Low clouds made visibility difficult at the top, but down the ridge line and onto Chip's Run, one of the longest runs at 2 1/2 miles, we skied out of the clouds and onto a smooth, groomed run over to the Cirque Bowl and into some of the best snow conditions we encountered, and then back onto Chip's down to the bypass road where we met Barker.

1:05 p.m. — Loaded the skis and took the short drive to Alta.

1:09 p.m. — We arrived at Utah's newest and most unique high-speed quad — Collins. The new lift, introduced this season, which is just six feet under the vertical rise of Snowbird's tram, replaces the old Collins and Germania lifts. It begins at the base area, then where the old Germania lift loaded, makes a slight angle turn up the mountain to the unloading area of the old lift.

From here we enjoyed a few of the historic runs — Mambo to Main Street, through the Meadow and down into Cork Screw.

1:34 p.m. — In the planning stage, this was our most critical point in the adventure. We had to leave Alta by 2:30 p.m. in order to make sure we made it to Snowbasin before the lifts closed at 4 p.m. Nordic Valley and Powder Mountain, we knew, offered night skiing.

Even with an hour to give, we grabbed sandwiches at Snowbird and some energy foods, chocolate bars and chips, and ate on the drive north.

2:54 p.m. — With time to spare, the vote was to get in some turns at Snowbasin, so we made two runs. The first was the gondola — Needles Express — and the second was the high-speed quad — John Paul Express. We tried to traverse over into the Strawberry area for a third run but hit the gate just a few minutes before it closed.

The John Paul quad ends near the start of the Olympic downhill courses, which meant we were able to make turns on sections of the now-famous run.

3:58 p.m. — Loaded in the van and drove around the western tip of Pineview Reservoir, into the town of Eden and turned left to Nordic Valley.

4:26 p.m. — No ski area in Utah has more down-home personality than does Nordic Valley, starting with the barn that was converted into a day lodge or it could have been a lodge made to look like a barn. Then it was onto one of the area's original lifts.

Over the years, this has been a favorite with young ski racers who, after running gates, liked to slip into a homespun bobsled run for a twisty, turny speed run.

Access to the Viking Lift came with more down-home charm in the form of a handwritten note from the ticket manager to allow lift access.