The last few days brought about a foot of fresh to the high peaks, but not quite enough to bury all the crusty tracks from the heatwave following the previous big dump.  Woody is calling for about another foot of fresh leading into Hillclimb and PPP weekend.

On Tuesday JHMR reported 8″, so I scored a free pass and spun a quick 4 Pines lap with Royal T and the other Talia from Alpine.  It was creamy in spots but mostly crusty, especially on the lower mountain.  Fresh snow combined with warm temps contributed to grabby conditions. Grand Targhee may have been a better bet that day: they reported 12″ of fresh, and the lower angle terrain may have offered a more bottomless experience.

Yesterday Hurricane Glen and I headed to GTNP where we found great skiing in the shade at upper and mid elevations.  Down low there was a thin layer of fresh slush on the crust.

Today it looks like the upper elevations are getting snow while overcast skies are blanketing Wydaho.  Hopefully temps drop and snow starts accumulating top to bottom.

It sounds like a lot of people have been getting hurt lately because the snow looks a lot tastier than it actually is.  With such variable conditions persisting, one perfect pow turn can be abruptly followed by crusty survival skiing.  Stay safe out there!