Forbidden Fruit: Skiing Red Butte Canyon, February 8, 2019

Skiing forbidden ground.

Cloudy at the start but the sun came out for runs two and three.

First run tracks. 

Across the canyon on Mt. Van Cott, foothills skiers everywhere during this heavy winter.

Red Butte dam and reservoir. This area is a restricted nature preserve and I unintentionally entered and skied the restricted area. It was an innocent mistake, I followed the Red Butte Gardens High Country Trail, a public trail, up to the 90-degree bend west, but instead of going west I headed east. There were no "Keep Out" signs or fences where I left the public trail, and I skinned only a quarter mile from the trail to my ski run. I only found out that I was on restricted grounds when, on my exit at the foot of the hill, I ran into a barbed wire fence, with me on the wrong side. The photo below shows where I crawled underneath to get out, and only there did I see a "No Trespassing" sign. 

Ski tracks from runs one and two. Red Butte Peak is the high point above.

Skin track through beautiful snow on a cold, sunny day.

Kind of brushy and rocky in spots. I hit ground and rocks often, but overall not too much damage.

Runs one and two from the top.

Red Butte dam from my high transition point. (skins off). 

View up from may low transition point (skins on).

Ski tracks, runs one, two and three, with cool clouds streaming overhead.

View west over the Salt Lake valley from near my high point.

I'm locked inside the nature preserve, on the wrong side of the barbed-topped fence. The thought crossed my mind to just drop into the creek and crawled under the fence here. It looked to be about a foot-and-half higher than the flowing water, but the water was about eight inches deep and running fast on a mossy concrete chute. I saw visions of me slipping and falling in to the freezing water, then sliding along on the mossy sleigh ride. Instead I opted to hike up the fence-line to the top, which I guessed was a half mile up the hill, near where I originally left the public trail.

View up the hill showing the fence-line through the trees.

Whew!! A hundred yards up the fence-line I found this hole, which was barley big enough to crawl under. The Red Butte Natural Research Area should place signage up higher on the public trail. Presumably they haven't because most folks just stay out. I'm a slow learner. 

My tracks as seen from the end of the public access on the Red Butte road. Three runs at about 450 vertical feet each. Short, but fun. My first two runs (left two) I skied like my 1970's upbringing taught me: short, quick slalom turns, but I hit ground or rocks on almost every turn. On my third run (right) I tried big, giant slalom turns, allowing the skis to float, and I then never hit ground. With about 13 inches of snow on this grassy slope, just barely enough for skiing. 

Zoomed out with the Red Butte Ridge-line seen above.