Friday Stashes @ Brighton- 11.22.13

I am loving the Big Cottonwood Pass this season. This last week, I did a Wednesday at Brighton, Thursday at Solitude, and then got some fresh turns on Friday at Brighton. This was a three day, light storm, that just put a couple of inches down each day to give the riding conditions a fresh paint job. But Thursday night, lake effect kicked in and put down some nice fluff for us to ride on. I got out just after 9 am on Friday and headed up Crest for a warm up lap. The cords were so delicious, with a little wind buff action on the southwest facing angles. A virtual ghost town, which would not be the case a couple of hours later. I jammed over to Snake Creek, and pretty much rode the whole area, on trail and off piste. Found some stashes which were untouched, probably because Wednesday and Thursday had low visibility issues. I charged right through all of these areas and met no base assassins. I put together a little edit from riding Brighton up on here so you can see the conditions. It got busy up there after 11 AM, when the word got out that there was snow in dem der hills! Finished off the day with some high speed cruisers on Crest, which caps off a great day at Brighton for sure. Lots of snow making going on up there. With a few more storms, even more of Upper Big Cottonwood will be accessible. Enjoy the edit, and Pray 4 Snow!

Friday Freshies @ Brighton 11 22.13 from Christian Paul on Vimeo.

Storm Riding- Solitude 11.16.13

Finally, old man winter showed up in Big Cottonwood Canyon. After opening week in the sun and warm temps, a fast moving system hit the Wasatch with a much needed paint job. I made haste Saturday morning to get in line for first tracks at Solitude. It was just dumping up there when I got in line. A hair before 9 AM, they sent us up the hill. The first five runs were dreamy, and it was a very fun day up there. It snowed all day long, making things fun even after they got tracked. Alas, I eventually wore out and called it to beat the red dragon down the canyon. Winter is back folks! Enjoy the video, and Pray 4 Snow!

Storm Riding- Solitude 11.16.13 from Christian Paul on Vimeo.

Opening Day 13/14- Solitude Mountain Resort 11.8.13

The day has finally arrived! First lift served turns of the season! Solitude Mountain Resort kicked things off nicely with Moonbeam and Apex for your lapping enjoyment. I went with the Big Cottonwood Pass this season, after being treated poorly as a customer by Snowbird. I am glad I choose the BCP this season! I got there about 8:30 AM, then had to quickly pick up my pass. Boots on, gear ready, I headed up just after 9 AM and took my first runs. I really missed snowboarding. The freedom of movement, the feel of the board under my feet, and flying through the glades was just so awesome! I rallied runs all day, hot lapping Apex and Moonbeam. It is early season, so venturing off trail was just not something I was interested. I saw a few brave souls not fearing the core shot, but the snow off trail had a sun crust to it, so not ideal by my standards. I just soaked up the sun, and got my legs and muscle memory dialed back in as we wait for the big cycle to return. This was one of the better opening days in recent memory, and the snow was in great condition. This party has just started, and it is only going to get better as winter sets in here in the Wasatch. Pray 4 Snow!

Opening Day Solitude 11 8 13 from Christian Paul on Vimeo.