Ski the backcountry in Silver Fork Canyon
Skiing variable spring corn conditions in Silver Fork Canyon. Skier: Mason Diedrich
This time of year, it’s strange to be writing about backcountry skiing, but the Wasatch Mountains look more like February than May at the moment. There’s still a lot of snow and backcountry skiing to be had, and Silver Fork Canyon, located next to Solitude Mountain Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon, is always a good place to find some corn snow.
Silver Fork is a small collection of cabins, homes and businesses like the Silver Fork Lodge and a convenience store, right next to Big Cottonwood Canyon road. Above this humble community is some of the most accessible backcountry skiing in the canyon. Silver Fork’s bowls and tree-lined faces sit beside the jagged peaks of Honeycomb Canyon and the steep, forested walls of Days Fork.
Skinning back up Silver Fork for another lap.
On a recent trip, Mason and I started out by parking at Solitude’s lower lot by the Eagle Express chairlift. After gearing up, we skinned across the ski run under the lift to a snow-covered road. Following the road into Silver Fork Canyon, we passed by several cabins. Once in the bottom of the canyon, there were several choices for skinning up to the popular west ridge. It’s a long ridgeline with dozens of skiable lines including opens faces that funnel into drainages and sheltering aspen groves.
We chose the first skin track and climbed up the shoulder of the west ridge. Although steep and covered in morning ice, it was an easy climb through aspen trees all the way to the top. The sun started was shining and was intense, quickly softening the snow by the time we were ready to ski.
A nice variation for descent is to ski down Green’s Basin. It’s a pine-filled north facing shot right off the west ridge that stays cold and holds creamy powder for weeks after a storm. We skied this first, weaving in and out of old-growth forest. Satisfied, we then skinned back up to yo-yo the east facing slopes of Silver Fork Canyon. The avalanche-prone bowls get a lot of sun, so there is usually variable snow conditions there. On this day, each turn went from soft powder to zipper crust. After one run, we determined which aspect had the best snow, enabling us to ski smooth powder back to the bottom of the canyon where cold beer was waiting in the cooler.
For late spring skiing, Silver Fork has many aspects where you can choose a line with the best snow. As the chutes are east facing, they get a lot of morning sun and soften up faster. It a good place for an early morning tour on a sunny day.
