My own solitude at Solitude!

Well after nearly a full month of closing day at Solitude there is still plenty of snow. I geared up at Moonbeam base. 1) I skinned up Home Run. 2) Then booted the summer road which is now blacktop! 3) Then I bootpacked Diamond Lane where I thought my heart was going to blow through my chest. 4) Hiked up past the patrol shed and over into Here be dragons. 5) Then after dropping the knee a bunch of times I headed over into Crystal Point and made a few more turns there. 6) Then Honeycomb Return back to the parking lot to call it a day!
60 degrees and Sun. I believe that I was the only person to ski Solitude today! Nothing like having a full mountain to myself.
Oh yeah the chairlifts will be changed for next season with a new chairlift called APEX EXPRESS! Shhhhhhh!
Video of Honeycomb Canyon is taken from my cell phone .

14" New Snow!!!

They were calling for only 1-3" overnight. As usual, their forecast was completely wrong. I picked up two freeheelers on the way up the pass who informed me there was a foot up at the main parking area... And that's only at 9,000!! At close to 12,000 there was at least 14". Is it March or May??? Unfortunately because of low light and heavy snow, no pictures of my steezy tracks came out. However, you can imagine, overhead shots every turn on the steep stuff... Uber Steezed after today!!!


Two old dudes and their dog. It's starting to puke now.


I did encounter a minor slide...

I started skiing on a 35-40 deg pitch which eventually rolled over to 50-55. Three turns in and I saw the snow sliding to my left so I instinctively cut a big right turn towards a ridge I noted before venturing down slope. I stopped up on the high ground and watched a 30' wide section of snow rush downhill and continue over the rock face below. Decision time, skier's right is a narrow chute that cliff's out at 15' (which I've skied before) and straight down the gut is non skiable... Chances are this will let loose again, so I opted to not ski the chute (nasty terrain trap). I traversed skier's left and continued until I could ski down safely (i.e. no cliffs to be pushed over if it does slide again). As I was about to pole plant and take the first turn down the fall-line, I saw a crack shoot through the snow, just below me, clear across the slope (80' or so). Normally I'd stop and re-route, however, I didn't. Why? For a few reasons.

One: I was with two guys I met, whom were both above me, equipped with the necessities (Beacons, probes, shovels).
Two: No terrain traps below
Three: If it slides, it'll be the foot of soft new snow that fell in the last 12hrs
Four: Short slope, maybe 300 ft, with a runout that opens up nicely (Hourglass) and gradually decreases from 55 - 25 degs

So I make that first turn and that's when it happens. The snow lets loose all around me and rushes downhill at an amazing speed. I hold my breath. My heart skips a beat. It all happens so fast. The snow is still sliding. Now it's sliding faster. I get on my tails and point 'em. What a rush. I'm flowing through the snow, I'm on a giant slip 'n slide. I can't turn. I'm going faster. Now I can turn. One. Two. Three. Four. Five... A big right turn. I stop. The snow stopped.

Hard to see, but the crown up above the rock face, about a foot or so.


And as we skinned out from the last run, it started snowing even harder...


Hey! Goat. Put up your dukes.


"Baaaaa, we ain't got no stinkin' dukes. Later."

May 1

Snowbird received 17" in the past 24hrs.

4" New at Berthoud!

The cold weather overnight preserved the quality of the snow for today's turns. It was a great day for the 27th of April!!! Total vert descended approx 4,000ft, 3 hrs of uphill time.

And look for the Mtn Goats, they showed up in a few of the pics, "Baaaaaaaa":



There's one!


Cornices are beginning to drop, another few weeks and the cirque will be able to be dropped! Those snow boulders are car sized at the bottom of the hill.


Baaaaaaaaaaa. Looking over western summit at Berthoud.


Double Ouch.

Last Line straight down the gut.

April 17th - 10" of New Snow!

The Ullr played a trick on Mother Nature when he blanketed the western slope with 8-12" of new snow overnight! Yes, that was April 17th... He was a little late on the Gaper Day prank.

Breck claimed 10"
Berthoud had about 6" at the main parking lot, and close to 10" or so on the west peak

What a year. It is what it is...

Summer who?

Season comes to an end! Not yet!

Well Solitude closed this past Sunday 13th. With 50+ degrees, sun, booze, girls, snowballs and lots of happy faces! What an awesome way to celebrate the season. The FOG's did a kick azz job setting up the event! (http://www.solitudefog.blogspot.com/) The season was by far the best season my bro and I have ever had. Plenty of new friends and more than enough deep pow turns. Solitude ended their season with a total of 569" of snowfall and a 128" base. That's alot of snow to melt so myself and some other true skiers will be touring Solitude Resort until there is nothing left! Probably deep into June maybe July! Frankie's total vertical 724,135 and 188 Locker room visits.
My vertical was 648,255 with 185 locker visits. Signing out for the Chairlift season. Grinning all the way to '08-'09 season!

Heavy Snow Warning

8-12" of snow and more scattered snow on the way! April

Crap!

Another 16" of fresh snow in the hills this weekend. I can't enjoy it cause the X-ray showed my bone is not healed yet. Another two weeks with my bs splint on. CRAP! I hate rocks that jump out of the snow and punch your hand!

After an Epic, Uber, Steezy, Face-Shot week we were all Totally Stoked!

PBR, Mickeys, Becks, Bigfoot barley wine and lots of other unhealthy substances. Thanks to all for a kick azz week/weekend. You all know who you are if you can remember after intoxicating our brains for a week. Until our next adventure. Booze, sunshine, snowball fights, snow bunnies and of course friends chillaxin' in the West. EPIC!!!!!!!!!

Sill freshies and little Bluebirds everywhere singing!

Bo and Mike visited the Wasatch this week. We started at Brighton on Fri and then Solitude for the remainder of the weekend. I don't undertsand how there is still fresh lines to be found. Days after any accumalation and plenty of sunshine it's still fluffy and untouched. Hiking EGP 3X in a row allowed us to shred bottomless fluff on Bomb's Away! Honeycomb Canyon still has its fair share of lines also. No Man's Land was a treat and today we ventured further to upper Crystal Point along the ridge and left two tracks down. No one has been there for many days. I DON'T UNDERSTAND but good for us!

What a week! Killington got 27" since last Teusday, but man was it a rough week for Burton Custom X's!!!

Laurence shredding up A Slope at Pico before mini-explosion...



Sprocket freshies!

















Sneaky turns by Pico's mini-park.















Day 6 on this deck was it's final!

Day 96 on this deck was it's final!

Ever wonder what the inside of a snowboard looks like? Check out the dragonfly core with opposing strips of wood grain...pretty cool.

G Man takes a break from the city life in mid-Feb. Thanx for visiting. It was great having you here!

NYSKI at the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon. Twin Lakes Pass

Chillaxin' at the Roundhouse Grill AKA "The Beach"

Look closely as he takes the "Monster" Fries AIR off the cliffs in Crystal Point. He stuck it clean.

His favorite part of visiting Utah. Hiking 30 minutes after a 2 minute run. Baking in the sun.

Twin Lakes to Pioneer Ridge Tour - 2/16

Forgot to post these after Utah. Me, Frankie & Frankie, 6-7hr tour starting at Solitude's Highway to Heaven gate and pushing through down Twin Lakes, skinned to Brighton, boot packed Militant Peak, skinned up under Wolverine Bowl and made it to the top of Seagull Chute. I really need a touring set-up, alpine gear gets heavy... I'm tele-envious!!!

SG didn't make it due to broken hand syndrome, hate when that happens.

Seagull Chute up top in the distance

Can you see the Seagull?

Frankie & Frankie on the uptrack to Brighton

FG - Here's a Photo to be Printed!

Tribute to the other Graz

What a great season, did you get your 1,000,000 vert? I heard you were heading back to the east so I laid down some tribute turns for you today at Berthoud. There were more up top, but wasn't able to get a snap of it...

Frankie "8" Steeze:

Thanx for the EPIC season Bro! What an awesome stretch we had!

My Bro's season has unoficially ended. He is back home for the golf season. Hopefully he gets the bug and can sneak a few more turns in the Wasatch this season. What a season this was for him. Powder everyday. Shhhhh! Solitude is a "family" mountain.
Hey bro, thanx for a great season. It won't be the same here w/out you. Till our next turns. Good Luck this golf season! ~~SG

WHY SOLITUDE?



5 vids of my bro!

Boundary Chutes. SICK!

Crystal Point

Crystal Point

Crystal Point. Same day as all vids above.

Last Honeycomb/No Man's Land run of season! One full week after snowfall with temps in the upper 30s-40's. That's why Solitude!