Where'd They Come From?

Maybe it's me, but I'll be damned if Utah isn't more crowded than ever. Lines everywhere! Even at Deer Valley. Of course, I still know my way around them (except last Tuesday at Snowbird when we made two runs in three hours!) but still. It's nuts. We hit PCMR today and thank god for the fast pass access. I didn't have to wait in line with my special dealio and even got 10% off of lunch at the Summit House. For anyone wondering about the conditions, despite a couple of very warm days, the snow is soft and plentiful and the weather report calls for 5-10 inches by tomorrow evening. PCMR is grooming enough of their mountain now to give DV a run for their money but since the trails are longer and wider you don't get buzzed as often by over-zealous intermediates screaming down the hill thinking they're rockstars on rentals. But if you don't have that fast pass and you hate standing in line, you're better off at DV. PayDay and Bonanza were pretty thick. I never made it Jupiter because my friend Carol would have hated me and never skied with me again. We stuck to those buffed groomers off King Con and Silverlode. I'm digging the food these days at the Summit House- best on-mountain pizza and chocolate chip cookies I've ever had. The food's always great at DV but I'm angry they raised the price of their turkey chili. A bowl is now about the same price as a burger (no fries)! arrrgggghhh. Tomorrow we're doing either the Bird or Alta. I'm calling ahead to see what chairs/runs are open before the final decision. I don't want to get skunked again by liftlines. BTW< if you're at all concerned with crowds, check out Snowbasin. They're even running a January two-for-one special. Solitude is another good bet. The b-friend bought a dual Alta/Bird pass so we're committed to Little Cottonwood whenever we ski together.