Video by Jonah Reeder, skiers Owen Reeder and Brett Fuller.
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| Kara's Pot Farm is growing back in, but the ample snow this year helps cover the saplings. |
I hadn't been up here in awhile and it hadn't snowed in almost two weeks and there had been substantially more traffic up here than I have ever seen. I scope it from the valley daily, and yes, I actually went shopping at Cabella's (aka Chubby-Fella's) to buy a spotting scope just for viewing ski spots from the valley. This year I am seeing tons and tons of traffic up here, so I was not expecting too much, but Jonah, Brett and I still found excellent skiing. The cold temperatures preserve the snow on the shady aspects. Sorry to be so full of attitude and venom, but I know what I like and there's a reason I don't ski the Central Wasatch. Bountiful Ridge is still relatively unknown, but it is quickly becoming another Grizzly Gulch.
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| Early morning sunshine on Bountiful Peak. |
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| Kara's Pot Farm and my signature (way too repeated) ski-tip view of the skin track. |
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| Looking down Kara's Pot Farm from the Dogleg Corner, view NW over Davis County. There's a story for the dogleg in the route. Ask me some day. |
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| The 'snow stake rock.' In the summer the top of the rock is about five feet high. Today it was about knee high. |
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| 114cm (44 inches) of snow at Rudy's Flat, and hoar-frost building. |
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| Someone took my rock from the crotch of this tree. That's OK, I've got about 10 more planted in the area. It's kind of fun to see how long they last. This one rarely lasts more than a month or two, especially in the summer because it sits next to the most popular camp-site at Rudy's (although this is about 6'5" high without snow). One rock placement up on the ridge has been there about 25 years. Oh, and that's Jonah trying to stay warm. |
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| Jonah (l) and Brett (r) skinning towards Rectangle Peak (high point above). |
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| Rectangle Bowl was tracked out. This year we've seen an unprecedented increase in use up here, presumably due to the normal snow depths and the huge crowds of the Central Wasatch. Understandably, others are looking for less crowded grounds and Bountiful Ridge is now seeing that impact. Last year we experienced a thin snow cover and there was much more solitude up here, but the skiing was still good if one is OK with a core-shot here and there. and a scrubby approach/descent. |
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| Jonah (l) and Brett (r) near the top of the ski run "Scott Cutler's Yellow Coat." Another good story behind the name. Ask me sometime. |
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| Skin track and dead tree about midway up Rectangle Ridge. |
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| Our first run ski tracks in upper Crescent Bowl. It hadn't snowed in almost two weeks but there is good stuff to be found on the right aspects. |
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| Jonah (l) and Brett (r) on the Rectangle/Crescent Saddle. |
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| From Crescent Peak, Jonah and Brett making their way up for a run down Crescent Peak. Rectangle Peak is the high point just behind Jonah and Brett. |
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| Jonah and Brett, again. |
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| First run tracks in upper Crescent Bowl. |
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| Mountains, snow and sun. Simply beautiful!! A guy in my Ward recently made the proclamation that "Mountain Guys" have "no clue" what constitutes a spiritual experience. I can't tell you why I feel the way I do, just that I feel the most alive when outdoors, especially in the mountains of winter. To that local 'Authority' I would offer the words of another Authority: "Don't criticize what you can't understand. . . the times they are a changin" Bob Dylan |
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| Nice turns in Rectangle Bowl. I wish mine were so uniform and pretty! And 'good job' to these skiers (or skier) for conserving the slope by spooning your tracks so that others can also to enjoy the slope!!! The days of center-punching multiple bowls with one lone ski line are over. No disrespect to anyone, but I'm hoping for a modest snow year in 2019-2020, just to filter the Riff-Raff. The life-time die-hards will always be back, they know where to find the goods in even the worst conditions, but rock-skiing isn't for everyone and the casual users disappear when conditions aren't perfect. Bring-on another 20-inch base! |
That being in the outdoors, especially the back-country in winter, is good for the soul, and brings spiritual relief and contentment, is something, Owen, that I whole heatedly agree with. If my risking avalanche danger for it isn't enough to convince of you that, I'm not sure what else will. That said, I would gladly trade it for what kind of spiritual experience your "local authority" may have been referring to. An example of it comes to mind from the scriptures, and by the way, it did not occur within the walls a church, but it occurred in nature. I'm thinking of Enos 1:3-8. For the record, I've had a spiritual experience like this in the walls of my ward church growing up. And I would trade all my days in the mountains for something like that to occur again. Don't be too hard on your local leader. We are all in desperate need of forgiveness.
ReplyDeleteI’m on your side Spencer. I just resent a know-it-all dude in my ward always telling me I’m crazy to say I feel the spirit of God when I’m in the mountains or desert or anywhere where society isn’t. He doesn’t know what I feel in my heart so he should stop making assumptions about my spirituality. Conversely, I have no idea what he feels in his heart either, the big difference is I don’t tell him he’s full of shit for attending the temple each week.
ReplyDeleteI loved the video, by the way! Which slope was that? I'm going to guess Crescent Bowl. I've got to go try that slope! I've done the slope right next to Crescent ridge, but not the bowl yet.
ReplyDeleteMy sister absolutely hates hiking (at any time of year), but especially winter. It's people like you and me, however, that know the secret, which is that the rewards far outweigh the hardships. And there are many hardships: cold toes, cold fingers, blisters, each ski going opposite sides of a tree, I almost poke my eye out last time I went up to B-ridge. When I got home, I found it was quite blood-shot. Safety glasses for me, from now on, when descending in the dark by head-lamp. On the other hand, there are the rewards: the beauty, the solitude, the pow turns, I don't know what it is, but seeing a deep blue sky is one of the big kickers for me--does my heart good. My wife jokes that I am "solar powered." And I agree that there's a spiritual component to it too. I wouldn't claim to know exactly what you feel, Owen, but I believe you. For me, nature inspires greater faith in God.
Last winter I didn't ski B-ridge, but I skinned to Rudy's Flat once or twice. On one of those occations, I got caught out in the dark without a head-lamp. I said a prayer to Heavenly Father that I could get back to my car. Mind you, the entire day has been overcast. Soon after my prayer, the sky cleared and the moon came out. It was just enough light to see what I was doing to get down the trail, and I had a long way to go. Maybe it's arrogant of me to think that God would bring the moon out just for me that night, but I'd like to believe it was an answer to my prayer. I think maybe it was.
Nice photos Owen. I've only skied Bountiful 2-3 times this year, but if I've added some traffic to your backyard I'm sorry about that. I've skied it a with a few friends that I have made promise they wouldn't put it on strava. However, if you google "backcountry ski bountiful" your website shows on the first page, so it's not ALL my fault! :) Hope you are well and that we get a chance to ski together this winter.
ReplyDeleteI know Layne, I whine and whine and whine about the increased traffic, and then I keep posting, so you are right, it is my fault!! Plus, even with the heavy traffic, I always find good stuff up there, so I come away feeling foolish for voicing any concern. And I really do appreciate your discreetness and how you spoon your runs to allow for others to enjoy.
DeleteI think my problem boils down to the fact that in my teens, twenties and even thirties, I never, ever saw another soul up there, or even another set of ski tracks, so I’m living in the past for sure. Also, every new face I meet up there is a wonderful person. I’ve made many new and great friendships along the way. I’d love to ski with you up there soon.
Until recently, googling "backcountry ski bountiful" would bring up www.PowderProject.com as the first hit.
DeleteYou guys got me curious so I Googled "Backcountry Skiing Bountiful" and the first link to this blog (WasatchSolo) was 2 pages deep and the 14th hit, and it wasn't even one of my blogs about Bountiful Ridge. It's a piece I did on skiing Grandview Peak, which I accessed via City Creek Canyon on a bicycle, so it's all in Salt Lake County with little or no mention of Bountiful Ridge.
ReplyDeleteI realize I say way too much about crowding and I'm sorry for any offense, but it's my hope that Davis County never becomes another Little Cottonwood Canyon. A little peace, quiet and a less hectic atmosphere is a good thing.
On the first page, 3rd link from the top, I get "http://wasatchsolo.blogspot.com/2013/04/bountiful-ridge-backcountry-skiing.html" Your blog used to be the first link. Not sure why it has dropped. What links show up might also depend on who is doing the search. Google probably uses all sorts of private info to determine what you see on their search engine (so they can advertise to you, ugh!) Anyhow, it doesn't matter. I agree. I don't want B-ridge to get crowded either. But like you said, there are natural barriers, such as distance and over-growth that will keep most folks out, so I wouldn't be too worried about it.
DeleteI love B-ridge because it so close to home, it's beautiful up there, and it's free. It's not convenient for those living right next to cottonwoods. Also, I tend to ski a lot of crap up there that you and John and others probably don't care about, so I hope I'm not a bother.
What exactly are you searching on? I just searched on “Back country skiing Bountiful” and my blog wasn’t even showing in the first four pages, then I stopped looking. But like you said, it doesn’t matter. I always find good skiing up there even when the traffic is heavy. It’s more heavily used now than ever before, but it’s too grungy (brushy) and the runs too short to ever get as popular as the central Wasatch.
DeleteA little behind the swing maybe, but I like this discussion and I think Im a prime example to be considered in this conversation. Ive always been a skier, and been around backcountry skiing since I was little. I clearly remember looking up at Bountiful ridge often while I was even in Elementary school thinking "that would be amazing skiing, just look at those runs - it looks amazing up there." I never was old enough to get up there and ski though, so it was just a fascinating thought that somehow, someday I might get up there and ski. Then I found your blog Owen... My first thought wasn't "oh, so it is a place to ski maybe I should go up there" but rather "shoot, this random old guy beat me too it and its not nearly as cool as it would have been if I couldn't find any history about it anywhere." This didn't deter me though, and I poured over your blog, memorized run and peak names, and got up there to ski as soon as possible.
ReplyDeleteYour blog didn't make me ski up there, I would have eventually made it up there. It did however provide the kick to get me up there asap. I didn't even know at the time that my good friend Jonah was your nephew. I remember how the conversation went. A long time after I had first skied up there I mentioned it to Jonah and he was like "yeah my uncle skis up there all the time." I denied him claiming that absolutely no one skis up there other than me, my brother and this one random old guy named Owen. We both laughed to find out that the blog and that "old guy" I'd been following forever was Jonah's uncle.
I really do sympathize with you when you complain about people finding out about bountiful's backcountry. I can't help but comment though because you're a big reason why I ever got out there. I myself hate skiing in the central Wasatch for the same reason you do. Its a shame to me that if I want to go ski superior or even something as "hard" to access (lcc mindset here) as the the pfife I have to deal with crowds.
I don't blame you if I'm only part of the problem to you, but really Im just as haunted by the crowds as you are. We ski in bountiful for the same reasons. For someone who's part of the "problem" generation that you describe, I seem to share an awful lot of the same ideologies and opinions as what I read here on this blog. Its all thanks to you that I even made it up there as soon as I did, and I appreciate it.
Alec,
DeleteIf you ski with Jonah you are definatly NOT part of the problem. Keep doing what you're doing.
The problem I have is when huge groups show up and track out the place in one run. Lets face it, those bowls up on Bountiful Ridge are not huge and a group of five or more can easily track out Rectangle Bowl in one run whereas one "random old guy (me)," by himself, can't track it out in a whole day. And those huge groups are becoming the norm these days when even just 5 years ago those big groups were rarely an issue. Further, the norm these days is to share the breadcrumb on Strava or Garmin Connect or even Facebook, and then overnight it has all gone to hell. Yeah, Bountiful Ridge is visible from I-15, so not a secret, but I swear, nobody skied up there until one guy posted the "short cut" access route. BC skiers are lazy and very few were willing to use the long "Summer Trail" to access the goods, but as soon as the short cut was broadcast on various social media, the place was then crawling with new faces.
Aside from consuming all the goods in mere minutes, intelligent BC skiers fully understand that large groups create avalanche hazards that small group do not. The 'spreading affect' of incompatible fitness and skill levels in a group, always a factor in larger groups, create hazards and increase the likelihood of accidents. With that, I grew up with a "small group" mentality.
Don't mind me, Alec, I'm just a grumpy old man living in the past. I'm trying to grow up and accept the new world order. Until then I may rant here and there, but I never want lose a friend over a powder run, and from what I know of you I consider you a friend. We should get with Jonah and go ski B-Ridge soon.
Thank you for your comments, I enjoy hearing your thoughts.