Wednesday was the definition of a Bluebird day. Mike (photographer) and I escaped from the depressing smog of the city by driving 26 miles up to Big Cottonwood Canyon's Solitude Resort.
With 17 inches of powder left from Monday's storm, blue skies, and an
empty parking lot, our experience was as heavenly as the name implies.
Not only is Solitude known for its peaceful serenity, but it also has a reputation for its meticulously groomed runs, abundance of tree skiing, its wide open bowls. We spent our first two runs on Parachute and Milk Run which we accessed from the Powder Horn lift. These runs are where incredibly steep slopes, cliffs, and an ancient forest combine to hide deep powder pockets for days after a storm.
After that, we headed over to the famous Honeycomb Canyon via Summit
lift. We didn't need to go far to find open bowl powder skiing. The
first run off the Summit lift, Black Bess, produced amazing results and
after my second turn I was beginning to chock on a mouthful of the
finest Utah powder. Two-thousand vertical feet later we were at the 
bottom of the Eagle Express lift with nothing but two big smiles to show for the endeavor.
Solitude has the convenience of being right by the city, but gives you the feeling that your not. It is a unique place in the world of skiing, with stellar views and fun runs, not to mention the untracked powder that lasts for days.
