such thing as a bad day when you spend your day skiing. But, some days are better than others. And this wasn't one of them!

It was so *COLD*! Air temp was 2 degrees this morning but with windchill and humidity, it felt like -13! I made the mistake of thinking this would keep people indoors, but there were still a surprising number of people on the slopes at Park City. *I* should have stayed indoors because I found I couldn't make more than a few runs without taking a break. After two runs on McConkey's, we stopped for an early lunch. Three more runs in the afternoon and that was enough for me. Oh well. May tomorrow be warmer.


(Top of Payday.)

If you go, bundle up! Definitely take the finger and toe warmers. And stop often for hot chocolate! Enjoy.

'til later,
- Jeff

Canyons 12/26

I had other plans for today, but when they fell through I decided to get in a few runs. I grabbed my snowboard and headed to the Canyons for a little bit right around noon.


(Sun over Flight of the Canyons.)

It was *cold* out, definitely a good day for a balaclava (not to be confused with Baklava :)). I started on Saddleback and made runs on Snow Dancer and Kokopelli before heading over to Snow Creek. There I hit Eclipse and Echo before dropping down to Super Condor. Boa was probably the best run of the day - great snow and no one at all on it. Devil's Friend had some great snow to the skiers right. But with temps in the teens and feeling even colder than that, I decided I'd had enough. We're supposed to get 12-18" of snow tonight so we'll try again tomorrow.

'til later,
- Jeff

Deer Valley 12/24

Christmas Eve at Deer Valley is becoming a bit of a tradition. No new snow overnight, but still a nice day to get out. It was the first time I got to ski the new terrain on Lady Morgan. I think it just opened on Saturday.


(Top of the new Lady Morgan Express.)

Lady Morgan is a brand new high-speed quad that opens up 200 acres of awesome terrain. Previously you could get to some of this via a hike off Empire, but most of it was out of bounds altogether. There's something for everyone off the lift, from a nice green (Pearl, Webster) to a nice blue (Dakota), plenty of bumps (Magnet, Argus, Hillside) and some awesome new glades (Centennial)!


(The next storm rolling in.)

Though the line never got long, it was obvious that everyone wanted to check out the new stuff. So, I alternated runs there and runs off Empire. There was still some great snow in the bowl. I met up with some friends for a bunch of runs on Empire and Lady Morgan before taking a lunch break (yummy turkey burger).


(Fun terrain under Lady Morgan.)

Unfortunately, the winds pushing the next storm into town were a bit fierce and enough to end my day shortly after lunch. But not a bad way to spend the day before Christmas. Enjoy the holidays.

'til later,
- Jeff

Weber Canyon 12/21-23

Went up to a friend's cabin (thanks Brian!) in Weber Canyon for the weekend. Despite the frigid temperatures, it was great to get away for a few days and relax before the holidays. Had a great snowshoe on Saturday up Slate Creek (off the Mirror Lake Highway). Thanks to Mike for getting us some MSR Denali snowshoes to try. Here are some pics from our little trek.


(Going up.)


(The gang.)


(Aspens above.)


(The ok corral.)

What a beautiful day and a great weekend.

'til later,
- Jeff

Deer Valley 12/21

Wind brings storms. And storms bring snow. And skiers like snow. So I should be happy with the wind. But two days in a row it's been miserable, so I'd be fine if it went away for a while!

Still, I didn't let that stop me. Another few inches of snow overnight and I headed up to Deer Valley to take advantage. A run each on Wasatch and Sterling was enough to convince me that Bald Mtn. was too windy. So, after a quick lunch, I headed over to Flagstaff. There was some great snow off Northside.


(A nice view from atop Empire.)

And, though everyone thinks they built Silver Strike just to service the new developments over there (Shooting Star, Arrowhead, Larkspur, Silver Strike), there's actually some great tree skiing there. The powder was still nice and soft and the winds weren't nearly as bad as elsewhere.


(Silver Lake as seen from Empire.)

After a few runs there, I headed over to Empire for the first time this year. There was still some nice snow to be had there, but I preferred Silver Strike, so finished my day there.


(Aspen.)

With all this new snow we've gotten this month, the skiing is really started to get good. If you haven't made travel plans for the holidays, come on out to Utah!

'til later,
- Jeff

Park City Mountain Resort 12/20

Yesterday I woke up to 7" of snow in the driveway, but wasn't able to make it up to the slopes. :( Today, I woke up to another 6" of fresh snow. So, after a quick meeting at work, headed over to Park City Mountain Resort to take advantage of all the new powder!

Unfortunately, another storm arrived about the same time I did, so there was a little wind and snow to deal with. I tried a few runs off Silverlode but didn't find anything too spectacular there. So I went to McConkey's and, man, what a good move that was. The winds seemed a little lighter even if the visibility was challenging.


(Low visibility at the top of McConkey's.)

Scott and I made a bunch of runs, taking advantage of great snow in the trees. I swear the coverage is better on McConkeys and the powder was definitely awesome.


(Scott rips it up in McConkey's Bowl.)


(Base of McConkey's.)

After Scott took off, I made a quick run down Double Jack (less powder, more bumps), a nice run down Glory Hole, and finished my day on Crescent. All in all, a great day. And the forecast calls for another foot or two of snow tonight! Bring it on!

'til later,
- Jeff

Deer Valley 12/15

Another Saturday, another day at Deer Valley. :) I headed up this chilly morning (5 degrees) and met Kevin and Bill on the mountain. We quickly worked our way over to Northside, but the snow was a little thin and not real impressive.


(Looking toward Empire.)

We had a little fun in the trees on our way back to Snow Park for some yummy turkey chili.



Then finished the afternoon with a couple of awesome runs on Legal Tender. They hadn't made any snow or groomed these, but the 3 feet from last weekend and 3" we got Thursday night made for some great tracks. And no one else was doing it.


(Gate to Legal Tender.)

A very cool way to end a great day.

'til later,
- Jeff

Park City Mountain Resort 12/14

Mother Nature delivered a little fresh snow overnight and it made for a nice day at Park City. The snow report said 3" but it felt like a little more than that. I took my snowboard out for the first time this year and had fun riding McConkey's for a few hours. Sorry no pics - forgot my camera. But I'll get some soon.

'til later,
- Jeff

Deer Valley 12/8

Saturday was opening day for the 2007-08 season at Deer Valley, and oh what a day it was! Storm totals of about 30" allowed them to open even more terrain than they had planned.


(Bill gets a little wide and has to dig out.)

The groomers seemed to get skied out quickly, but the real fun was the powder runs. Granted the snow was a little heavier than the soft, fluffy powder Utah is know for, but it will make a great base layer.


(Shane says that Utah powder is a lot better than Texas.)

And it made for the most spectacular face plant I've done for a while. Skiing through the deep, heavy snow, both my skis kept sinking until both heal bindings released at the same time sending me forward like Superman. Fortunately the landing was soft.


(Kevin rips it up.)

Definitely a great day to be out. And it looks like they'll be able to open up more terrain soon. Plan your Utah vacation now!

'til later,
- Jeff

Snow!!! 12/7

Finally! After teasing us with snow in early October, Mother Nature clammed up and "treated" us to 70 degree temps in much of November. That great if you love golf and all but ... let's just say that I was real happy when I woke up to 10" of snow in my driveway this morning. It's about time.


(My deck.)

So, I was out clearing the driveway so I could go to the office when I thought ... this is 10" of snow!!! So, I tossed the skis in the trunk and headed off to the Canyons. Granted, they didn't have any more trail open that they did last weekend, but the snow was better. And I'll be they get some more trail open for tomorrow.


(A tree.)

Anyhow, this is the first serious storm of the year. It's supposed to snow through the night and all day tomorrow. Snowfall totals could top 3 feet in the mountains. Let's keep our fingers crossed.


(Another tree.)

Get out here and ski!

'til later.
- Jeff