An evening at Alta .....

**Xover** · 05-13-2004, 06:41 AM

ya so yesterday I leave work and head up to Alta for some late afternoon/evening turns. I get up there and no other cars in the lot except those of workers installing the new lifts.

I head for the top of Wildcat. I stick my pole in the snow to the side of the skin track down low and there is about 3-4" of creamy goodness. I get up to the top of Wildcat in record time (for me) 35 mins. I again stick my pole in some snow to check depth and consistency. There is now like 6-8" of "dryer" snow on a solid base. So I start heading up the High Shoulder for Main. I notice a super dark, nasty looking shortwave coming straight up the canyon. I wonder if I can make it to the top before it gets to me cause it looks like it has some embedded thunder and lightning in it. No dice!! I had to bail at the last sign on the High Shoulder.

What I found on my run down was now more like 12" of almost blower pow. Oh wait, what was that that just hit me in the face? Was that snow? Couldn't be; this was May 12 afterall. Oh my God it was!! Wooohooo!! I hooped and hollered like a little kid at Christmas all the way down the High Shoulder.

I then decided to head for the top of Germ to go out the High T to tag Jitterbug cause it looked soooooooo good on the skin up. Lemme just say that the sun has done its nastiness on the High T ever since closing. I was full on walking through bushes and across rocks to get out there. What I found when I got out there was well worth the effort. More graupel induced goodness; about 9" worth. Woooooohooooo!!!

I then headed over to lower Collins face. It too was good except for the roads that now have been plowed to get equipment up to the base of Germ to work. Before I took off, I noticed that the Collins cable was laying on the ground and even buried in some places. Note to self: steer clear of the lift towers so as to not hit buried cable. I succeeded at my plan until the very bottom where I always straightline outta there. I was almost back to the bottom when all of a sudden I am face down on one of those damn roads with my goggles around my waste. WTF was that?? Moreover, is my face still attached to my head?? That friggin' hurt!! Ohhhhh, I gotta be bleeding somewhere. Sure enough I see blowing in the snow around my face. Did I bite through my lower lip? I feel for it; no, just really hurts. Is my forehead cut? I feel for it; no, just burns like a mother - road rash style. Is my nose bleeding? Sure enough - like a stuck pig.

I look around and see that one of my skis caught on the now buried cable at the bottom. I get the bleeding controlled and gather up my gear and pride and then just decide I've had enough and walk back to the truck spitting blood the whole time.

All in all, a super fun night. There is full on mid-winter pow on North facing slopes above 9000' and all slopes above 9500'. If there are any Utards not out gittin' sum this week, your love of skiing should be questioned; it is worth working for.

As I'm driving down the canyon I see climbers, bikers and hikers galore. I wanted to say - hay, don't you guys know its not summer yet - there is still sick skiing to be had. But, then I think - na, don't let them in on the secret.

BTW, I hate to say it, but the Birdy, Bird should be the word for Saturday.

Oh ya, and my forehead is burning like a mother right now - feels like its got a floor burn on it.

P.S. Thanks Rev for the advice to remove toe plate from under my Freerides; the things rock now!!!

**teledave** · 05-13-2004, 06:50 AM

Nice Xover, good on you for not letting that digger taint your perspective on what otherwise sounded like a stellar May evening.

**road trip** · 05-13-2004, 06:58 AM

Geez... I never thought somebody could get road rash from skiing in Utah. I mean, I can understand East Coast boilerplate...

**Endlessseason** · 05-13-2004, 09:07 AM

Heheh. Sounds good, Cross. I'll see ya Saturday at the Bird.

Lucky the sudden stop wasn't worse, eh? Well, at least you've got your bindings set right. We know from last May what happens when they're not, don't we...

**Shredhead** · 05-13-2004, 09:30 AM

Nice report X. I am glad somebody's still gettin it! The only thing were gettin in IL is the West Nile Virus.
But the Nautique goes in on Saturday, so that should help for a couple of months.

13 · 05-13-2004, 09:39 AM

What really happened:

Xover spent the evening with the missus & things got rough, leading to a rug burn on the forehead, a broken nose, and a bit lip.

Sure, blame it on skiing!