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Officially Never Summer

A couple months ago I whined about the boarding season ending. It turns out that that bellyaching was a bit premature.

That tiny dot is me. I look like I'm contemplating the majesty of the universe when really I'm just contemplating that slushy black diamond and if I can make it down without toppling. And no, you don't need to adjust your computer screen; the snow really was that dirty.

It’s summertime. The unmistakable smell of grilled meats wafts through the air intermingled with the melodic chirping of birds and yet Jason and I went snowboarding a week ago at Snowbird Resort and the snow was still incredible. It may be hard to believe, while mosquitoes nip at your skin and flowers bloom underfoot, that just 45 minutes away the landscape remains sheathed in white but that is the glorious truth.

Although there is still an enormous amount of snow up at Snowbird, the canyon is definitely melting. Little Cottonwood Creek, a normally docile stream, was a tumbling and churning mass of chaotic whitewater. Nearly at the flooding stage, it ripped by us at 600-800 cubic feet per second. See the comments section below for a link to the You Tube clip we took of this bad boy.

This year Utah’s hefty winter turned into a very rainy and cold spring. The relentless precipitation has resulted in some record-breaking water levels and frequent flood threats. But those bemoaning our flow situation are looking at the glass half empty as far as I’m concerned. We may have some streams running amuck but I got to go boarding in the middle of June on 150 inches of snow. Surely my boarding pleasure is worth a few overflowing riverbanks. 🙂

Since "The Flying Tomato" is already taken perhaps Jason should start calling himself "The Flailing Parsnip."

The day we spent at Snowbird was beautiful. The snow was pretty slushy by the afternoon but it was sublimely warm. I just wore a thin shell jacket with all the zippers undone and my temperature fluctuated between perfect and uncomfortably cozy. Despite the unseasonable powder supply the slopes weren’t crowded at all. Apparently, the fact that it’s officially summer has some people confused about the state of their peaks. All the more snow for me.

After boarding we grabbed some grub at the Birdfeeder and enjoyed our meal in the pleasant sunshine. I decided to get a chilidog-not a common food choice for a Rachel. The chilidog was extremely messy but it tasted pretty fantastic after hours of boarding. It should be noted that my pants are unzipped here because of the heat not because the chili was already causing havoc in my GI tract.

Lots of slush and lots of sun: the best day of spring boarding ever! I am thrilled to report that Snowbird is scheduled to remain open for a few more weeks. Snowboarding in Utah in July! I am salivating at the mere thought.

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