Dude Peak, January 30, 2023

 

Still catching up on the blog. Blogs are soooo passé, nobody reads this thing and I tried to walk away. God knows my family runs-and-hides when I start talking back country skiing, it’s an annoying Dad/Husband thing, but I’m realizing this is a history of my passions. If nothing else it serves my own purpose. I can go back and relive great memories anytime, anywhere.

I’m posting this on Friday, May 5, 2023. We have Covid in our home, Kara has a severe case, laid flat-in-bed now for three days, with a high fever, massive body aches, congestion and her OX-SAT levels are near the threshold (low 90’s) where we might need to go to the emergency room. I’m still testing negative and I hide out in our basement to avoid the same shit. I wear my construction respirator when I’m near her. 

My wife’s brother (my idiot brother-in-law) nearly died from Covid a year ago, so genetics are not in her favor Covid-wise. His OX-SAT levels were in the mid 80’s and he refused to go to the hospital, claiming he would be fine because he had had a “priesthood blessing” that proclaimed he would “recover quickly to continue  the work of the lord,” and he fervently insisted that going to the hospital would show a "lack of faith." Did I mention he is an IDIOT! He nearly died due to his extreme, whacked-out religious beliefs. He refused to go to the hospital until his grown children quite literally physically forced him into the car and drove him to the ER. A good thing they did because he nearly died. He spent two weeks in the ICU and the Doctor said he would not have lived through the night if he had not gone to the hospital when he did. He was intubated and put on huge doses of antibiotics because his body was full of Sepsis due to his low OX-SAT levels. His organs were systematically shutting down due to low oxygen level, hence the Sepsis. He is still in terrible health due to his bout with Covid. He’s on oxygen 100% of the time, which he never was before. He is weak, he can’t even walk around the block, when before Covid he was quite active, golfing daily and rode a bike regularly. Now he can’t taste a damn thing and his mind seems blown, like he had a stroke (low OX levels?). Who would want this? Not me.

Several of my coworkers are total nut-job Republican-deniers. They have whined at length how mask-wearing and vaccines are a left-wing government plot to control your mind and money, so it was hysterical watching them stampede all-over themselves to get away from me when I announced I had been exposed to Covid. Perhaps their shit-head conspiracies theories about masks, vaccines and Covid in general are just that, shit-head conspiracies?? When push comes to shove they don’t want to get sick either. Apparently they do believe it’s real. After they stampeded away they immediately tattled on me to the boss and he sent me home for the week. Yes, it was reckless to potentially expose them to Covid, but, based upon the toxic political climate at work, it was even more reckless - to my career - to call-in-sick due to the C-word (Covid, not what you’re thinking). 

And just to be clear, I HATE politics in every form and fashion. Anyone who does a deep-dive into any political party or any politician is simply a lost soul. They have sold their souls to the Devil out of vanity, power, a gang mindset, and an attempt to look intelligent (the pinnacle of oxymoron). No, I am not a Democrat but I’m definitely NOT a Republican. Living in Utah I am constantly confronted with hysterical right-wing Gumbies who deem me a liberal and anti-Christian (WTF!) if I don’t like their politics, and it gets old. I can’t go to church anymore because it is largely just a weekly Republican caucus, and I can’t serve two masters. Why would I pretend to revere Christ all the while pushing a political agenda? Leave me out, I’ll ski on Sunday thank you. I can only conclude, based on Utah politics, that the "stupid pendulum" has been stuck on the far right now for far too long, but the left is not much better. Quite frankly, I have more respect for drug-cartels and prostitutes than I do for politicians and political parties. They (druggies and tarts), at least, are truthful, they do exactly what they say they will do. On the other hand, politicians will promise you the world all the while motioning to their aids to slit your throat from behind.  

So, here I am, May 5, 2023, sitting in the basement, keeping my distance from my wife, and looking at ski photos from this winter. It has been hot this week, hitting the 80’s, so our A/C is running it’s guts out to keep Kara comfortable in her fevered-Covid state, and I’m shivering in the basement. Worse, looking at these photos from skiing Dude Peak on January 30th make me even colder. That day was the coldest I’ve ever been. It was absolutely frigid. My cheap, key-fob thermometer said it was below zero, plus there was a light breeze that cut right through me. I always take extra base layer to change out when wet with sweat, but today I put on every layer that I had and it still was not enough. I could not stop shivering, my toes and fingers had no feeling and I almost felt panicky knowing that even a minor equipment failure could be dangerous. Despite the cold it was a beautiful day, mostly blue sky, sunshine and sparkly air with the ice crystal floating in the cold air. I planned to ski City Creek Cirque and then several laps on the Crows Foot, but it was just too cold, I ended up just tagging Dude Peak then simply skiing back down the Hidden Lake Trail, then home to a hot shower. Many ski days fade into a jumble mass of memories with other similar ski days, but not this day. It was one that will last in my memory for the extreme cold, and that cold reminds me of the details, the great snow, the beautiful white mountains and the jewels in the air.       

Evening Foothill Wandering, January 11, 2023

Deep unbroken snow, mid 20s with an icy wind. It never fails, go to the hills after work to exorcise the day's demons . . . 

Wasatch Backcountry Skiing, B-Ridge, January 7, 2023

Not a lot of time, take it when life isn’t looking . . . 

Great snow today, about 10 inches of 3% density powder on a supportable base, but I’ve never seen so many skiers on Bountiful Ridge. Santa must have been very generous this year, there were a lot of newbies experimenting with their new toys, and it’s easy to spot the newbies, which is always good for a big laugh. That sounds elitist but who can resist a laugh when extremely obvious common-sense mountain awareness doesn’t even begin to register under that sparkling new Dynafit TLT helmet? Is it just me or is everyone 'mouth-agape' to see someone skin straight up a 39 degrees slope, in a huge puffy-down jacket, drenching every layer with sweat (way over-dressed), and, when their skins fail because the slope is too steep and they’re too stupid to do a kick turn and put in switches, they remove their skis and try booting in hip-deep snow? Who does that? Stupid newbies that's who, because every one is now on Insta and TikTok spraying about abut how bad-ass they are, and everyone skinning is Guerrier and everyone riding ski lifts are pure shyte-heads. Yes, funny, but also really sad. 

It’s always crowded up there during the Holidays and for a few weeks after, but today was off the charts. The Wasatch typically has a two to three week spell of high pressure and unseasonably warm temps during January, so the deteriorating snow conditions scare away the crowds from low elevation haunts such as Bountiful Ridge. But it never stopped snowing this winter, guaranteeing good snow when in a typical year Bountiful Ridge has long periods of shit, when Grizzly Gulch is perfect. All that quality snow helped bring in the crowds. This is a small area, it isn’t covered in any guide books, but it is now everyones ‘Plan B’ when there is no parking at Mill D or White Pine. Effectively it’s now a mainstream destination on the SLC backcountry ski circuit. What the hell? Why? Yes, the Wasatch front has over 2 million residents, so it’s not really surprising that everything is now crowded, but why here? It requires a long, brushy approach, it sits at a low elevation, it has bad westerly aspects so it’s prone to sun-crusting or Bountiful cement, and it’s small, so the marque lines get skied out quickly, usually within hours of a new dump, so it is still a bit puzzling why it’s now so crowded? The exponentially expanding population is reason enough, but other factors certainly helped advertise this pathetic, girly, little backwater of nothingness: Strava, the Powder Project and pure word-of-mouth have all contributed to the crowding of this once solitary area.

But today was good. Yes too crowded for my liking, but when there’s a crowd you go to the hidden splendors, where I still I found a few untracked lines

I forgot my good camera, so limited to only the 360 POV camera, which can catch some gems, but mostly garbage. Here are a few OK shots . . .  

Willows, December 6, 2022

 

I love the north side of Big Cottonwood, the slopes and gullies that stretch from Mt. Raymond to Guardsmen Pass. It has easy access and it’s perfect for quick hits in the early morning, lunch runs, or after work. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of options for great terrain and great snow with some hidden treasures that seem to get missed by the huge crowds, and we all know that huge crowds are now the norm for Wasatch backcountry skiing. I’m not sure why but several small slopes, which will remain nameless, rarely get tracked out unlike others that are just yards away. One area I ski a lot, I’ll call it Area 51, is notorious for slides, it is steep and it’s hidden from the sun until spring, so the snow is always dry and  prone to faceting, but the crowds stay away. When it does get skied, there’ll only be a track or two on a slope that can hold 50. It falls steeply from a rounded ridge and ends in a meadow with a semi-abrupt transition from steep to flat, which could possibly act like a terrain trap if the debris piled up where the slope flattens, but without an opposing slope it is not a trap in the classical sense. The last time I saw it slide the debris didn't stack, it fanned out like a river delta. When the snow is wet and less elastic, perhaps it could pile deep right at the base. 

Still, why isn’t this slope regularly skied? Are other skiers just too smart and cautious to avoid it’s notorious instabilities?? Nah, this is Utah, where skiers don’t give a shit about slides. Yeah, they do the dance, they dig a pit and do the proverbial ECT, they say all the right things and preach safety to all who care to listen, especially their partners to ease familial stress, but, when the Utah powder piles deep they center punch every big line in the Wasatch, instabilities be damned. So I’m still puzzled, why is Area 51 largely ignored?  Is it too short and not worth the effort? For me, thirty turns are better than no turns, so I ski there when everything else is toast, which is often.

Today I got away from work late, arriving at the Willows trailhead in late afternoon, the shadows already drawing long footprints. It was cold, mid to upper teens, but the sky was a glorious, brilliant blue and the winter sun was warm on my face. The snow was still early-season-thin, but yesterday's storm left a superb top layer, maybe six inches on a supportable base, but overall conditions were very unstable.  I can’t remember the specific avalanche rating, but it was not good, and as I skied up the Willows trail, which is very low angle, I continually heard collapsing, even seeing some shooting cracks where the angle was steep enough for the snow to move. By the time I reached the lower pond I knew I would not ski Area 51. Instead I headed up the approach ridge to Area 51 but stopped short, on a plateau on the shoulder where I stopped and transitioned to ski. I was soon shivering uncontrollably, I didn’t wear nearly enough layers today, and was happy to start down even on a thin, sage-spiked south facing slope. The cold temps still couldn’t stop the power of the sun, the radiation putting a bit of stickiness in that thin snow, but I managed a few ugly turns back down to the pond. I was disappointed to not ski anything big and bold, but I’m confident I did the right thing. I saw much evidence of a more liberal avalanche mentality, steep slopes completely tracked out, which had me scratching my head given the days rating. With the instabilities I saw on my short hike, there's no way I would have skied anything steeper. Like I said, SLC skiers are luckier than they are good. 

Willows, lower pond

Cold temps but strong sun

Steep approach through the Aspens up to the shoulder of Area 51.

I wouldn’t ski that hill today given the instabilities I saw, but hey, someone thought otherwise and got away with it, a few times. Pavlovian response, a positive reinforcement of bad decisions. 

Shoulder plateau of Area 51

Back at the pond after some sticky turns through sage brush. 

My sloppy turns in sticky, thin snow. So sloppy it looks like I’m on tele gear . . . but I’m not.

White Pine, November 18, 2022

White Pine Fork of Little Cottonwood Canyon is a proven commodity. For backcountry skiing it has a huge selection of possibilities. Yes, it is just a ridge away from Snowbird, a world class ski area which provides easy lift access. From Snowbird's Gad II lift top terminal, the White Pine divide is an easy, 200 yard, easy, sweat-less, idiot-proof skin. Ten minutes from comfy chairlift to trackless, virgin (relatively) terrain. Did I say it was easy access? Seriously, White Pine Fork gets pounded by lifties poaching BC terrain from Gad II. 

When I was in high school in the late 1970’s, it was against the law to use the lifts to access out of bounds terrain such as White Pine. Enforcement of the law was easy for the Snowbird Ski Patrol, the White Pine boot pack was clearly visible from the ski patrol shack, complete with a balcony loaded with a BBQ blazing with ribs and a hot tub, all while Patrollers watched for poachers headed over to White Pine. They usually had a guy sitting on the ridge while the guys in the hot-tub would radio over when they spotted a potential poacher. And for access back then, I must stress ‘boot pack.” Today it's a skin track, which is totally legal to use to leave the resort, but, back in 1978, tech-bindings had not yet been invented, and 3-pin tele bindings were not allowed on Snowbird’s ski lifts. To get to the ridge, feigning that we were going to ski powder shots above the Gad II lift, we had to remove skis and hike (boot) up to the ridge. On a big powder day it was work, but once broken the hiking was easy. We usually did just that, drop back into the Gad II terrain, but if the Ski Patrol was not watching, their “Ridge Guy” down at the hot-tub for example, we’d quickly ducked the rope and dropped into White Pine for a glorious, track-free powder run all the way down to the trailhead, which was a mere half-mile from the Snowbird parking lot. We’d then hitch-hike back up to the lifts.  For real tours, not rope-ducking out of ski areas, we’d take tele gear because it was eminently more hike-able, albeit a wee but less skiable, but still skiable. . .  on great snow days . . . .but total shit on manky days, but good enough that we’d do it often. Lifts were quickly becoming less and less desirable even in the late 1970’s, even with the shitty tele gear. 

We didn’t use tele's to access White Pine from Gad II, largely because they sucked in moguls, and nothing was groomed back then, plus when the ‘Man’ (ski patrol) caught us, they’d escort us off their mountain, which is located on USFS Public lands I might add. 

Another proof of the skiing quality in White Pine, the Snowbird Master Plan originally called for another aerial tram to serve White Pine Fork, with the base near the confluence of Little Cottonwood Creek and Red Pine Creek, ascending all the way to the summit of Red Baldy, a respectable 4,000 feet of elevation gain. It was all talk when Snowbird was built in the early 1970’s, but Dick Base was nearly bankrupted form just building the first tram and a couple of lodges, so they weren’t even close to building a another tram, but it was seriously considered. Thank God that second tram never became reality.        

View NW from mid White Pine, Broads Fork Twins and Sunrise Peaks dead center. 

The famous Tri Chutes on the flanks of Red Top Mountain. Snowbird hasn't even opened yet and they’re tracked out. 

View NW from upper White Pine, and heavy ski traffic very evident.

Tracks off the east side of White Baldy in Glacier Bowl.

Lake Peak and its chute. Sad to see these twisted firs have died. They’ve always been a welcome site when approaching White Pine Lake.

Wind on Red Baldy, and very glad I don’t see a tram cable over head. 

My turns off the hill above White Pine Lake. White Pine gets a ton of traffic but there’s always a few spots still free of turns even a week after the last storm. 

I found soft settled powder on the N-NE aspects and it hadn’t snow for 6 days. That said, I had to shoe-horn my turns between those who came before. 

Lake Peak and Chute. The horizontal shadowed line in mid-picture is the man-made damn added by SLC/County in the 1960s to increase the size of White Pine Lake.

A healthy start to the winter snowpack. As I write this in mid April ’23, this pond is likely buried by 15 feet of snow. The winter of 2022-23 has set all-time snow-fall records. Today, April 8, 2023, Alta has a base of 218 inches and 877 inches for the season. Huge!

A beautiful site, a tram free Red Badly (11,171ft). 

My Tacoma and my shitty rock skis. That Rivian (r) was driven by a young, 20-something lady. I could barely afford that $33K tacoma in my late 50’s, so how does one so young afford a $90K truck? Granted, I suck in my career, I’ve always chosen life and family over work, so I have very likely short-circuited my career path in order to ski/climb/hike and be involved and present when my babies were born, a choice I’ve never regretted. But even when I was pushing hard early in my career, I couldn’t even afford a Toyota Tercel. I figured she was likely a recent grad of Stanford Law School, or a Harvard MBA or, perhaps, but less respectable, but something I sure as hell wouldn’t refuse, a wealthy trust-funder living the good life in the mountains. Good choice.