One of the great things about living in Salt Lake City, or at least nearby, is that it is both a north/south and east/west crossroads of recreation. Because of this, a lot of people stop by on their way to and from other destinations to go climbing, skiing or biking and come fully loaded with all of their toys. Such was the case yesterday when Joe Stock passed through on his way from Anchorage down to Red Rocks where he is going to take (and pass) his AMGA rock climbing exam.
Come on Joe - at least try to look scared. JS near the top of Pentapitch.
I’ve known of Joe for a few years as he often goes on trips where skiing is a means to a bigger goal of general exploration, which is something I like as well. Joe has also won two Hans Saari Exploration Grants, of which I am on the selection committee. At one point, there was some discussion about whether or not we could keep awarding the same person grants year after year, but it came down to Joe consistently putting together innovative, safe trips with an excellent success rate and follow up, so it was an easy choice to allow it. In the climbing world, Mike Libecki is kind of the same thing, with cool trips, well written proposals and very well thought out expeditions, which is probably why he has won so many grants and seen so much of the world.
Joe only had a few hours to go climbing, which was enough for an outing to the Pentapitch area in Little Cottonwood. I was psyched to see that he shared the Alpinist climbing attitude of efficiency over etiquette and we were able to rack up a bunch of pitches in a short time.
"I'll ski that for a dollar."
The rock exam is Joe’s last discipline (Skiing, Alpine & Rock) before he becomes a full-blown AMGA guide which means he will be able to guide anywhere in the world, including his backyard, Alaska. If you are looking for a guy to organize a trip to some remote corner of the world and break trail with a smile, check him out.
Joe’s website – http://www.megatraverse.blogspot.com/
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Bob Athey – the Wizard Cometh
The Wasatch is kind of unusual in that aside from the mountains themselves, there is little to no central gathering spots for skiers or climbers. I’d be hard pressed to name a single bar where you had a chance of meeting other backcountry skiers on a consistent basis. Maybe the Sitzmark in the Alta Lodge or the Porcupine down at the base of Big Cottonwood, but more than likely, if you are going to run into other backcountry skiers, you will most likely do it in the mountains.
If you’ve been skiing around for a while, or are just unlucky, you will sooner or later meet Bob Athey. People either love or hate Bob, and I’m psyched to say I’m in the first category – I love seeing him and always have a good time catching up. He is by far and away the most avid backcountry skier I’ve ever met and I remember at one point he said it was easier for him to count the days he didn’t go into the backcountry, rather than those when he did. Because the Wasatch is so small, this means that Bob knows every single little shot, variation of shots and connect-the-dot routes between them. I don’t think he ever skis anything but deep powder, mainly because he always knows where to find it.
“So, uhm, what was the problem with them Bob?”
“That stupid little trim tool gets completely gummed up and you can only trim-out one pair of skins with it.”
“Oh, but, how about the skins themselves?”
“The skins? Oh those are fine. But that trim tool sucks.”
That’s Bob for you.
I also had a chance to work with Bob when I was at the Utah Avalanche Forecast Center and he was a full-time observer. Various skiers would send in observations from the day before, but if you showed up at 4:00am to go to work and saw there was a “Bob Ob” you were golden. A big part of this for me was that I think we shared the same evaluation criteria, but beyond that, Bob always had some killer little insight that everyone else seemed to miss. Plus he’s incredibly passionate about snow. Whenever I’d make a mistake, he be sure and send me an email with a picture of someone’s ass and a note saying “Huh?”
Bob is one of those guys you probably shouldn’t follow in the backcountry, although he is my wife’s favorite partner. He’ll center-punch one slope, but somehow knows to stay off of the one right next to it, which is not to imply he has never been caught in an avalanche.
A few years ago an article was written about him where the author called him “The Wizard of the Wasatch” which has not only stuck, but become appropriately shortened to WOW. The article went on to note how he “ricocheted off the canyon walls while chuffing down an unfiltered Camel” which is always fun to remind him of.
Bob has an ongoing website with some of the best up-to-date snow and skiing (and boarding – he does it all) conditions from the Wasatch. He picked up a new camera two years ago and has been putting it to excellent use. If you get a chance, check out http://www.wowasatch.com/index.htm, or better yet, send a PayPal contribution to him so he can upgrade his software.
I look forward to seeing you out there Bob!
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