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Tough Skiing

Tough Skiing

| December 20, 2008 | 5 Comments

Whessh!  Today had some tough skiing, skinning and avalanche conditions.  With low temps, high winds, limited visibility and high avalanche danger everywhere, we stuck to safe ridgelines and low angle terrain. As we were skinning along this gentle ridgeline, a crack shot out from under my feet as I took this photo, went about 50′ […]

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Wild Weekend in Store for the Wasatch Mtns

Wild Weekend in Store for the Wasatch Mtns

| December 19, 2008 | 1 Comment

Rat-a-tat-tat, hang on to your hat!  There’s going to be some very wide spread and dangerous avalanche activity in the Wasatch Mountains today and this weekend. One of my favorite snow stability comments comes from Bob Athey – “When it comes to snow, it all depends.”  If there’s no loose snow to transport, then high winds are […]

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Rocky Powder – December 06

Rocky Powder – December 06

| December 8, 2008 | 2 Comments

If you keep your expectations low and look in the right places, the Wasatch backcountry has some pretty good skiing.  The trick to finding it is to look in what is usually the most avalanche prone areas around – high, north-facing and wind loaded.  Narrow chutes seem to have held on to almost all of […]

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Alta Guard Station Automated Wx Station

Alta Guard Station Automated Wx Station

| November 25, 2008 | 1 Comment

The Alta Guard House automated weather station is the Gold Standard of automated snow sites in the Wasatch Mountains.  I think it is one of the oldest stations around, plus it is right near the Department of Transportation (DOT) housing area, so if it ever goes down, it is fixed right away.  It is also one of […]

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