Turn It Around

Maybe, just maybe, we'll have a decent season yet. We have got to turn it around some time. Admittedly, I've been having hard withdrawals in winter 11-12 after being so spoiled with snow in winter 10-11. Having said that, the best day of the season so far (key words "so far") was last Saturday up in The Willows. Arie, Johnny, and I actually had an entire half-day to enjoy ourselves. What a nice break from having to rush up the mountain, rush the skiing in, then rush to work while changing out of my long johns and into business casual on I-15. The colors at dawn were unbelievable. Check out the view into Wolverine Cirque, with Mt. Milly in the foreground.

Once dawn burst forth, McDonald's Draw was bathed in a pinkish glow.

The snow wasn't super light and fresh because it was a couple of days since the last storm, but still had a buttery consistency.

Johnny just had to give into his Boy Scout instinct for rolling objects off of high places so he cut away a fridge-sized cornice high on the ridge line, which propogated a decent sluff slide that went all the way to the base of the bowl. Little did we realize that a fatal 2400' x 700' slab slide had just recently occurred on the West Face of Kessler Peak that same morning: http://utahavalanchecenter.org/accident_west_couloir_1282012. Safety first, especially this season.

On a lighter note, it was a superb day of weather, views, colors, company, and snow. I certainly wasn't complaining. The perma grin resulting from that experience has lasted a long time for me. Let's just hope Mother Nature gives us a few more days like these.