It's Never Summer at the 'Bird

[boarderline]

shmoesmith, his wife B, and I decided to check out some summer riding at the 'Bird last Sunday. After scoring my summer tram pass Saturday, I took a ride up and was shocked at the coverage - The Road to Provo, the Cirque, and a lot of Mineral Basin were still caked in snow. So I gave shmoesmith a call and it was game on for Sunday morning riding with him and his wife B.

We rode the tram up and started heading over toward Little Cloud bowl.

Proving it's Never Summer at Snowbird :



We tried to gain the ridge up to Old Reliable by hiking the ridgeline you'd normally take to get to the East Twin. Bad call. What started out as some easy hiking:



became some class 3 exposed scrambling, so we bagged that idea. shmoesmith and B downclimbed a cliff band and then a rather steep, loose scree slope, and I went back the way we came. We met back up on the Road to Provo.

Nice views of Toad Hill and 16 Turns from up on the ridge:

16 Turns:



Toad Hill and its chutes up high, Powder Paradise below:



We walked to the end of the Road to Provo, then first dropped into what in the wintertime is the Mark Malu run. Conditions were a bit challenging, with lots of suncups, but it was soft. And I really didn't care, it's June and we were riding.

B gettin' some toeside:



Yours truly stoked to be riding in the summertime:



After dropping Mark Malu, we traversed left into Last Choice. We found a little chute that has some really nice corn, so shmoesmith and I dropped it.

shmoesmith spraying:



shmoesmith mid-carve:



B was all smiles on this turn:



The next few hundred vert down to the Mid Gad restaurant was a game of connect-the-snow-patches. The snow completely stopped at that point, and we hiked the rest of the way down.

Good times, and great way to prove it's Never Summer if you don't want it to be.

[schindlerpiste]

SCHWEEEEEEEEEET!!!

[BushwackerinPA]

Yeah diffently not moving back to Pa this year. borderline last time i saw you you were on skis?

[boarderline]

Yeah diffently not moving back to Pa this year. borderline last time i saw you you were on skis?

Nice! Going to make OOotah your new home? To answer your question, I think the last time we were on the hill together was the windlip session with MD9 at the Bird, and I was on a board. Nice steeze on your spins.

[shmoesmith]

the bird was definatly fun (with exception to my sore legs the next day). Good times. Too bad it was so suncupped up top. Not teeth rattling, but definatly bouncy. Even the dampness of a neversummer T5 wasnt going to smooth those suckers out. Dont know what class 3 exposed scrambling is, but the downclimb was pretty easy, its just that damn scree slope under it that got me (cut up my hand pretty good when I slipped). The scenery is great up there right now, and the weather is perfect for skiing in shorts and a tee.