White Pine Canyon 12-27-2013

Monte Cristo and 'Directmissimo' couloir, from the White Pine Trail. 

 Went ski-touring with Brett in White Pine Canyon today.  The Wasatch currently has a thin (generaly less than 45 inches), rotting snow pack, which is bad for skis, knees and avalanches, so we skied mellow (low angle) lines all day. We skied a run on lower Red Baldy, then skinned over to White Pine Lake and skied the open slopes below the lake. The NE and NW aspects had a thin sun-crust but the direct N aspects had nice, settled powder and the sunny slopes, once melted a bit, offered fun, creamy turns.  A beautiful, sunny day, warm in the sun but cold in the shade. It was one of those days when you build up a sweat skinning in the sun then freeze when back in the shade. There were not a lot of people up there, surprising considering it was the Christmas Holiday and it was in Little Cottonwood Canyon, which is a crowded place, winter or summer. I am spoiled to ski in Davis County which has few back country skiers. Maybe Davis County skiers just head to the Tri-Canyons (LCC, BCC, Millcreek) because they don't like the long, brushy approaches? I'll take those nasty approaches to avoid the crowd. Today was a great day in the mountains.      

Dromedary Peak and upper Tanners Gulch from the White Pine trail.

Maybe 36 inches total snow at the run-out of the Tri-Chutes (9,500 feet or so). Wish winter  would act like winter and start DUMPING!

The Tri-Chutes on the NW flanks of Red Top.

Lake Peak and its Chute, above (w) of White Pine Lake (the dam is visible directly below the chute). 

Skin track heading up 'Rock & Roll', a ski run on the NW face of Red Baldy, upper White Pine Canyon. 

Skin track from the POV of my Garmont Radium's. The sun is just above 'West Pass', upper White Pine, which leads one south, over to Silver Creek in American Fork Canyon. 

Lake Peak and Chute, above White Pine Lake, and Dr. Seuss trees.

Brett, contemplating his next huck , above White Pine Lake.

'Mr. Huckage', Lake Peak above and White Lake lower right.

Our ski tracks (below the big rock) on lower 'Rock & Roll' (NW apron on Red Baldy). Don't know who the skiers on the skin track are, but they spooned our tracks, which was aggravating because there is TONS of room up there and I like my elbow room. Apparently they think a crowd makes it safe avalanche wise? If it didn't slide on us then they were also safe? Who knows what they were thinking, just wish they'd keep their distance. I don't resort ski for a reason.   

Red Top Mountain with the Tri-Chutes just visible behind the spindly trees in the center of the photo. Just over the ridge is Snowbird's Gad Valley.