Archive for January, 2009
Death by a Thousand Missteps
I’m always tormented when I see ragged skin tracks as I feel compelled to say something, yet at the same time it’s hard not to come across as being rude. “Excuse me my friend, but do you know your skinning technique is all phucked up?” It’s kind of like seeing someone with an open fly […]
It’s All About the Up
Coming from an alpine skiing background, it took me a few years to warm up to the idea of backcountry skiing. It didn’t help that the guy I learned how to backcountry ski from was wicked-fast, which meant my early outings were exhausting efforts of trying to keep up where all I could think was […]
Chuting Spree Clue #2 – Mountain Hardwear Tent
Follow five weekly clues and be the first to correctly identify where the tent is hidden to win a Mountain Hardwear tent of your choice! Click here for the Chuting Spree Mountain Hardwear Tent contest rules. Clue #2: This skier comes from a famous skiing family and was a Big Mountain Freerider 25 years before […]
My Best Powder Day of the Year
A short photo Trip Report (TR) to pass the time until 10:00am when the Chuting Spree Clue #2 comes up… With dubious weather and no real objectives, I was planning on just going out for a few turns with Polly today, but the Wasatch had something else in mind, namely one of the best powder […]
Ten in Ten Notes
Between ten days of skiing and then having the Outdoor Retailer show come into Salt Lake City, it has been a good reminder of how fortunate I’ve been to have so many excellent skiing friends. I’ll occasionally go skiing solo, but it is people and friendships that really animate the mountains for me. Below, I’ve […]
Top 10 in 10 – South Face of Mt. Superior
#10 – The South Face of Mt. Superior If the Wasatch Mountains were to have one single classic mountain face, it would have to be the South Face of Mt. Superior. It has been memorialized on the label of Wasatch Beers “Superior Ale” and anyone who has skied Alta or Snowbird can’t help but look up […]
Top 10 in 10 – Little Pine Couloir
#9 – Little Pine Couloir I’ve heard there are over 32 slide paths that hit the Little Cottonwood road, and much to UDOT’s dismay, one person’s slidepath is another person’s idea of an excellent ski descent. As you drive up the LCC road towards Alta, the big south facing guns stack up one after another […]
Top 10 in 10 – Lisa Falls
#8 – Lisa Falls With a vertical drop of 5,000′, Lisa Falls is the biggest of all the magnificent south facing couloirs that line Little Cottonwood Canyon. When I first skied it roughly fifteen years ago in knee-deep sub 5% powder on a clear, sunny day, it was such an incredible experience that it sold […]
Chuting Spree Clue #1 – Mountain Hardwear Tent!
Follow five weekly clues and be the first to correctly identify where the tent is hidden to win a Mountain Hardwear tent of your choice! Click here for the Chuting Spree Mountain Hardwear Tent contest rules. Clue: In 1995, after numerous attempts by many strong parties, two skiers from this CONTINENT laid first tracks down this twelve-thousand, nine-hundred […]
Wasatch BC Skiing Park & Rides
With Salt Lake City being so close and the access to the Tri-Canyons being so limited, most Wasatch backcountry skiers end up carpooling for all or part of their trip up to the trailheads. There are seven or so Park & Rides to chose from and the choice of where to meet can sometimes be more […]
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