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West Coast Winter Stoke, El Nino's Back!

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  • Bad Wolf
    replied
    West Coast Winter Stoke, El Nino's Back!

    Finally a shout out to my KTPs. For four days these trusty steeds carried me through a wide variety of terrain with the sure footedness of a mountain goat. From ice to crust to powder to slush, on groomers in trees on bumps and on steeps, they handle it all.

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  • Bad Wolf
    replied
    West Coast Winter Stoke, El Nino's Back!

    Did Beaver Mountain today. It's located about two hours north of SLC. The drive is amazing, you go through a high mountain pass above Bringham City, then along the twisting canyon road by the Logan River. It's an old school resort, friendly but basic. Old slow lifts, but no lines.

    The snow was more of the same. Frozen and crusty in the morning, turning softer after lunch. You really have to plan your day to follow the changing conditions. Good spring skiing, but nothing special. Beaver does have a lot of wide open faces, so this would be great to hit on a powder day.

    Based on this trip, and the one I took last year, Powder Mountain wins when it comes to late season snow preservation and conditions. I get free days at Snowbasin, but will always include PowMow as well. The trip to Beaver was worth it because of the drive, not the terrain or conditions.

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  • kyu
    replied
    Good plan on heading to the Beav. I wish I could join you up there. If I were there I'd head to Marge's Triple. The trees out there will be full of freshies.

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  • Bad Wolf
    replied
    Powder Mountain was excellent today. The snow pack at the resort has preserved really well with plenty of soft snow and powder stashes left over from the storm. The resort is huge with very diverse terrain. They have everything from tow ropes to lifts to pick up buses to cat skiing. The groomers were in great shape but I spent most of my time in the trees and on the steeps. No lift lines, that's one advantage to being in Ogden! Next to Westfest, this was my best day skiing this season by far. I'm heading north to Beaver Mountain tomorrow. I heard they got 39 inches this week....

    Something I've learned from this trip, is that in the spring when conditions become variable, you really have to be flexible with your planning. With the erratic storms and rising temps, some of these resorts can change daily. Snowbasin and Powder Mountain are only ten miles apart, but couldn't have skied more differently. I'm glad I wasn't locked into hotels and resorts. I lost one day to poor conditions, but it could have been the whole trip.



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  • Bad Wolf
    replied
    West Coast Winter Stoke, El Nino's Back!

    I skied Snowbasin today. The drive up was easy with clear dry roads. Enterprise gave me a free upgrade to a Subaru Outback, which was a nice surprise, but you could have made it up in a Grande Marquis. Still, it's nice to have the option if it does snow again before the weekend is out.

    It's a couple of days past the last storm, but still cold and overcast. The fresh powder has gone, but the coverage is good with plenty of soft snow on the off piste slopes and in the trees. I don't do groomers much, but they are long, fast and well tended. The off piste snow is very variable; chopped up refrozen powder, pushed into piles with an icy base underneath. Just how I like it. No bumps though, I was hoping for some bumps? The peaks stayed covered in cloud most of the day with a brisk, cold wind. The base was just starting to get a little slushy when I left mid afternoon. Overall a good days skiing with a lot of terrain and condition choices. It was hard work though, too variable to relax. I'll be back there tomorrow and hope the sun comes out a little earlier to soften up some of the higher steeps.

    As usual the facilities and service here are amazing. The first picture is from the lodge at the top of the John Paul Express. It reminds me of the mountain lodge from 007's OHMSS . There are no lines, even for the gondolas. I feel like I have the whole place to myself.

    And yes, it's steeper than it looks!

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  • Bad Wolf
    replied
    I'll see your Sugar, and raise you a Powder Mountain.


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  • valmorel
    replied
    Originally posted by sempai View Post
    Overnight it dumped again. Check out the 10-day totals, not too shabby. There's a huge difference comparing this season to last.

    Been watching the Sugar web cam. Man you guys are getting some snow!

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  • sempai
    replied
    Overnight it dumped again. Check out the 10-day totals, not too shabby. There's a huge difference comparing this season to last.

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  • kyu
    replied
    Originally posted by sempai View Post
    Sugar Bowl has received over 100 inches in nine days. Other resorts have come close to 100 inches. It's snowing today and tonight, so there will be more to add to the totals. The prediction of 5-10 feet over two weeks was correct.

    Looks like sempai is pushing for an even westier west coast winter stoke. Those numbers look nice.

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  • sempai
    replied
    Sugar Bowl has received over 100 inches in nine days. Other resorts have come close to 100 inches. It's snowing today and tonight, so there will be more to add to the totals. The prediction of 5-10 feet over two weeks was correct.

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  • Bad Wolf
    replied
    Looks like the next storm front is lining up perfectly for me.

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  • Kocho
    replied
    Thanks! That's what we'll do - check the conditions on Friday night, after we settle in the hotel.

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  • kyu
    replied
    I doubt any resort will be too crowded unless there is a big dump the night before. Bad Wolf has a point about trying to make it to the resorts that have the most snow pack.

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  • Bad Wolf
    replied
    Originally posted by Kocho View Post
    Hmmm. I hadn't considered Deer Valley - it seems highly rated for groomers! Too many options Which one do you think would be less crowded on a weekend? Deer Valley or some of the others? Given that we have Solitude during the week, I'd like to start elsewhere on Sat. They all look good to me for different reasons. From watching a bunch of YouTube videos, I think my daughter and I can find more than enough trails to enjoy in any one of the .
    Weather and snow conditions will be the biggest factor in determining where you should ski. Although the resorts are only a few miles apart, there can be a significant difference in the snow pack based off elevation and exposure. The later in the season, the warmer it gets and the less snow has fallen, will all favor the Cottonwoods. All the resorts are good and you will find plenty of variety in terrain to suit everyone, so I would try to keep your schedule flexible and go where the conditions are best. There are several threads on the Epic Ski forum that report daily conditions by locals skiing there. It's a great resource that doesn't buy in to the fake reporting the resorts peddle.

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  • Kocho
    replied
    Hmmm. I hadn't considered Deer Valley - it seems highly rated for groomers! Too many options Which one do you think would be less crowded on a weekend? Deer Valley or some of the others? Given that we have Solitude during the week, I'd like to start elsewhere on Sat. They all look good to me for different reasons. From watching a bunch of YouTube videos, I think my daughter and I can find more than enough trails to enjoy in any one of the ski areas.

    [QUOTE?=kyu;155248]Since you can get the superpass from the hotel I'd wait and check the local market. There can be some pretty good deals towards the end of the season.

    If you really want the best groomers I'd suggest Deer Valley, but ParkCity is next best. If you do end up at ParkCity I could point you towards the good groomers.[/QUOTE]

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