2006 Salt Lake City Odyssey - March

As a belated 40th wedding anniversary celebration (September 4, 2005), Kayla and Harvey began the realization of Harvey's dream to spend (almost) an entire ski season in Salt Lake City. We began our adventure on January 31, 2006, departing Portland in our trusty 1996 Chevy Blazer, loaded to the hilt with ski equipment, computers, router, printer, and everything else needed to set up our remote office. We arrived in SLC on February 1 and plan to stay until March 31, working from our remote office in the Candlewood Suites and skiing when snow conditions are good at the Wasatch Range ski resorts. I am attempting to chronicle our activities on this web page and include a few photos for our own records and for anyone who might want to browse through our SLC odyssey.

Wednesday, March 1, 2006
We headed up to Alta after Kayla finished her morning conference call. 7" of fresh snow on the slopes made for a very pleasant afternoon of skiing, with a late lunch tossed in for good measure. Somehow Harvey managed to leave his fanny pack (containing his prescription glasses) in one of the restaurants up on the mountain, which motivated a 4:25 lift ride (lifts close at 4:30) and a hell-bent-for-leather run to the restaurant to retrieve the lost item from the lost-and-found. All's well that ends well. We had leftover pizza for dinner, followed by wonderful, soaking, hot baths.

Snow Report
Current Conditions as of: Wed March 1st, 2006 at 08:00:00 AM
Settled Snow Depth: 134"
Snowfall (Past 12 hrs): 4"
Snowfall (Past 24 hrs): 7"
Snowfall this Season: 410"
Sky Cover: Sunny
Ridgetop Winds: light NW
Mid Mountain Temp:(°F) 14°
Highway 210 Status: Snowtires or Chains Required in Vehicle
Forecast for Today
Sky Cover: Partly Clear
Temperatures °F (9am-4pm): 21° - 31°
Wind: light W
Snowfall: 0-T"
Extended Forecast: Isolated periods of light snow as the storm system departs. Clear tonight through Thursday night when another storm approaches. Significant snowfall is expected Saturday.

Photos of the Day
Kayla mentally maps out the fall line she will take.

A nice skier from Minnesota offered to take our picture with abundant icicles as a backdrop.

When Kayla gets thirsty on the slopes, she will resort to anything...

Thursday, March 2, 2006
No new snow = no skiing. Both of us had lots of work to do, so it was just as well. We did break away about 3 PM, went downtown, and walked through The Gateway shopping center. Dinner at Thaifoon was scrumptious and was followed by one of the high points of our entire trip: A performance by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square, presented by the American Choral Directors Association, Western Division Convention. The magnificent two-hour program included Music of Christmas, Music of the Masters, Music of Our Land and People, Music of the World, and Signature Sounds of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Back in 1997-98 when Portland's First United Methodist Church celebrated 150 years of service, Mack Wilberg, Associate Music Director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, composed a commissioned anthem Psalm 150 and directed its first performance in Portland. Both Kayla and Harvey sang in the Chancel Choir for the performance. So, it was especially meaningful to see Mack conduct the Choir and Orchestra as they performed several works that Mack had arranged. It was a very special evening.

Snow Report
Current Conditions as of: Thu March 2nd, 2006 at 08:15:00 AM
Settled Snow Depth: 133"
Snowfall (Past 12 hrs): 0"
Snowfall (Past 24 hrs): 7"
Snowfall this Season: 410"
Sky Cover: Mostly clear
Ridgetop Winds: light SW
Mid Mountain Temp:(°F) 25°
Highway 210 Status: Snowtires or Chains Required in Vehicle
Forecast for Today
Sky Cover: Mostly Sunny
Temperatures °F (9am-4pm): 21° - 41°
Wind: moderate S
Snowfall: 0"
Extended Forecast: Southerly flow continues to push out the high pressure. Friday night a cold front moves across the area bringing snow.

Photos of the Day
One of our new favorite restaurants in the Gateway shopping center.

Harvey lingers in front of ... you guessed it ... The Gateway shopping center.

Friday, March 3, 2006
No new snow = no skiing. Late night of work led to late start on the day. Beautiful sunshine outside, but too much work to do inside. Forecast for up to 9" of new snow tonight, so tomorrow looks like a moderate powder day. Kayla went out for a walk this afternoon while Harvey tried desperately to catch up on problem cases, correspondence, website work, and other business tasks. Dinner at Hopper's was a welcome respite for both of us.

Snow Report
Current Conditions as of: Fri March 3rd, 2006 at 05:30:00 AM
Settled Snow Depth: 131"
Snowfall (Past 12 hrs): 0"
Snowfall (Past 24 hrs): 0"
Snowfall this Season: 410"
Sky Cover: Mostly clear
Ridgetop Winds: light SE
Mid Mountain Temp:(°F) 26°
Highway 210 Status: Snowtires or Chains Required in Vehicle
Forecast for Today
Sky Cover: sunny-cldy in pm
Temperatures °F (9am-4pm): 28° - 42°
Wind: strong SSE
Snowfall: 0"
Extended Forecast: Winds will build as the upper trough and cold front moves in. Snow showers will develop late in the day into the overnight hours; 4-6" expected. Another cold upper trough weather system is headed our way for Tuesday night.

No Photos Today

Saturday, March 4, 2006
Woke up to a report of 7" of new snow, as had been predicted, so we had breakfast and headed up the mountain around 9 AM. Heavy weekend traffic on Wasatch Blvd caused us to take an alternate route, but it was still nearly 10 AM before we got to Alta. The crowds on the slopes were not bad at all, and the snow was great. The two of us had an unscheduled "meeting" we we both took identical evasive action - resulting in a yard sale and Kayla battered and bruised. To add injury to injury, Kayla fell hard on her last run, only 50 yards from the base!! Tough day for her, but thankfully no serious damage. As usual, we enjoyed our lunch in Watson's Shelter, where we take off our ski boots, put on slippers, and are served delightful food in a most comfortable and scenic setting. Enjoyed a very nice steak dinner at the Black Angus Steakhouse and retired earlier than usual - two tired puppies.

Snow Report
7" of new snow, but failed to capture the full snow report due to SKIING!!

Photos of the Day
This shot gives a feel for the depth of the fresh snow we enjoyed today.

The obligatory "photo on the lift." The area on the far hill is West Rustler - we are on the Wildcat Lift.

Harvey's favorite ski partner soaks up the sun on a beautiful powder day.

A nice shot of Kayla cruising on nice soft powder. Life is good!!

Sunday, March 5, 2006
Even if there had been new snow today, likely we would have skipped skiing - both quite tired and weekend crowds contributing to the decision. Traditional brunch at Hopper's, followed by a long walk on a warm, sunshiny afternoon. We watched Tiger Woods win another tournament, watched the Tennessee Lady Vols squeak by the LSU Lady Tigers by one point to win the SEC Tournament Championship, and watched the Academy Awards. Tomorrow promises to be a work day, but a storm is due in tomorrow night, so Tuesday is likely to be another powder day. Once again, we are keeping our fingers crossed that the weatherman doesn't miss it!

Snow Report
Current Conditions as of: Sun March 5th, 2006 at 04:40:00 PM
Settled Snow Depth: 133"
Snowfall (Past 12 hrs): 0"
Snowfall (Past 24 hrs): 0"
Snowfall this Season: 417"
Sky Cover: High clouds
Ridgetop Winds: Light
Mid Mountain Temp:(°F) 40°
Highway 210 Status: Snowtires or Chains Required in Vehicle
Forecast for Today
Sky Cover: Mostly cloudy
Temperatures °F (9am-4pm): 25° - 45°
Wind: strong
Snowfall: 0"
Extended Forecast: The break in the weather continues for Sunday before the next system moves in on Monday through Tuesday.

No Photos Today

Monday, March 6, 2006
A work day for both of us. No new snow. Ate at Famous Dave's Bar-B-Q, really quite good. Went to bed at a reasonable hour in anticipation of a full day of skiing tomorrow.

Snow Report
Failed to capture the snow report today.

No Photos Today

Tuesday, March 7, 2006
Woke up to a report of 6" of new snow, which was less than had beem predicted (and 7" less than was reported at Solitude). However, 6" of fresh powder is still great, so we headed up to Alta at 8:30 and ate breakfast at the resort. There was quite a crowd in the lift lines at 9:30 but once they got up on the mountain they must have distributed themselves nicely, because we had no lift lines all day long. The snow was wonderful almost everywhere on the mountain, the Wildcat area being the main exception. For some reason the base was very icy and hard there, so the powder on top wasn't as forgiving as it was elsewhere. We pretty much skied the entire day today (9:30 AM until 4:30 PM), with Kayla breaking for a conference call around noon and both of us breaking for a relaxed lunch. It snowed an additional 4" during the afternoon, so every run was pretty close to first tracks. We relaxed briefly with a latte and steamer before driving down the canyon for some shopping, dinner at Tony Roma's, and checking our email from the day. Two tired puppies went to bed at a reasonable hour, although we agreed that unless there was substantial new snow overnight, we would take the day off tomorrow, relax a bit, and get a little work done.

Snow Report
Current Conditions as of: Tue March 7th, 2006 at 04:45:00 PM
Settled Snow Depth: 138"
Snowfall (Past 12 hrs): 4"
Snowfall (Past 24 hrs): 10"
Snowfall this Season: 427"
Sky Cover: snowing
Ridgetop Winds: light
Mid Mountain Temp:(°F) 27°
Highway 210 Status: Snowtires or Chains Required in Vehicle
Forecast for Today
Sky Cover: snow
Temperatures °F (9am-4pm): 17° - 25°
Wind: moderate
Snowfall: 2-4"
Extended Forecast: Snowing, 2-4" tonight with a trace - 2" tomorrow. Break tomorrow during the day with snow moving in Wednesday night. Heaviest snow will be thursday afternoon thru Thursday night. Snow will continue thru Monday.

Photos of the Day
Lots of fresh powder in Kayla's playground today!

Harvey is a most happy fellow in his subdued colors (his one-piece suits are 15 years old).

Kayla tries to convince everyone that she just skied off this boulder.

Wednesday, March 8, 2006
There was a bit of fresh snow on the mountain today, but we both had work stacked up from skiing yesterday, so we opted to catch up a bit on professional work today. We did have a unique dining experience tonight at Rodizio Grill in Trolley Square in downtown Salt Lake City, near the University of Utah campus. Here is Kayla's report on dinner:

"Tonight we went to Rodizio Grill in Trolley Square near the University of Utah. It is a Brazilian Steakhouse, one of only 2 in the US. The other is in Denver. What a FUN experience. Rather than try to describe everything This URL takes you straight to the Menu screen (guess that doesn’t surprise you). A basket of appetizers are brought to the table first and you can have them replenished as often as you want. There were 30 different items on the Salad/Hot Vegetable Bar and most of them were unique to Brazil. For instance Quail Eggs in a brine solution. Some were recognizable but with a Brazilian twist. One could return as often as desired. Next, by turning our “cue” so the green end was on top the gauchos began arriving at our table with skewers of meat and vegetables. Each gaucho had a different menu item and would slice off a piping hot piece. There were at least 4 different kinds and preparations of beef, 1 pork roast, 2 kinds of chicken, 2 kinds of sausage. Additionally, there was wonderful whole grilled pineapple and quartered tomatoes with fresh parmesan cheese. The gauchos only stopped coming to your table when you put the red end of the cue on top. Even after you put the red end on top you could return the green to the top any time you wanted to for as long as you wanted to. Groan! We were beyond stuffed but did that stop us from sampling one of 8 or more desserts? Absolutely not! We shared the Brazilian version of Key Lime Pie and it was great. The final exercise was to place the cue on its side to indicate we were ready for the check. We highly recommend a meal at Rodizio Grill if ever you are in Salt Lake City or Denver. It was a real treat."

Snow Report
Current Conditions as of: Wed March 8th, 2006 at 04:10:00 PM
Settled Snow Depth: 143"
Snowfall (Past 12 hrs): 4"
Snowfall (Past 24 hrs): 7"
Snowfall this Season: 433"
Sky Cover: snowing
Ridgetop Winds: moderate
Mid Mountain Temp:(°F) 18°
Highway 210 Status: Snowtires or Chains Required in Vehicle
Forecast for Today
Sky Cover: snow
Temperatures °F (9am-4pm): 18° - 25°
Wind: moderate
Snowfall: 1-3"
Extended Forecast: A cold front moves in for Thursday along with another 8-12"!

Photos of the Day
Water tower at Trolley Square, where we enjoyed a Brazilian dinner at Rodizio Grill.

Kayla says hello from Trolley Square.

Thursday, March 9, 2006
Woke up to a report of 8" of new snow, with much more on the way today. We looked out the window to the north and could literally see the cold front approaching. It hit like a freight train, with high winds, blowing snow, and basically zero visibility around 9 AM. We decided to postpone departure for the ski slopes until weather conditions improved. Left around 11 AM and the road up the canyon was quite slick. However, when we took our first lift an noon, it was snowing moderately and conditions couldn't have been better. We skied on somewhere between 12" and 30" of fresh powder virtually everywhere on the mountain - fantastic!! Unfortunately, Kayla began feeling less than well around 3 PM, so she stopped skiing and I skied by myself for the last hour and a half. After our traditional latte (Harvey) and steamer (Kayla), we drove down the mountain, caught up on our email, and had dinner at Hopper's. All-in-all, an excellent day of skiing in wonderful conditions.

Snow Report
Current Conditions as of: Thu March 9th, 2006 at 04:30:00 PM
Settled Snow Depth: 151"
Snowfall (Past 12 hrs): 11"
Snowfall (Past 24 hrs): 14"
Snowfall this Season: 448"
Sky Cover: mostly sunny
Ridgetop Winds: Moderate - NW
Mid Mountain Temp:(°F) 13°
Highway 210 Status: Snowtires or Chains Required in Vehicle
Forecast for Today
Sky Cover: Mostly cloudy with a
Temperatures °F (9am-4pm): 40° - 7°
Wind: mod NW
Snowfall: 1-3"
Extended Forecast: Occasional snow showers through Saturday

Photos of the Day
Kayla is not kneeling down in the snow - she is standing upright!

Another view of the deep powder. Not a good day to get caught on a flat area!

Harvey just had to take one shot of Kayla carving it like a turkey.

Kayla's sister Mary called while we enjoyed our latte and steamer.

Friday, March 10, 2006
Just a routine work day for both of us. We did go to a good movie (Eight Below) and had a nice dinner at the Lone Star Steakhouse, but otherwise nothing interesting to report.

Snow Report
No new snow - failed to capture the detailed snow report

No Photos Today

Saturday, March 11, 2006
A relaxing Saturday for us: Slept late, had brunch at the Cracker Barrel, Kayla went shopping at a mall near our hotel, Harvey got a slow leak repaired in a tire on the Blazer, we watched some NCAA basketball, had dinner at Thai Spice (very nice), and retired early (for us) in anticipation of a powder morning tomorrow.

Snow Report
Current Conditions as of: Sat March 11th, 2006 at 04:40:00 PM
Settled Snow Depth: 147"
Snowfall (Past 12 hrs): 1"
Snowfall (Past 24 hrs): 1"
Snowfall this Season: 449"
Sky Cover: Light Snow
Ridgetop Winds: moderate
Mid Mountain Temp:(°F) 20°
Highway 210 Status: snowtires or chains in vehicle
Forecast for Today
Sky Cover: Snow
Temperatures °F (9am-4pm): 8° - 21°
Wind: moderate
Snowfall: 2-4"
Extended Forecast: Snow flurries likely tonight and tomorrow, heaviest snow will be Sunday night and Monday.

Photo of the Day
Kayla and Harvey return to their Tennessee roots by eating at a Cracker Barrel Restaurant.

Sunday, March 12, 2006
Kayla wasn't feeling well today, so Harvey picked up three dozen Krispy Kreme donuts for the Ski Shop employees and headed up the canyon by himself. There were six inches of fresh powder last night and through the day today, so conditions were excellent. However, visibility was not at all good with snow falling and flat light hiding undulations in the terrain. I skied with people from New York City, Chicago, and San Francisco and skied several runs by myself. Knee deep powder was the order of the day - skied until about 4:15 then drove down the mountain to meet Kayla for dinner. We enjoyed a very nice meal at the Macaroni Grill, then settled in to prepare for Kayla's trip to Dallas tomorrow afternoon on business.

Snow Report
Current Conditions as of: Sun March 12th, 2006 at 04:26:00 PM
Settled Snow Depth: 148"
Snowfall (Past 12 hrs): 3"
Snowfall (Past 24 hrs): 6"
Snowfall this Season: 455"
Sky Cover: Light Snow
Ridgetop Winds: LIGHT
Mid Mountain Temp:(°F) 15°
Highway 210 Status: Snowtires or Chains Required in Vehicle
Forecast for Today
Sky Cover: Snow
Temperatures °F (9am-4pm): 4° - 18°
Wind: LIGHT
Snowfall: 2-4"
Extended Forecast: Snow advisory tonight,2-4". More snow moving in Tuesday and Tuesday night.

Photo of the Day
Trees in the Wildcat area laden with fresh snow - wonderful deep powder for the taking.

Harvey had to take a photo of himself, since his skiing partner Kayla wasn't along today.

Monday, March 13, 2006
I'm not sure where the resort measures sonwfall, but it can't be where I ski. Their 4" over the past 12 hours and 8" over the past 24 hours translated into more than a foot of fresh powder everywhere I skied this morning. Moreover, there were very few skiers on the mountain, so virtually every run was basically untracked powder. Kayla was preparing for her trip to Dallas, so she didn't ski today. I quit at 12:30 and drove down to join Kayla for lunch and then take her to the airport for her flight. Happily, she called to report an uneventful trip. She'll return to SLC late tomorrow evening, just in time to reap the benefits of a storm that is due here tomorrow night. After returning from the airport, I did some compliance work, website development, enhanced my Sudoku Puzzle template, ate leftover lasagne, and rattled around in space that badly missed Kayla's presence.

Snow Report
Current Conditions as of: Mon March 13th, 2006 at 05:30:00 AM
Settled Snow Depth: 149"
Snowfall (Past 12 hrs): 4"
Snowfall (Past 24 hrs): 8"
Snowfall this Season: 459"
Sky Cover: Light Snow
Ridgetop Winds: LIGHT NW
Mid Mountain Temp:(°F) 7°
Highway 210 Status: Snowtires or Chains Required in Vehicle
Forecast for Today
Sky Cover: light snow
Temperatures °F (9am-4pm): 7° - 18°
Wind: moderate nw
Snowfall: 2-4"
Extended Forecast: Snow advisory tonight,2-4". More snow moving in Tuesday and Tuesday night.

No Photos Today

Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Kayla was in Dallas for a business meeting today, so once again I skied alone. There was no new snow, but conditions remained quite good everywhere on the mountain. It was quite windy today, but I was able to find sheltered places to ski with little difficulty. Took a break between 11:30 AM and 1:00 PM to participate in an interesting seminar via cell phone. Once the seminar was over, I returned to the slopes for the remainder of the afternoon. Managed to join up with a local named Gene (who is exactly my age) for a couple of epic runs in the Catherines Area, requiring fairly strenuous hikes to get to prime untracked territory. Forgot to eat lunch, so was famished when I returned to the Suite - ate leftover bar-b-que and it tasted fantastic (thanks to my hunger). Heading to the airport to pick up Kayla as soon as I finish this update. Medium sized storm forecast for tonight, so it should be a powder day tomorrow. Excellent!!

Snow Report
Current Conditions as of: Tue March 14th, 2006 at 04:30:00 PM
Settled Snow Depth: 146"
Snowfall (Past 12 hrs): 0"
Snowfall (Past 24 hrs): 0"
Snowfall this Season: 461"
Sky Cover: clear
Ridgetop Winds: strong
Mid Mountain Temp:(°F) 34°
Highway 210 Status: Snowtires or Chains Required in Vehicle
Forecast for Today
Sky Cover: increasing clouds
Temperatures °F (9am-4pm): 17° - 25°
Wind: strong
Snowfall: 6-8"
Extended Forecast: Increasing clouds and southerly winds Tuesday ahead of a storm system expected Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. This system looks to be a medium size storm.

No Photos Today

Wednesday, March 15, 2006
The best skiing conditions of our entire trip to date!! The road up the canyon was closed for avalanche control until around 11:00 AM. That worked out just right, because Kayla had some follow-up work to do from her Dallas trip and I had a few left-over work things to do. Once we got out on the slopes the snow was fantabulous - very deep (knee to thigh), light (weightless), and dry (more like smoke). Think "snow billowing into, over, and behind us as we bounced down the slopes in our own version of Paradise. The photos below tell the story much better than any words I might write.

Snow Report
Current Conditions as of: Wed March 15th, 2006 at 04:17:00 PM
Settled Snow Depth: 158"
Snowfall (Past 12 hrs): 13"
Snowfall (Past 24 hrs): 16"
Snowfall this Season: 477"
Sky Cover: sunny!
Ridgetop Winds: light
Mid Mountain Temp:(°F) 24°
Highway 210 Status: Snowtires or Chains Required in Vehicle
Forecast for Today
Sky Cover: partly sunny
Temperatures °F (9am-4pm): 14° - 25°
Wind: strong
Snowfall: 0"
Extended Forecast: Mostly clear tonight, becoming cloudy tomorrow with a slight chance of a snow flurrie tomorrow afternoon.

Photos of the Day
Documentation of the depth of the snow at Alta today. This is no exageration!

It just doesn't get any better than this!!

Untracked powder abounds. The beauty of the surroundings is obvious from this photo.

Thursday, March 16, 2006
Both Kayla and Harvey had work to do this morning, then Kayla ended up with conference calls this afternoon. Therefore, Harvey traveled to Alta by himself around noon and skied until 3 PM. He worked his way from a hike to Catherines off of the Supreme chair, then back to Supreme Bowl, then down through the trees below Supreme lift. Over to Sugarloaf life, East Baldy Traverse to the top of Collins, one run through the Collins lift trees, then over to Wildcat for several runs. Legs got tired early on the fifth straight day of skiing, so didn't push it beyond 3 PM. Returned to suite to find Kayla taking a much needed nap. Nice dinner at Tony Roma's, then home to more work while the NCAA games were going on. Another instance of having the luxury of going skiing for a few hours at one of the world's finest ski resorts at the drop of a hat. Sweeeeeeet!!

Snow Report
Current Conditions as of: Thu March 16th, 2006 at 04:15:00 AM
Settled Snow Depth: 152"
Snowfall (Past 12 hrs): 0"
Snowfall (Past 24 hrs): 0"
Snowfall this Season: 477"
Sky Cover: mostly cloudy
Ridgetop Winds: Moderate SSE
Mid Mountain Temp:(°F) 14°
Highway 210 Status: Snowtires or Chains Required in Vehicle
Forecast for Today
Sky Cover: Tonight: Cloudy
Temperatures °F (9am-4pm): 16° - 18°
Wind: moderate
Snowfall: TR"
Extended Forecast: A slight chance of snow flurries overnight. Significant snowfall expected over the weekend as the next Pacific storm system rolls in.

No Photos Today

Friday, March 17, 2006
After five straight days of skiing, Harvey decided to take a day off and get some work done. Late afternoon and late evening were devoted to a movie double-feature of Brokeback Mountain and Three Burials of Melquaides Estrada. After two "cowboy" movies, it was only logical that we go to the Longhorn Steakhouse for dinner. It's raining here in the valley tonight, so surely it's snowing in the mountains. Will check the snow report in the morning to see if another powder morning is in store. Watched Kansas get beat, North Carolina win, and Kentucky win in the NCAA tournament. The big event last night was Northwestern State University (Kayla's alma mater in Natchitoches, Louisiana) beating Iowa, a huge upset.

Snow Report
Current Conditions as of: Fri March 17th, 2006 at 04:45:00 PM
Settled Snow Depth: 151"
Snowfall (Past 12 hrs): 2"
Snowfall (Past 24 hrs): 2"
Snowfall this Season: 480"
Sky Cover: Partly Sunny
Ridgetop Winds: Light SE
Mid Mountain Temp:(°F) 15°
Highway 210 Status: Snowtires or Chains Required in Vehicle
Forecast for Today
Sky Cover: Snow
Temperatures °F (9am-4pm): 26° - 31°
Wind: Light SSE
Snowfall: Tr - 2"
Extended Forecast: Light snow possible tonight. Better chances for heavier amounts of snow Saturday through Sunday night.

No Photos Today

Saturday, March 18, 2006
Another powder day!! Kayla decided not to ski today, because the forecast is for an extra large dump of snow tonight and tomorrow - saving her energy for the best day. Harvey, on the other hand, couldn't stand to let 6" to 10" of fresh powder get skied out with him not on the mountain, so eh drove up to Alta at 8 AM, had breakfast there, and was on one of the early chairs on the Collins Lift. He skied all over the mountain from 9:15 until 3:15, when his legs asked him to cease and desist. Harvey had as many untracked "freshie" runs today as he can ever remember - an outstanding day of skiing, but he missed his favorite ski partner. There was no one to take pictures of, so he had to settle for photos of the scenery. We enjoyed another nice dinner as Stuart Anderson's Black Angus Steakhouse, then watched NCAA basketball for the remainder of the evening.

Snow Report
Current Conditions as of: Sat March 18th, 2006 at 04:50:00 PM
Settled Snow Depth: 156"
Snowfall (Past 12 hrs): 3"
Snowfall (Past 24 hrs): 10"
Snowfall this Season: 489"
Sky Cover: Snowing
Ridgetop Winds: Light SW
Mid Mountain Temp:(°F) 24°
Highway 210 Status: Snowtires or Chains Required in Vehicle
Forecast for Today
Sky Cover: Snow
Temperatures °F (9am-4pm): 20° - 26°
Wind: Light NW
Snowfall: 5-9"
Extended Forecast: Storm moving through tonight bringing 5-9 inches and will continue tomorrow bringing an additional 8-12 inches. Looks this this will put us over 500 inches for the year and we still have a month left!

Photos of the Day
A nice powder stash before Harvey skied through it.

The same nice powder stash after Harvey skied through it.

Sunday, March 19, 2006
The new snow just keeps falling at Alta. The resort reached its annual average snowfall of 500" today and we made sure we helped in the celebration. A powder day on a Sunday means substantial crowds, but the crowds really weren't problems at any of the lifts. We drove up the canyon at 8:00 AM, arriving there by 8:30, where we had breakfast at the Goldminer's Daughter. We were in the Wildcat lift line at 9:15 when it opened and were greeted by, you guessed it, deep, light, dry powder at every turn. Fantastic!! Unfortunately, Kayla had some equilibrium problems today, so she didn't ski much. Harvey was skiing his seventh day of the last eight, so he decided it would be a good idea for him to transport Kayla down the mountain so both of us could watch some NCAA basketball (this was about 1:30 PM). The forecasted storm didn't hit SLC until about 4:00 PM, but it is snowing heavily now, so tomorrow morning should be yet another POWDER MORNING. The shortage of fresh snow in February has been more than made up for in March, as the Alta season snowfall table indicates.

Snow Report
Current Conditions as of: Sun March 19th, 2006 at 04:44:00 PM
Settled Snow Depth: 162"
Snowfall (Past 12 hrs): 6"
Snowfall (Past 24 hrs): 11"
Snowfall this Season: 500"
Sky Cover: light snow flurries
Ridgetop Winds: light
Mid Mountain Temp:(°F) 19°
Highway 210 Status: snowtires or chains in vehicle
Forecast for Today
Sky Cover: Snow
Temperatures °F (9am-4pm): 16° - 29°
Wind: Light E
Snowfall: 3-6"
Extended Forecast: 2-5 tomorrow, snow decreasing in the afternoon. Next storm later Monday night into Tuesday.

Photo of the Day
Kayla was back on the slopes today enjoying the wonderful powder with Harvey.

Monday, March 20, 2006
The snow report "spoke with forked tongue" this morning when it reported 7" of new snow during the last 12 hours. Harvey believed the report and made sure he was on the first chair at the Wildcat lift, only to discover that there was but a trace of new snow overnight. That was the bad news. The good news was that the Ski Shop had found Kayla's ski poles that had been lost for more than a week. Harvey called Kayla to report both the bad news and the good news, but had to leave a message. He was surprised when he called again at noon to learn that Kayla was at the bus stop heading for Alta to join him for lunch and afternoon skiing. Turns out she hadn't received his voice mail message, otherwise she wouldn't have gone to the effort! Anyway, we had a nice lunch and a reasonable afternoon of skiing. Dinner at Hopper's was chaotic, with young kids and crying babies in abundance. We've never asked for a check and vacated a place so fast in our lives. Back "home" to Kayla generating reports that should have gone out today and Harvey trying to help get them properly formatted. Two tired puppies, who will not need to be rocked to sleep tonight.

Snow Report
Current Conditions as of: Mon March 20th, 2006 at 05:00:00 PM
Settled Snow Depth: 160"
Snowfall (Past 12 hrs): 0"
Snowfall (Past 24 hrs): 1"
Snowfall this Season: 502"
Sky Cover: Partly cloudy
Ridgetop Winds: light W
Mid Mountain Temp:(°F) 24°
Highway 210 Status: snowtires or chains in vehicle
Forecast for Today
Sky Cover: Snow
Temperatures °F (9am-4pm): 20° - 30°
Wind: Light SW
Snowfall: 1-3"
Extended Forecast: 1-3 today, snow decreasing in the afternoon. Next storm later tonight into Tuesday.

Photos of the Day
Harvey navigates the powder with the greatest of ease.

Looks like Harvey is celebrating completion of the run with no broken bones!

Ray from Montana and his son Josh (attending college in St. Paul, Minnesota).

A particularly pretty shot of the snow laden trees.

Another pretty scene on the ski slopes at Alta.

Nicole, fiance of Bret in the Alta Ski Shop, joined us for lunch and an afternoon of skiing.

Kayla negotiates the steep slope and deep powder with little difficulty.

Kayla makes a turn heading for the barn on the last run in the Wildcat area.

Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Woke up to an unexpected snow report indicating 10" of new snow overnight. After the inaccurate 7" report yesterday morning, we were a bit skeptical, but Harvey decided to head up the canyon just to be sure. Unfortunately, Kayla had work that had to be done today, so she had to miss skiing today. Harvey's first run of the morning was Alf's High Rustler, the signature run at Alta. He got there about 9:25 after the lifts opened at 9:15, so it was a memorable first tracks run from top to bottom. From there Harvey linked up with Jon Haynes from Boston, whose son had elected to ski with a buddy, leaving Jon to ski on his own until lunch. So, Harvey and Jon skied together for a couple of hours, working their way across the Wildcat area in up to three feet of incredible powder. Jon was new to Alta powder skiing, having skied mostly in the Northeast (New Hampshire), so he was very impressed with the quality of the whole experience. After Jon left to join his son for lunch (his son promised to ski with Jon this afternoon), Harvey moved around the mountain to check out the snow in other areas: Spruces; Glory Hole; Yellow Tail; and So Long in the Catherine's area. It turned out that the best snow on the mountain was back in the Wildcat area, where Harvey had skied all morning. Therefore, he returned there for several more runs before quitting at 3:15 after six hours of solid skiing (no lunch break today - just an energy bar on the lift). We had dinner at a Trio, a very nice Italian restaurant close to our suite. This made nine of the last ten days that Harvey has skied, with fresh snow in significant amounts every single one of those days. Guess what? It's supposed to snow again tonight! Looks an awful lot like ten out of eleven is on the horizon...

Snow Report
Current Conditions as of: Tue March 21st, 2006 at 05:30:00 AM
Settled Snow Depth: 166"
Snowfall (Past 12 hrs): 10"
Snowfall (Past 24 hrs): 11"
Snowfall this Season: 512"
Sky Cover: Snowing!
Ridgetop Winds: light S
Mid Mountain Temp:(°F) 17°
Highway 210 Status: 4 X 4 or chains required
Forecast for Today
Sky Cover: Snow
Temperatures °F (9am-4pm): 19° - 27°
Wind: Moderate SW
Snowfall: 7-10"
Extended Forecast: 7-10 today, periods of snow becoming heavier later this morning. 3-5 inches tonight, Periods of snow untill midnight, then scatered snow showers after midnight.

Photos of the Day
The lift line forms early on powder mornings. Look closely and you'll see snow falling.

The Alta Ski Shop on the left is where our skis, boots, and poles resided during our entire stay. Great arrangement!

Jon Haynes from Boston revels in the powder in the Wildcat area. He couldn't believe how fantastic the powder was.

A closer view of Jon bouncing through the deep powder.

John was kind enough to return the favor and photograph Harvey as he initiates a turn.

The sun came out and provided a beautiful view of Mt. Superior.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006
A work day for both of us. Only 1" of new snow, so no skiing. Had a nice seafood dinner at _______ Street Grill, then back to work until late evening.

Snow Report
Current Conditions as of: Wed March 22nd, 2006 at 04:00:00 PM
Settled Snow Depth: 164"
Snowfall (Past 12 hrs): 1"
Snowfall (Past 24 hrs): 1"
Snowfall this Season: 519"
Sky Cover: partly sunny
Ridgetop Winds: light
Mid Mountain Temp:(°F) 30°
Highway 210 Status: Snowtires or Chains Required in Vehicle
Forecast for Today
Sky Cover: mostly sunny
Temperatures °F (9am-4pm): 15° - 39°
Wind: light
Snowfall: 0"
Extended Forecast: Moisture and flurries ending as a ridge of high pressure moves in from the west. Expect much warmer temperatures for Thursday and Friday with the next cold front Saturday night.

No Photos Today

Thursday, March 23, 2006
Another work day for both of us. We did break for a two-hour walk on the Jordan River Parkway late this afternoon and enjoyed seeing ducks, geese, doves, magpies, and a hawk. Returned "home" two tired puppies and ate at home while watching LSU upset Duke in the Men's NCAA basketball tournament.

Snow Report
Current Conditions as of: Thu March 23rd, 2006 at 04:20:00 PM
Settled Snow Depth: 157"
Snowfall (Past 12 hrs): 0"
Snowfall (Past 24 hrs): 0"
Snowfall this Season: 519"
Sky Cover: Mostly Sunny
Ridgetop Winds: Light variable
Mid Mountain Temp:(°F) 39°
Highway 210 Status: Snowtires or Chains Required in Vehicle
Forecast for Today
Sky Cover: Mostly Sunny
Temperatures °F (9am-4pm): 28° - 45°
Wind: Moderate SW
Snowfall: 0"
Extended Forecast: Sunny and warm spring skiing for Friday, with our nest snow storm arriving Saturday night.

Photos of the Day
Kayla enjoys the friendly Mallard ducks on the Jordan River.

Closeup of a pair of Mallard ducks on the Jordan River.

Harvey scouts out a location for a duck blind...

Looks like just the right location for Harvey's duck blind...

Friday, March 24, 2006
A work day for both of us. No new snow, so no skiing. Had a wonderful dinner at Cucina Toscana, the Italian restaurant where we ate with Scriven last month, then back to watch the NCAA Tournament games.

Snow Report
Snowfall (Past 12 hrs): 0"
Snowfall (Past 24 hrs): 0"

No Photos Today

Saturday, March 25, 2006
A lazy day, little work, no new snow, and no skiing. Watched LSU beat Texas in the NCAA Tournament to move into the Final 4. Returned to Stuart Anderson's Black Angus Steakhouse for a final time before departing for Oregon next week. Things are looking good for a powder morning tomorrow, so we are getting psyched up...

Snow Report
Current Conditions as of: Sat March 25th, 2006 at 04:20:00 PM
Settled Snow Depth: 153"
Snowfall (Past 12 hrs): 0"
Snowfall (Past 24 hrs): 0"
Snowfall this Season: 519"
Sky Cover: Partly cloudy
Ridgetop Winds: strong
Mid Mountain Temp:(°F) 44°
Highway 210 Status: Snowtires or Chains Required in Vehicle
Forecast for Today
Sky Cover: snow
Temperatures °F (9am-4pm): 18° - 29°
Wind: Strong S
Snowfall: 6-10"
Extended Forecast: Storm arrives Saturday evening with forecasted amounts of 6-10 inches by Sunday.

No Photos Today

Sunday, March 26, 2006
Woke up to a snow report of 7" of fresh snow and a forecast of an additional 1-4", so off to Alta we went. Turns out that the 1-4" was a bit low, as the afternoon snow report below verifies - an additional 6" after the 5:15 AM report. We took full advantage of the new snow, even though much of the mountain was closed today. We focused on the Wildcat area (protected by trees) and the glades under the Collins lift. It snowed heavily all day, with high winds in the morning, but subsiding substantially around noon. Got a few decent photos (see below). No new snow forecast for tonight, but tomorrow should be a great day anyway, since most of the areas that were closed today should be opened tomorrow with lots of powder (13" to be exact) just waiting to be enjoyed. Then, tomorrow night and the following two days are to be stormy, so the last week of our odyssey is shaping up to be memorable. We went to an old standby Tony Roma's for an early dinner so we could watch West Wing at 7. The Lady Vols won their sweet-16 NCAA game this afternoon while we skied. Right now UConn and Georgia women are playing in a close game. Interesting that not a single Number 1 seed made it to the Final Four in the men's NCAA tournament. The SEC is well represented with LSU and Florida. Should be an interesting Final Four. Tonight will be sweet dreams of powder mornings...

Morning Snow Report
Current Conditions as of: Sun March 26th, 2006 at 05:15:00 AM
Settled Snow Depth: 160"
Snowfall (Past 12 hrs): 7"
Snowfall (Past 24 hrs): 7"
Snowfall this Season: 526"
Sky Cover: Snowing
Ridgetop Winds: Moderate NW
Mid Mountain Temp:(°F) 15°
Highway 210 Status: Snowtires or Chains Required in Vehicle
Forecast for Today
Sky Cover: snow
Temperatures °F (9am-4pm): 21° - 26°
Wind: Strong WNW
Snowfall: 1-4"
Extended Forecast: Snow warning in effect until 11 AM this morning. High pressure to build across the region late today through Monday.

Afternoon Snow Report
Current Conditions as of: Sun March 26th, 2006 at 04:22:00 PM
Settled Snow Depth: 163"
Snowfall (Past 12 hrs): 6"
Snowfall (Past 24 hrs): 13"
Snowfall this Season: 532"
Sky Cover: Snowing
Ridgetop Winds: moderate
Mid Mountain Temp:(°F) 22°
Highway 210 Status: Snowtires or Chains Required in Vehicle
Forecast for Today
Sky Cover: mostly sunny
Temperatures °F (9am-4pm): 13° - 42°
Wind: light
Snowfall: T"
Extended Forecast: Should be mostly sunny tomorrow with the next storm Tuesday night and Wednesday.

Photos of the Day
Kayla seeks protection from the heavy snow in the trees on a powder morning at Alta.

Steep and deep, but no worries for Kayla - piece of cake.

What a setting for a photo!! The Wildcat area was spectacular today.

A phantom skier?!? Our last run in the Wildcat area was truly epic - incredible!

Monday, March 27, 2006
No new snow overnight, but Harvey knew that much of the mountain was closed all day yesterday, so 13" of fresh powder awaited in multiple locations. On the other hand, Kayla was tuckered out from yesterday's skiing and had work to do, so she didn't make the trek up the canyon. Harvey's first run was fresh tracks down Ballroom, which was excellent except for the fact that he didn't see a cat track rushing up toward him and he took a major fall on very hard snow. Ribs on right side very painful for the remainder of the day, even after four Advil tablets. However, did pain keep the old man from skiing? Nada! He skied another run down Ballroom, then over to the Supreme lift and the Catherine's Area for five or six runs. The snow was nice, with only minor crusting, but not delicious enough to keep him on the mountain beyond 12:30 PM. Down the canyon to have lunch with Kayla and help out with formatting of her weekly reports for the upcoming Dallas Town Meeting. Out for an early farewell dinner at Taifoon, one of our favorite restarurant, with plans to watch the LSU Lady Tigers play the Stanford Cardinal in the Elite Eight of the Women's NCAA Tournament. Another storm due in tomorrow night and Wednesday, so weather is being good to us during our last week in Salt Lake City.

Snow Report
Current Conditions as of: Mon March 27th, 2006 at 05:25:00 AM
Settled Snow Depth: 162"
Snowfall (Past 12 hrs): 0"
Snowfall (Past 24 hrs): 6"
Snowfall this Season: 532"
Sky Cover: Clear
Ridgetop Winds: Light W
Mid Mountain Temp:(°F) 15°
Highway 210 Status: Snowtires or Chains Required in Vehicle
Forecast for Today
Sky Cover: mostly sunny
Temperatures °F (9am-4pm): 23° - 41°
Wind: Moderate SSW
Snowfall: 0"
Extended Forecast: Should be mostly sunny today with the next storm Tuesday night and Wednesday.

Photos of the Day
An interesting "sun ring" (or parhelic circle) was visible riding up the Supreme Lift this morning. An omen?

Another view of the sun ring - left side.

A final view of the sun ring - roughly 120 degrees worth.

Harvey volunteered to take a picture of a group of skiers, and they returned the favor. Top of Supreme Lift.

Tuesday, March 28, 2006
No snow overnight, but 6" during the day. Bruised ribs convinced Harvey not to attempt skiing today, so both of us had a relaxing day, with some work and some rest. Brunch at the Cracker Barrel was a welcomed treat, followed by some shopping. Watched the Tennessee Lady Vols lose to North Carolina (clearly the better team this year) in the quarter-finals of the Women's NCAA Tournament - then watched Duke beat Connecticut in the other quarter-final game. Had pizza delivered to the suite for dinner. Tomorrow morning could provide significant new snow, so we plan to ski. In fact, tomorrow and Thursday are likely to be our last two days of skiing and we plan to load up and head back to Oregon on Friday.

Snow Report
Current Conditions as of: Tue March 28th, 2006 at 04:38:00 PM
Settled Snow Depth: 161"
Snowfall (Past 12 hrs): 6"
Snowfall (Past 24 hrs): 6"
Snowfall this Season: 538"
Sky Cover: snow
Ridgetop Winds: strong gusty
Mid Mountain Temp:(°F) 36°
Highway 210 Status: Snowtires or Chains Required in Vehicle
Forecast for Today
Sky Cover: snow
Temperatures °F (9am-4pm): 32° - 35°
Wind: mod/strong SSE/SE
Snowfall: 3-6"
Extended Forecast: Cloudy with snow likely. Periods of heavy snow this afternoon and tonight. Snow continues Wednesday , Wednesday night and into Thursday.

No Photos Today

Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Woke up to a snow report of 11" of new snow overnight, so Harvey headed up to the mountain at 8:15 AM. Unfortunately, Kayla had office work to do, including a conference call at 8:30 AM. It turned out that she was overwhelmed with work until roughly 1:00 PM. Meanwhile, Harvey skied hard from 9:30 AM until 1:00 PM, occupying the second chair on the Wildcat Lift at 9:30. However, the snow in the Wildcat area was pretty heavy and not much fun to ski. So, Harvey headed over to the Collins Lift to move higher up the mountain. It worked. The snow was considerably lighter on the upper half of the Collins area, so Harvey must have skied 12 to 15 runs there, stopping off at the mid-mountain loading station, rather than skiing on down into the heavier snow. There were few skiers on the mountain and it was snowing heavily (5" of new snow fell during the day), so it was easy to locate untracked, deep powder throughout the morning. Kayla finally arrived at Alta on the bus just before 2:00 PM and we moved around the mountain for the remainder of the afternoon, finding good conditions, but Kayla had difficulty with the deep snow, falling several times. We stopped skiing around 4:15 PM, had our traditional cinnamon steamer (Kayla) and hazelnut latte (Harvey) as we watched the evening storm begin to dump new snow outside. Drove down the canyon in heavy snow, changed clothes, had a nice dinner at The Macaroni Grill, and returned to our suite tired puppies. The forecast for tomorrow looks good (4-8" of new snow), so our last two days of skiing are turning out to be excellent - a fitting end to an excellent adventure. Unfortunately, Harvey's camera went on the blink today, so no photos.

Morning Snow Report
Current Conditions as of: Wed March 29th, 2006 at 06:15:00 AM
Settled Snow Depth: 170"
Snowfall (Past 12 hrs): 11"
Snowfall (Past 24 hrs): 17"
Snowfall this Season: 549"
Sky Cover: snow
Ridgetop Winds: light SW
Mid Mountain Temp:(°F) 27°
Highway 210 Status: road is restricted at gate B for avalanche control work est opening 8 am
Forecast for Today
Sky Cover: snow
Temperatures °F (9am-4pm): 28° - 30°
Wind: strong SW
Snowfall: 7-11"
Extended Forecast: Snow...heavy at times continuing into the overnight hours. 7-11 today, 7-9 tonight! Strong SW winds on the ridgetops; gradually decreasing in the afternoon & shifting to WNW. High pressure for Thursday, another storm Friday afternoon.

Afternoon Snow Report
Current Conditions as of: Wed March 29th, 2006 at 04:45:00 PM
Settled Snow Depth: 172"
Snowfall (Past 12 hrs): 5"
Snowfall (Past 24 hrs): 16"
Snowfall this Season: 554"
Sky Cover: snowing
Ridgetop Winds: light SW
Mid Mountain Temp:(°F) 29°
Highway 210 Status: Snowtires or Chains Required in Vehicle
Forecast for Today
Sky Cover: cloudy
Temperatures °F (9am-4pm): 22° - 38°
Wind: moderate
Snowfall: 4-8"
Extended Forecast: Snow tonight backing off to flurries in the morning then becoming partly cloudy.

No Photos Today

Thursday, March 30, 2006
Another day in Paradise!! Today the snow was much lighter than yesterday, although not as deep. Kayla had work that had to be done in the morning, so Harvey made the drive up to Alta alone again and skied fast and hard from 9:15 until Kayla arrived around noon on the bus. A very small crowd meant fresh tracks essentially all morning and whoops and hollers were to be heard all around. The trees on both sides of the Collins lift, first tracks in Ballroom bowl, then over to Supreme lift for two runs in the Catherine's Area, which had been closed yesterday so was primo with two feet of powder everywhere, one run down skier's left of Supreme into a little hidden area Kayla, Mark, and Harvey had skied often in earlier years, then back to the base to meet Kayla. The distractions of work had a negative impact on Kayla's ability to enjoy the skiing, so we enjoyed our last lunch at Collins Grill in Watson's Shelter, skied a few runs on Yellow Tail and under the Collins lift, and called it a day. We had a marvelous dinner at Bambara in Hotel Monaco in downtown Salt Lake City. A fitting last day to an incredible two-month stay.

Snow Report
Current Conditions as of: Thu March 30th, 2006 at 05:30:00 AM
Settled Snow Depth: 176"
Snowfall (Past 12 hrs): 7"
Snowfall (Past 24 hrs): 13"
Snowfall this Season: 561"
Sky Cover: snowing
Ridgetop Winds: light NW
Mid Mountain Temp:(°F) 17°
Highway 210 Status: Snowtires or Chains Required in Vehicle
Forecast for Today
Sky Cover: Lt snow/mostly sunny
Temperatures °F (9am-4pm): 23° - 32°
Wind: mod NW
Snowfall: 1-2"
Extended Forecast: Snow flurries in the morning tapering off and becoming mostly sunny in the afternoon as high pressure builds. Next storm system Friday afternoon through Saturday.

No Photos Today

Friday, March 31, 2006
Departure day. Washed clothes, packed, dismantled computers, loaded up the Blazer, and headed back toward the Pacific Northwest.

Snow Report
Current Conditions as of: Fri March 31st, 2006 at 05:15:00 AM
Settled Snow Depth: 172"
Snowfall (Past 12 hrs): 0"
Snowfall (Past 24 hrs): 0"
Snowfall this Season: 561"
Sky Cover: Cloudy
Ridgetop Winds: Light SE
Mid Mountain Temp:(°F) 24°
Highway 210 Status: Snowtires or Chains Required in Vehicle
Forecast for Today
Sky Cover: Cloudy
Temperatures °F (9am-4pm): 23° - 31°
Wind: Strong/Gusty SSE
Snowfall: 2-3"
Extended Forecast: Storm systems arrives tonight into Saturday. Total snowfall by Sunday morning is expected to range from 6 to 12 inches.

No Photos Today

Yearly Snowfall Tracker 2005 - 2006 Season

226 Inches of new snow during our two-month stay. Not bad, not bad at all...