Alta 12/19 Warning: very snobbish post

Disclaimer: this post is very snobby, even for Alta standards. Please be offended that you aren't as blessed as I.

If you weren't skiing Alta on Spatulas today, then you missed out. If you skied Alta today, but didn't have Spatulas, then you missed out. If you didn't have goggles, you were really fucked.

The winds picked up last night with the new snowfall, and temps rose, creating a classic upsidedown snowpack. Dense and creamy on top, but a layer of light fluffy underneath. Not creamy enough to stay totally on top all the time, even on Spatulas. It was creamy enough to stay on top most of the time, which was really fun and fast.

I only skied West Rus today. 6 or 7 laps. All good, very fresh, even the last few. The wind rebuffed it, and people weren't skiing the more wide open shots due to vis, so it was all for me. Up top was great - still enough bushes to keep people away. First few laps were awesome - really opened it up after the mid-traverse. Last few, I weaved through a group of small trees that must have really scared people, because there weren't many tracks in the area. These were not tight trees, nor tall or wide trees, but I guess they are scary. Thanks, suckers.

Creamy pow + Spatulas + Fast skiing + nobody skiing your huge stash = great morning. Sorry you missed out. :p

Bastage!!!!! :cussing:

so says the utah skicultral elite.
at least someone was out there getting after it.

If you weren't lapping wildcat on gotamas, then you missed out.

if you weren't shoveling snow and pushing bellcarts through a snowy pedestrian village, you missed out.

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Originally Posted by Woodsy

if you weren't shoveling snow and pushing bellcarts through a snowy pedestrian village, you missed out.

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held first chair for ya till stumpy let me know you weren't coming
a totally untouched high boy was waiting for you
instead gave it to Jason Prigge - always wanted to meet that guy - super smooth style from the first few tgr flicks that i have admired a long time :fmicon:

all tree shots skied good :)
everything else skied great after 'bout an hour :biggrin:

great viz + not raining/snowing + backside open + first tracks = $$$$$

Chris knows what I'm talking about. Sorry you all missed it, slackers...

It ain't a true Alta TR until Xover drops a name! :D:D:D

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Originally Posted by Woodsy

if you weren't shoveling snow and pushing bellcarts through a snowy pedestrian village, you missed out.

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I saw, you were "getting after it" as they say.

if you weren't doing fraud prevention at 8am here at backcountry.com, then you REALLY missed out.

bummed i missed it this morning:(

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Originally Posted by altachic

if you weren't doing fraud prevention at 8am here at backcountry.com, then you REALLY missed out.

bummed i missed it this morning:(

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Don't be. It was really weird snow. Like a foot of cement on top of a foot of blower. Apparently it was a lot better once it was tracked up, unless you were in the trees, where it stayed lighter, but sloughed like crazy.

Gotamas didn't even consider floating and on my first run I got out to Piss Pass, dropped below the snow fence and back around to get to Eagles Nest and the snow fractured and dragged me down towards Greeley. I got back up and couldn't even make it down straightlining, it was just too heavy and I sunk too deep and I ended up hiking out. Eagles nest next run was excellent up top, but cement pillows at the bottom, with super fast snow where it was tracked. After 2 really close calls with people wrecking in front of/into me from above on the T, I decided to quit while I was ahead and went home. Sounds like if I stayed and did some Wildcat laps where it was tracked it would have been good. But I wouldn't be too upset about missing today - it wasn't a normal Alta powder day.

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Originally Posted by stump832

If you weren't lapping wildcat on gotamas, then you missed out.

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Agree'ed. I was actually at snowbird hitting gad 2, once the line went down, and got some great snow all day. The gotama's certainly made it even better :biggrin:

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Originally Posted by altagirl

but sloughed like crazy.

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which made it super fun :biggrin:

oh, and btw - you can definitely tell the tourons are in town :cussing:

Good. I'm glad to hear it was also tricky snow at Alta this morning. I would have felt seriously ripped-off otherwise. ;) We were so excited to be the 5th or 6th Gadzoom chair...until we started skiing. You should have seen the carnage on that first run. Laid-out, twisted-up, thrashing bodies everywhere. It was like running some sort of obstacle course. The guys I was with were hating the snow. I did fine on my NoKaOi's but I was really wishing I had brought the Big Daddy's.

Patrol had already done 5 toboggan runs by 10:30. That was more seriously injured riders in one hour and fifteen minutes than they'd had to do in a whole day this season! It was mayhem, but it was still fun for some of us.

On a side note: I have NEVER seen the terrain directly under the LC chairlift near the top look this bad while the resort has been open for skiing. Here it is the last half of December and the coverage is worse than the end of July. Evidently all of the storms so far this season (until this one) have had strong NW winds which have simply blown it all away.

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Originally Posted by Endlessseason

Evidently all of the storms so far this season (until this one) have had strong NW winds which have simply blown it all away.

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Yeah, you should see the NW Couloir of the Pfieff. It's a rock climb, not a ski descent.

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Originally Posted by Endlessseason

but I was really wishing I had brought the Big Daddy's.

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big daddy's provided the cake to my face all morning long :biggrin:

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Originally Posted by Endlessseason

On a side note: I have NEVER seen the terrain directly under the LC chairlift near the top look this bad while the resort has been open for skiing. Here it is the last half of December and the coverage is worse than the end of July. Evidently all of the storms so far this season (until this one) have had strong NW winds which have simply blown it all away.

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Um, yeah, the coverage off Little Cloud is pretty much horrible. On Saturday, after sacrificing quite a bit of p-tex on Mark Malu, I traversed left to Last Chance. Once there, I lost my balance on a turn, fell, and hit a submerged shark fin rock HARD with my thigh. End result: nice 4" diameter swollen contusion. It hurt so bad I had to download on Gadzoom, and it still hurts to walk. :cussing:

On a positive note, I'm glad you had a good time at Alta today, Z and Endless.

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Originally Posted by Xover

oh, and btw - you can definitely tell the tourons are in town :cussing:

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Because the $7 burgers and full-priced lift tickets are being purchashed and supporting your season pass buying, brown bagging dirtbag lifestyle?

Nope - cause one of them knocked our buddy X off the T this morning, and he missed his high boy binky.

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Originally Posted by stump832

Nope - cause one of them knocked our buddy X off the T this morning, and he missed his high boy binky.

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A bigger and louder pain train came through? Is it possible?

....if you weren't shooting jibbers on handrails till 5:30am then you missed out. Oh wait i couldn't wake up in the morning after that....yah, I missed out no matter what skis I was on. Oh well, tomorrow!

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Originally Posted by BakerBoy

A bigger and louder pain train came through? Is it possible?

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The telemarker who came cartwheeling down on top of me from an upper traverse before it converged back to the traverse everyone else was on... with a mob of people in front of and below me was scarier than the pain train.

My apologies to anyone on the traverse below me that I cut off as I was fleeing.

Well I,

http://wowasatch.com/pictures/Winter...9/close-up.jpg

wasn't there.
The meadow skipping was delightful.

:eek:

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Originally Posted by altagirl

The telemarker who came cartwheeling down on top of me from an upper traverse before it converged back to the traverse everyone else was on... with a mob of people in front of and below me was scarier than the pain train.

My apologies to anyone on the traverse below me that I cut off as I was fleeing.

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Fucking hippies -- Alta should ban them too!

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Originally Posted by stump832

Nope - cause one of them knocked our buddy X off the T this morning, and he missed his high boy binky.

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got not a thang to do with my weekly date with high boy freshness ... just patrol putting in the high t in a "strange" spot ... next time i think i'll side step up to the t right outta the gate ... hmm, ya that's it :rolleyes2