November 1st Ski and Hiking Report

 November has arrived and expectations for skiing are climbing rapidly.  

There's virtually no natural snow (more on this in a minute), but the hiking right now is fantastic.  Beautiful skies, few people, ideal temperatures.  Here's a view of Mt. Superior from Flagstaff around noon today.  

As far as skiing goes, the Collins glacier doesn't go continuously yet.  The lowest 500 vertical feet or so to about 2/3 of the the way up to the angle station was being skied by some today.  Above that, there are segments of man made.  

Although proposals for improving traffic in Little Cottonwood Canyon get a great deal of attention, UDOT has been making substantial changes to their avalanche mitigation infrastructure over the past few years.  Most recently, they've been installing Wyssen Towers in many of the avalanche paths above the Town of Alta.  

Here's a closeup of one on the Flagstaff face, with the remnants of the Albion glacier in the distance.  

The Wyssen towers reduce the number of Howitzer shots that are needed in the canyon.  They can be controlled remotely and lower a charge that detonates to trigger an avalanche.  Check out the youtube video below.

I'm quite grateful to have good hiking right now as I prefer that over purgatory, which is where we would be if it was colder and there was low snow cover.  With COVID running rampant, the warmth has also been a plus as we've been able to continue dining outside with family.

Things will, however, be changing late Friday or Saturday (there are differences in timing amongst the various ensemble members) as a deep trough moves through the western US.  It's too soon to start talking details, but it does look like at a minimum it's going to feel wintery next weekend with temperatures cold enough to support snow down to the valley floors.  

Stay tuned.