The storm totals expected Saturday evening fizzled leaving only two inches overnight at the resort. The disappoint kept us in bed another 30 minutes before we rallied and headed to the resort. After -20F on Friday and 40" of snow in the last week, Sunday afternoon's call for 40F and rain were going to wreck havoc and we wanted to be off the mountain when it happened.
By mid-morning, they planned to put the gondola on wind-hold so we stayed on the Park City side rather than our plan of exploring the Canyons. We found the best conditions and fresh stashes from earlier in the week in the trees off McConkey's.
On one of our chairlift rides, a guy in his 20's joined us and immediately told us where he was skiing and how great it was. It was a little surprising since most skiers like to keep their powder stashes a secret if there aren't free refills. We immediately asked where he was from, because that behavior indicated a non-local. We talked all the way up and almost headed to his stash, but couldn't resist heading back to our own.
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| McConkey's - Terry looking to drop into the trees and out of the wind |
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| Back and knee surgeries can't slow him down in the powder |
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| We have so much fun skiing no matter the conditions - and proof of snowflakes not rain! |
This friendly youngster lives in Alaska and on the last day of his week-long vacation. He timed it perfectly with big powder days Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday plus plenty of leftovers in between. He saves up all year for two trips to Utah. One to Park City to ski and the other to Moab to play in the desert. He has been coming to Park City for five years in a row, stays near the Town Lift, and skis hard. A third generation Alaskan, he has a desk job in Anchorage managing truck drivers for the oil industry. In addition to saving money for Utah trips, he's restoring a Jeep so he can bring it to Moab.
As he excitedly told us his story and talked about the amazing week he had skiing, he kept dropping Park City and Moab highlights as though we were listening to a Utah Marketing Pitch. He says Utah is a close second to Alaska based on our vast outdoor playgrounds. I've only been to Alaska once, but I can see where he's coming from. His description of skiing Alyeska made us think about a visit, but then there would be a chance we'd miss a Utah storm and the Greatest Snow on Earth.
Speaking of the Greatest Snow on Earth, we are craving more and just might get it. Sunday afternoon/evening brought a little more rain/snow and the resorts claimed three inches overnight. Today, we had every weather condition possible at 32F and by the time I drove home from work, we had an icy blizzard on our hands. We'll see what happens tonight, hopefully the temps drop and the moisture continues. I'm glad our Alaskan friend came last week instead of this week, he definitely won the Ski Utah Lottery!
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| 32F, very strong winds, and snow/rain - makes for a tough commute |
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| Navigated 4 wrecks on the frontage road yet still faster than I-80 which was backed up for miles |
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