I woke up to four inches of new snow at my house in the Salt Lake Valley. Alta was reporting 8 inches overnight with another 8 plus today... and it was Demo Day. I tried out a number of telemark skis, so check back in the coming days for my reviews. (They will be under the GEAR REVIEW section of nationaloutdoors.net.)

The storm took the valley municipalities by surprise. The roads in the valley were pretty bad on the way up the to the canyon road; however the canyon road was clean. UDOT knows where the money's at.

The skiing was fantastic. Only 2 lifts and a handful of runs were open, but with fresh snow it makes it all worth it. Opening day is hard to put into words, so here's some pictures.

I've been out cross country skiing and touring before today, but there's always something about being with a large group all hooting and hollering. Everyone knows exactly what's on each others minds, and it's all smiles.

Technorati Tags: Alpine Touring alta AT Ski Demo Ski Reviews Skiing telemark