The Kids

Skiing in the Wasatch is usually a gathering of the old men, but this year we were fortunate to have the next generation join us at Snowbird.  Bryce, who skis on the junior team at Brundage Mountain, did crazy laps with Benson, Saurer, and me in the Cirque.  EDO, who has gone to Brian Head a few times with her youth group, stuck to the gentle slopes at Mid-Gad and Baby Thunder.  Either way, it was great to have them on the mountain.

No Easy Way

We went to the big map board at the top of the gondola and asked the host to recommend the best early morning snow.  He glanced at Benson and pointed to the peak at 9990.  "Well," he said, "this is the best snow, but you won't want to go there."  "Why not?"  "There is no easy way down, no green or blue groomers."  "That will be OK," said Benson.

Thompson Peak

A friend of mine was saying that he thought it would be nice to be atop Thompson Peak during a snowy winter (like the one we've just had).  I told him that I thought you could ski there from the Janesville Grade.  In fact, I told him that I thought I had done it a few years ago.  In the event, it was all new to me (proving that I'd not done it before) and not something that was easy to do in two or three hours.  I made it to the basin just below the summit, where I found the tracks of another party of skiers.  On the way out, just below 7,000 feet, I sunk the probe:  Seven and a half feet of snow.

DLS

It's not as though the shift to daylight savings really changed anything, but the day felt different.  The storms moved through quickly, and the sun that followed was strong.

420 Grand: The Laundry Room

The laundry room at 420 Grand came with appliances.  There was a set:  Washer and dryer.  But, when I tried to use them, the dryer was questionable and the washer was definitely broken.  I went over to Ken’s Repair to see what they had:  Another set of matching Maytags (below).  Before Ken delivered, I pulled the old set so that I could clean, paint, and patch the walls (above).

Rain, Rain

I wanted to ski Fredonyer again, but it was too wet.  At the trailhead, the thermometer said 36F and it was pouring down rain.  I turned back towards town and parked at Devil's Corral.  It was raining a little less there.  I walked to the river (above), and then down the Biz (below) for thirty minutes.  By the time I got back it was pouring down rain.

Fredonyer

For the northern Sierra, February 2019 was one of the colder and wetter months in recent memory.  Last week, it snowed so much in Chester, that I observed snow-plow piles more than 12 feet tall.  Yesterday, I went out to Fredonyer to try the skis for a few minutes.  A warm snow was falling, and the skis were sticking a bit, so I didn't make it quite to 6,000 feet.  But, as you can see from the picture (above) there is currently 150 cm of settled snow at that elevation.  On my way out, I was able to glide a little by traversing a small bowl (below).