TR Alta April 4-19, 2024, spring skiing with a powder storm

[floridakeysskibum]

The Peruvian Tunnel operator told me today that they weren't starting "weekend only" operations for the tunnel until mid-May. Presumably that means it will be open 7 days a week until then.

On the other hand, the Gad Valley will be closed starting April 15. That's because major construction will be happening soon. The Mid-Gad building will have major renovations started this summer.

When I rode the Wilbere lift for the last time, went up Gadzoom, I could see the excavator next to the mid-gad building already on Sunday. Construction will probably start today. Everything was roped off and it looked vacant inside. It will look very different in the next couple of years.

 

[IKam]

I sure did enjoy the spring skiing at Alta and Snowbird. My lesson with Arthur was the best!

 

[marzNC]

I sure did enjoy the spring skiing at Alta and Snowbird. My lesson with Arthur was the best!

Glad you enjoyed the experience. Spring skiing takes a little adjustment since the snow can be very different day-to-day and even hour-to-hour when the sun is out.

I started doing lessons with Arthur Haskell in 2014. He lives about 30 minutes from me in the Triangle area of North Carolina. Everyone I know who has had a lesson with him has been very happy with the experience.

Check out what Arthur does when he's at home.

arthurdyes – Colors in Motion

arthurdyes.com

 

[TNtoTaos]

Check out what Arthur does when he's at home.

Oh, Wow! That's amazing work -- never would have guessed he was an artist!

 

[marzNC]

Monday, April 15 was the day everyone was hoping for a major snowstorm. While it did snow, what caused low visibility all day was fog more than snow. The Supreme area was the best and even had the sun peak out a bit. The Collins side was warmer for some reason and really socked in. If I didn't know the terrain so well, probably wouldn't have skied after Supreme closed at 3:30. I rode up Sugarloaf just before it closed at 4:00 with a friend of @Tennessee . We did a couple runs down Collins, mostly sticking to the trees on the right side of Mambo. There was just enough new snow to make it fun.

My skis outside Alta Lodge locker room after 20 minutes before I headed out at 9:30am


JF at the top of Supreme lift, 10:15am
We took the transfer tow over to Sunnyside, then headed to Supreme. Skiing over from the top of Collins wasn't worth it in the snow and fog.


Bonus for skiing the right hand run-out to the base of Supreme was spotting a porcupine. It was headed to a particular tree, climbed up, then over on a branch for a meal. It was still eating the next couple of runs. After that, it settled up higher and took a nap. It was still there when we went to lunch.


View of the Wildcat base (or lack of view) from the top of the Alta Lodge handle tow, 4:20pm
Collins runs until 4:30. The transfer tow and lodge tow run until 5:00.

 

[TNtoTaos]

Love the porcupine -- what great luck to have been there right when he was going out for his lunch run! That would have made my week!

 

[marzNC]

Fresh snow brings out people midweek, even in mid-April. The Wildcat parking lot didn't quite fill up completely though. The Collins lift line disappeared by 9:30 after the usual 9:15 opening. By the time Bill and I were ready to had out at 9:35 there were people on the end of the High T, in Wildcat, as well as on the groomers.

I heard from someone in the Wild Old Bunch in Alf's around 11:30 that Catherine's was good. So Bill and I went out there just before heading back to Alta Lodge for lunch. After lunch, I met up with Divas who hadn't ever been to Catherine's and gave them a tour. It was nice to be able to change at lunch to lighter outerwear, meaning a shell jacket. I also dried my boots (in my room), changed ski socks, changed to lighter gloves, and dumped my vest. Unfortunately I forgot to move my pass when I changed jackets. Had to ride the handle tow back up the hill to get it.

Decided to take my DPS Zelda 106 skis, which work well in heavier fresh snow and chopped up powder


Ballroom slides initiated using the Wyssen towers went down to the traverse


View of the top of the Catherine's area, from the meadow


Bill heading down the last section for leaving Catherine's and heading to the Supreme lift


Divas getting a tour of Catherine's, the hike doesn't take that long when it's groomed out
@floridakeysskibum (orange), TN friend (white), @Bookworm (red)

 

[IKam]

Such gorgeous pictures! I'm sorry I missed these areas, unless they are beyond me anyway?

 

[marzNC]

Such gorgeous pictures! I'm sorry I missed these areas, unless they are beyond me anyway?

Catherine's is all black terrain. After a couple more Taos Ski Weeks or more lessons with L3 instructors with 20+ years experience, plus practice on groomers for a season or two and you'd be fine following someone who knows the easiest way. Assuming there is good snow and weather conditions of course. Took me quite a few years of skiing Alta in the spring before I went out there to explore.

 

[dloveski]

We at Alta yesterday (Tuesday April 16) for the new snow. High traverse got tracked out early and powder a bit heavy but we found some fresh tracks. Ballroom opened mid-day and we joined the melee on the traverse to get some tracks. The line up reminds me of pics I see on Everest lining up to summit. (I just HATE jockeying for position on that traverse as a bunch of young men try to get past me in their frenzy).

 

[marzNC]

Had we gone to Catherine's a bit earlier in the morning, getting fresh tracks on the meadow would've been easy. I still could find places to do several turns in untracked snow on the more mellow section before the terrain gets steeper above the gully. Linking powder turns above a certain speed is still a work in progress. I like the meadow because it's a good place to practice.

I've done a couple runs in fresh snow on Ballroom in recent years. Got lucky and reached the top of Collins just as the gate was being opened by ski patrol in 2019. I was supposed to head to Alf's to meet up with friends, but . . . no friends on a powder day.

Catherine's meadow, April 16, mid-afternoon


For those who haven't seen the picture of my Ballroom first tracks in 2019, the first picture is where I started and the second was taken from where I stopped. In the first picture, there are two children (girl in pink) waiting for their father on the edge of Main Street. The situation was unusual because Main Street (blue groomer under Ballroom) wasn't groomed after that storm.

 

[dloveski]

So we were at Alta Tuesday. One thing about Alta is that it gets tracked out so quickly unlike Canyons and Deer Valley (where I skied last week). We may be back at Alta tomorrow (Thursday) so DH can demo Rossi Senders.

 

[marzNC]

So we were at Alta Tuesday. One thing about Alta is that it gets tracked out so quickly unlike Canyons and Deer Valley (where I skied last week). We may be back at Alta tomorrow (Thursday) so DH can demo Rossi Senders.

So glad we happened to be taking a break at Alf's around the same time mid-morning! Usually when you have seen me at Alta in April, it's been a quick "hello" in a lift line.

@Bookworm , @dloveski , @floridakeysskibum , MarzNC

 

[marzNC]

Another chance meeting of Divas at Alf's happened on Monday. Pictures were taken thanks to @floridakeysskibum.

@Tennessee , floridakeysskibum, MarzNC


MarzNC, JF from NC, floridakeysskibum

 

[marzNC]

Having an Ikon pass means that dropping into Mineral Basin at Snowbird via the gate at the top of the Sugarloaf lift is a good way to spend the morning. Ikon works as an Alta/Snowbird combo pass. MB gets sun early so the the snow softens before most of the terrain at Alta. The front side of Snowbird can hold cold snow on the upper mountain, but can get too soft on the lower mountain by the afternoon.

I gave @IKam and @TNtoTaos a quick tour of Snowbird last week one afternoon when the front side was soft but not too soft. During the week there are fewer people than Fri-Sun. Weekends make a difference even during late season.

IKam in Mineral Basin, went thru Peruvian Tunnel into MB, April 14



View after doing Path to Paradise cat track, Baldy (left) and Mineral Basin (right) lifts at the bottom of MB


Views looking out over Mineral Basin, April 18
I skied over solo from Alta first thing in the morning and got into MB by 9:45am, the Baldy groomers were had already softened enough to be fun even though temps were in the 20s. I wore my insulated pants and shell jacket, with a warmer vest.


Can you spot the TSD sticker?

 

[floridakeysskibum]

It’s been a blast! Headed to Alta lodge for elk dinner tonight, flying out Saturday am to Lake Tahoe for another week of skiing . Hope my cold/swollen face will dissipate soon!!

 

[dloveski]

So glad we happened to be taking a break at Alf's around the same time mid-morning! Usually when you have seen me at Alta in April, it's been a quick "hello" in a lift line.

@Bookworm , @dloveski , @floridakeysskibum , MarzNC
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DH said, aren’t those Ski Divas sitting next to us? So nice to meet in person the Divas.

 

[dloveski]

DH said, aren’t those Ski Divas sitting next to us? So nice to meet in person the Divas.

BTW DH bought new Rossi Senders after demoing them at Alta yesterday.

 

[marzNC]

Had a good last day of the trip and the season. It was warmer overnight than the night before, but cloudy during the day so there was good snow to be found all day long. (For temperature history, check LCC April Conditions thread.). I started in Mineral Basin and found the groomers off Baldy were already in good shape. The rest of the morning was spent off Sugarloaf and Supreme. After lunch at Alta Lodge, I headed back to Supreme to meet up with @floridakeysskibum and @Bookworm . Since Catherine's opened up in the afternoon we headed out there again. The snow as very good.

I finished off the afternoon with some adventure runs off Supreme and Sugarloaf with Bill. He headed over the EBT to get back to Alta Lodge. I opted to take a ride on Sunnyside for a run down Patsy Marley, then the transfer tow for a last run on the Collins side. Finished with my usual combination that includes the Saddle traverse to the gully and Lower Rustler bumps. Good fun when the snow isn't too soft and/or sticky, which was the case today.

Morning view after crossing into Mineral Basin, April 19


Heading back to Alta via Sugarloaf gate, using Ikon


Adventure run in Catherine's. The hike is short and can be done without taking off skis.
Pictures with @Bookworm taken by @floridakeysskibum

 

[marzNC]

Bill is the last to leave Alta. He let me know this morning that the Wildcat lot was almost full by 8:45am MT. His car is loaded to start the drive back to Albuquerque after he skis for a few hours. It stayed warm overnight so I don't expect him to ski much past noon.

Yesterday I joined my non-skiing husband for the end of his timeshare vacation to Las Vegas. Going to see some shows.

Wildcat parking, 8:45am on Closing Day, April 21, 2024