Park City Blog

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Snow and Rookies

— Posted by Mark on December 12, 2008

After 2 weeks of being open with 3 or 4 runs on our lower mountain, it looks like things are at last going to get interesting. The weekend storm is looking promising and the very cold temps to follow should make for more ideal snow making conditions.

The Snow Safety team (Colin, Dave, and myself) have been poking around the McConkey's and Thayne's areas the last couple days. We're trying to get a sense of the current snow conditions and how much new snow it will take to open things up. One thing we have found, if we do get a large storm, backcountry avalanche conditions could be dangerous. We have noticed that some folks are touring into our still closed upper mountain and a couple of them have released small slides. One thing to remember this time of year, especially as this new storm is soon upon us, is that these areas are BACKCOUNTRY right now. There are no patrollers out there to help you and there is no avalanche control work yet.

Today (Friday) we are planning to take our rookie class up to McConkey's for a little bootpacking work in the main bowl. This should help consolidate the older snow into a layer that will help hold onto the new snow. Also, after 2 weeks of intense patrol training on the lower mountain, it will give the gang a chance to get out in the "high country" and have a little fun messing about in snow.

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is bonanza going to be open this weekend?
Eric replies:
YES - see our previous post for details.

— Posted by brandon on December 12, 2008 2:31 PM MST

Speaking of avalanches...where in Park City do they offer avalanche training classes. I'm looking to do some touring and also to head up to Jackson back country sometime in February so I want to make sure I have it.
406 replies:
Glad to hear you're looking to educate yourself before heading out! You can often find seminars through White Pine Touring in Park City and REI in Salt lake. Check the Utah Avalanche Center site (http://utahavalanchecenter.org/education) for the latest schedules.

— Posted by Shasne on December 12, 2008 12:20 PM MST

We are arriving in a week with 16 people - 2 families and friends. This is our 4th trip to Park City, always before Christmas. I have not seen this little snow in the past. I know this is a broad question, but how much different will it be. We all snowboard and really enjoy the bowls.
Eric replies:
Jim, it really depends upon how much snow we get in the next few days. If we get a lot, it may not be much different than in the past...if not, we have been making a lot of snow and should be able to open a decent amount more terrain by next weekend.

— Posted by Jim Ellis on December 12, 2008 8:21 AM MST