LCC/BCC 2017-18 conditions

[marzNC]

Well, I'm not at Alta any more but I have friends who will be skiing there thru the final weekend of 7-day operations. The new Supreme lift will be open thru Sun, April 15. The old Supreme triple used to close a week early, so that's a good change.

The skiing was very good on Sunday, 08Apr, for people willing to ski during a snowstorm or in fog. Low angle off-trail terrain was very good with 4+ inches of fresh cream on top of a frozen base. Steeper terrain that was relatively smooth underneath was okay, if you didn't mind hitting bottom on every turn. Could see the exposed ice on Lower Rustler . . . and few people ventured there with temps staying under 30.

Regardless of how much snow falls during the coming storm, it's going to be cold. Winter will be back after a few days of spring skiing with daytime temps in the 40s at the base. Could be up to 2 feet by Friday evening!

 

[nopoleskier]

Well, I'm not at Alta any more but I have friends who will be skiing there thru the final weekend of 7-day operations. The new Supreme lift will be open thru Sun, April 15. The old Supreme triple used to close a week early, so that's a good change.

The skiing was very good on Sunday, 08Apr, for people willing to ski during a snowstorm or in fog. Low angle off-trail terrain was very good with 4+ inches of fresh cream on top of a frozen base. Steeper terrain that was relatively smooth underneath was okay, if you didn't mind hitting bottom on every turn. Could see the exposed ice on Lower Rustler . . . and few people ventured there with temps staying under 30.

Regardless of how much snow falls during the coming storm, it's going to be cold. Winter will be back after a few days of spring skiing with daytime temps in the 40s at the base. Could be up to 2 feet by Friday evening!

View attachment 8703 View attachment 8704

WOW.. I need to retire and just ski...

 

[marzNC]

WOW.. I need to retire and just ski...

Bill is certainly getting the benefit of staying longer. He caught the powder storm March 25-26 and will be there for the heavy cold snow coming later this week. Plus he can ski as long as he wants on April 15 before he starts driving towards home.

I've been thinking about how to stay in SLC for a month or so. Have talked to few seniors from the midwest who rent condos at the base of LCC for 2-3 months. They are part of the Wild Olde Bunch. Some ski almost every day midweek, while others are snow snobs who only do the drive for the best snow and visibility conditions.

 

[marzNC]

Already 10 inches at Alta from the late season cold storm. Expected to keep snowing on and off until some time on Friday. Going to be a fantastic weekend for the end of 7-day operations.

Be interesting to see how many lifts Snowbird keeps open after April 15. Last week they were already keeping Baby Thunder closed Mon-Thu to decrease labor costs. Made the terrain available for cautious intermediates or advanced beginners pretty limited. Chickadee, and getting off Mid-Gad at mid-station was about all that could be considered green or easy blue trails.

 

[nopoleskier]

TWENTYONE INCHES Last 24Hrs at ALTA... I need a lear jet for sure!!!

 

[marzNC]

TWENTYONE INCHES Last 24Hrs at ALTA... I need a lear jet for sure!!!

Not only about 2 FEET of snow, it was cold snow and it's going to stay in the 20s during the day until Sunday. The last time there was this much snow mid-April was April 15, 2015. I rented powder skis that were 106 underfoot in the morning, and changed out for something wider at lunch time after another 6+ inches came down. Usually in April fresh powder is only good the first morning, and maybe into the afternoon up high or in the trees if you know where to look. But there can always be surprises in LCC/BCC.

Turns out that Alta has a new webcam. Can view a 24-hour time lapse that makes it easier to tell when a snowstorm starts.

 

[ilovepugs]

TWENTYONE INCHES Last 24Hrs at ALTA... I need a lear jet for sure!!!

Come up to Vermont this weekend!! 5-8 inches Saturday afternoon, then some more on Sunday morning. It's not 21 inches, but it's pretty good!

 

[marzNC]

The storm total for April 11-14 was probably over 24 inches at Alta but the official numbers aren't on the Alta Snowfall History webpage yet. It did stay cold for a couple days, so the fresh snow could last a bit longer. For April 15, the last day of 7-day operations, it should be good spring skiing with temps in the 40s.

Brighton is staying open for another week, closing on April 22. After that only Snowbird and Alta will be open. Just Fri-Sun for Alta. During extra late season, it pays to check which lifts will be open.

The summary below is from April 15. The 7-day totals included snow from early in the week as well. Not quite sure what's going on with the Solitude snow totals. They are still open this weekend.

 

[marzNC]

The first Fri-Sun weekend at Alta could be pretty good. More snow expected Tue-Wed and cold temps until the weekend. Only in the 40s on Sat-Sun, April 21-22.

The daily totals from the last storm show 25 inches on April 13 after starting with 5 inches the afternoon/night before, plus another 8 inches the next day. That makes the storm total 38 inches! Didn't quite make 400 inches for the season, but at least the depth on the mountain has been around 100 inches for the last 5-6 weeks.

 

[marzNC]

More snow fell at Alta the week after April 15, the closing day for 7-day operations. But perhaps the storm March 23-26 was the last true powder storm. Check out the water content for the snow since late March. Note that the snow that fell on 4/13 wasn't added to the list.

Except for the Summer Road, Alta is closed for uphill traffic midweek until the bonus weekends are over.

Snowbird remains open midweek. The tram, Gadzoom, Gad 2, Little Cloud, and Mineral Basin are open to keep advanced skiers happy. Beginners and cautious intermediates can ride Chickadee or Wilbere for some runs. Adventurous intermediates can ride the tram and get into Mineral Basin. If tired out and don't want to deal with Chip's Run (narrow cat track with a few steep sections), always possible to download on the tram from the summit after skiing Mineral.

 

[marzNC]

Finally have a full record for the last few weeks of the Alta 2017-18 season. Powder storms March 25-27 and April 16-17, with "cream" April 6-8. The way to tell the difference is to check the 24 Hr Density. If the density is over about 6%, then the snow isn't fluffy power.

Note that no lifts were spinning April 16-17. The dump was pretty unexpected.

 

[marzNC]

Last update for LCC for the 2017-18 season. It snowed 8 inches on April 30! Alta has one more bonus weekend. No word on a closing date for Snowbird yet.

Must say that it was worth paying for OpenSnow now that Evan is reporting there. Sounds like he may head up the canyon to Snowbird tomorrow morning.