Pic of the Day: April 18

Happy Saturday. I'm a little short on words today so I guess we'll just get right to it.

Dusk Patrol

Have I mentioned how much I enjoy the long days of spring? I especially really enjoy a good dusk patrol mission. Over the years, and through a lot of trial and error, we've really dialed in getting out really late.

The key is to have a storm break in the late afternoon hours so the sun doesn't cook the snow on south or west aspects. Really any amount of direct sunlight before 430-5pm will ruin fresh pow once the calendar turns to March. South and west aspects also get the best alpenglow in the evening so those are the aspects you want to ride at dusk. Paying attention to the weather during a storm can mean the difference in riding blower pow or death crust.

On this particular mission, me and Mike decided to ride Microwave up at Alta. The storm set up perfect for us, with northwest flow keeping the snow showers going late into the day. We had just enough of a window to get our run in with good light before another squaw blocked out the sun. It ended up being one of the best days from the best season I've had in Utah. Blower pow all the way back to the car.