There’s a lot of big mountains with tons of skiable vertical in Utah, and much of it lies outside the Central Wasatch. We’ve been taking trips up north to the Bear River Mountains around Logan for some exploratory backcountry skiing, and every time, we’ve come away impressed with the terrain there. But on a recent three-day weekend, we really hammered our legs with over 4,000 vertical ascents every day on some of the most rugged and aesthetic peaks in the state.
The first day took us to Providence Canyon, where a bumpy, snow-covered, gravel road snaked up into the high country above the town of Providence. We drove as far as the “Yurt on Wheels” could go, then skinned the rest of the way up a 4×4 road that alternated from gravel to thin snow. Upon reaching the old quarry, the snowpack got deep enough for easy touring, and Adam, Chris and I made good time climbing into the upper reaches of the canyon.
It didn’t take long for us to begin salivating for powder-draped mountains that surrounded us, especially Millville Peak – a large summit that dominates the south side of the canyon. But a ski party had gotten there way before us thanks to the use of snowmobiles, and had already made at least four runs on the north face. It made us even more motivated to get up there before every skiable line was gone, but the sledders turned out to be the nicest guys I’ve ever met in the backcountry. They knew we were coming up behind them, and saved a choice line right below the summit for us. Then they gave us a ride to the top, and offered beers they stashed in a snowbank below the headwall.
About that choice line – it was amazing. All the snow that fell in the past four days was untouched, and we savored every face-shot turn of it. There aren’t many backcountry runs with such a consistent slope angle and fall line, and when you find one, you’re in heaven. This was one such line. Unfortunately, we only had time for one more run after taking those nice sledders up on their offer of beer. For the second lap, we traversed west along the ridge and skied fresh, knee-deep snow down into a gully that had filled in even deeper. As always, Adam declared it the best ski tour of the season, but that was before day three.
Day two, we drove up Logan Canyon and parked at Wood Camp, a trailhead barely seen from the road. But this obscurity hides a massive wall of bowls and ridges that could take a whole season to ski every line. Spring had hit the lower canyon hard and we had to hike for about a mile until we hit the snow line. The ascent got easier after that as we meandered around small trees and brush toward the ever growing view of upper Wood Camp.
The flats ended at the toe of a large ridge that we promptly climbed. It was a challenging route. A steep start led to relatively flat areas, but a series of limestone cliffs and rock bands blocked our way, requiring us to bootpack or traverse around them. While it wasn’t a big deal, it did take time. Despite the tiring obstacles, the ridge led directly to the Bear River Divide where we traversed south to some north-facing shots that held the only good snow (the rest was sun crusted.)
Once again the run was mind-blowing. Creamy powder parted beneath our ski tips as we slalomed around small trees and worked undulating rollers, hopping off rocks and fallen logs. But the drainage terminated at a gigantic cliff. Fearing the exposure, we traversed right over the south cliff and ascended a sub-ridge where we hoped skiing down the front side would get us back to the bottom. But the amount of cliffs all around teased us with thoughts that we would have to climb all the way back to the divide to return safely. But after switching to ski mode and skiing down to the headwall, we were relieved to see that we could send it without any exposure.
The only minus, was the most hateful v-gully bushwhack in the history of man. We floundered through thick brush while navigating a steep-walled drainage filled with rocks and tip-snagging twigs. Our soak in the Crystal Hot Springs that night in Honeyville was well earned, but we barely made it before they closed because of that machete’-worthy, forested slog.
The final day was the best (as the last usually is.) We tried to ski what we thought would be an easier run, but the climb and ski up Cougar Mountain above Richmond proved to be the longest and most satisfying tour of the week. A flat-tracking skin up the summer road to the Cherry Canyon trailhead brought us to a steep gully beside private property which we were careful to avoid. The gully led to a saddle on the summit ridge, which afforded us epic views of the Cache Valley far below. It was a long climb, however, only made easy by the perfect weather and engaging ascent.
It took us four hours to reach the summit, where the obvious line fell to the west then turned north into a long, sustained headwall. The ski doesn’t count until you start from the top, so we dropped in, skiing down the shoulder, then down a powder ramp that was incredibly good considering the warm temperatures and lack of snowfall in the past few days. The run was 2,000 feet of playful bliss that reminded me of Scotties Bowl or the Argenta Slidepath. Rollers, bumps, steep, jumps, gullies and trees could all be had, and the line went on forever to the bottom of Cherry Canyon. Now THIS was the best backcountry run of the season, and we all agreed on that.
Pole-clicks and high-fives led to a fun, bobsled-type exit down canyon to the car where the cold beer that awaited us. It was most certainly consumed in celebration of a backcountry ski weekend that could not have been better. Logan, Utah and the Bear River Range have the goods, and it was all ours… except for those sledders in Providence Canyon (did I mention they were the nicest guys ever?)