Memorial Day Powder & Mush

Mother nature hit the reset button

Just last week I was telling a friend that this years season came to an end sooner than any year that I can remember.  Well, it's not over 'til mother nature says it is and she just decided to deliver nearly a foot and a half of pow to the nearby mountains here in Northern Utah.  When the low clouds cleared out on a lazy and rainy sunday afternoon my eyes lit up at the sight of some surprisingly thick white stuff in the upper foothills.  I checked the snotel data and it was reading cold temps and 12 inches of snow and counting!

I pulled out my gear and got on the phone to some friends.. I'm all about these bonus pow days and I would feel guilty if I didn't seize the opportunity.  At first light the next morning I was on the road, the contrast of the green trees and hillsides covered in fresh white snow made for an awesome drive.  I left a bit earlier than the rest of the crew cause I know that May powder has a really short shelf life, and it turns to muck in a hurry.

CHECK THE QUICKIE VIDEO RE-CAP!

Rolling with a quiver for some late season R&D testing

First run of the day was the real deal.  Light and dry powder

Our powder turned into coastal style muck in less than an hour but still made for some great turns

There was practically no base under the new snow so navigation on the sleds was a bit tricky.  Luckily I had tried to go riding a couple of weeks ago so I knew where the remaining ribbons of snow were at.  I buzzed up to the top and managed to hike a couple of quick laps in the upper fields before anyone else arrived.  I could feel the snow getting thicker every run.  Any direct sun this time of year puts a quick damper on the powder slashing.  So when my friends arrived we sought out the most north-facing tree runs in the area and proceeded to throw around the powder and muck.

hucking some muck around on one of the Phish series boards

The B-line into the "G-spot" is a classic early season shot.. tight entry and high speed thru the apron. We were dealing with early season style coverage so this run was at the top of my hit list.

Grassroots Powsurfers dominate in the powder and the mush.   

DeJaVu - My powsurfing season started and ended in this exact spot.

As the day progressed snow quality plummeted.  Sunny spots became sticky and unrideable and the melting snow in the tree tops began raining down on the snow below.  That's May powder for you... it doesn't last long so you gotta be on time.   As a powsurfer, I couldn't be happier.  Instead of ending on a sour note (last week we were stranded by rocks and dry ground) we got a late season bonus dump and the powsurf season ended in style.  It's going to be a busy summer dialing in next years boards and accessories so I have a feeling that next winter will be here before we know it.

A Foot of Fresh Pow on May 25th!!!!

Any powder day after the end of april is gravy. I love gravy. We have had some pretty good helpings this season. Today we knew it was gonna be good and it wasn't going to last long so we pulled out of town at 5:45 am and headed for the goods.

The powder test I performed this morning resulted in a rating of "BLOWER!!!"

We parked to unload the sleds and we were standing in 10 inches of light and dry pow under bluebird skies. We rallied up to the top and knocked out a couple of runs each in Rock Bowl as quick as we could. There was a foot + of fresh pow. The conditions were blower so I was alternating runs between my snowboard and my powsurfer. Things were heating up quick on the east facing slope so we headed for a higher more north facing zone.

We got to the Lgn Ln sector and it was holding some epic snow. So we frantically lapped it as many times as possible - racing against the warming weather. I had one of the funnest lines in a long time on the powsurfer. I entered the chute entrance, hit a little ice patch and ass checked the top of the chute, causing a wet slide that would take me down about 50ft and land me in a pile of wet debris... it was more funny than scary. I got my board back under my feet and had the sickest run... high speed face shots and rollers lined themselves up perfectly for me to ollie off of. Funny how the funnest run of the day would come on a powdersurf board.

The powsurfing in this sector was soooo sick. Roller after slash after roller...

The pow on the north facing slopes was all up in your face

Aaron and I about to drop in

This could be my last ollie of the season on the powsurf.. stoked it was a good one.
We called it a day at about 1:30. The weather was scorching, the pow was cooked and we were both running super low on oil.

It is Moustache May and this is my "powder stash"

We drew some lines here. Our shred tracks on the left and the powder 8 slednecker tracks in the middle... and we're outa there.

What a killer day!!! The snowmobiling was super fun, the snowboarding was sick, the powsurfing was epic and it was a beautiful way to end another winter season. I got home and parked the sled in the backyard for the first time all season - just to taunt mother nature. I hope she makes me drag it out again for another pow day this year. But if not, we ended on a perfect note.

Spirits were high today until I got home to the news that an old friend had passed away after a battle with breast cancer. Krista Moroge was an amazing skateboarder, snowboarder, and human being. She was extremely talented and motivated far beyond the average person. Her inspiration lives on inside all of us. We will miss you Krista.

Check the video!