Spring is in full swing and the backcountry skiing is literally getting soft and bare. Despite that, there is still good skiing up there as long as you wake up early enough to make turns before the high sun turns corn snow into mush. One zone that I’ve had my eye on all year, Farmington Canyon, finally opened up and we farmed corn over two days high above Davis County.
Farmington Canyon used to be a year-round backcountry ski destination as the road was plowed for FAA workers who needed to get to the radar tower atop Francis Peak. But a huge landslide a few years ago took out the road, shutting off the entire area to public access. Well, repairs were finished last summer, but the city decided to keep the road closed in the winter, figuring it would be less expensive to helicopter workers to the radar than it would be to plow the road. As a result, what was once a fun backcountry ski area became the exclusive domain of snowmobiles since you’d need one to travel the miles of winding road to the Wasatch Divide.
However, all is not lost for skiers in Farmington. In April, the gate was opened and the road was clear, paving the way to spring skiing on peaks now seldom skied.
First, Mike D and I headed right for Bountiful Peak. It was the most obvious choice when scanning the horizon for skiable zones, especially since small chutes cut between the mountain’s protected cliff top. Eager to ski, we left Skyline Drive and cut through the Bountiful Peak Campground. The snow-buried camp sites soon gave way to summer cabins as we gained elevation and the mountain’s cliffs grew larger in our vision. In a few hours we were standing at the top after traversing across the main apron to gain the ridge. A short bootpack up an icy section got us above the first chute.
Our first line was a corn-filled, dog leg chute on skier’s left. Mike dropped in first, sweeping turns on the edge before sliding into the chute’s gut. Wet sluff came spilling down like a river behind him, so he stopped and watched as it hit a rock outcropping like a wave against the shore. When the river of snow passed, Mike continued, gaining speed in the perfectly, corned-up apron.
After Mike flushed the chute of any wet snow, I was able to make easy turns from top to bottom. It was so fun to whip the tails of my Voile Chargers from side to side, spreading corn snow like a butter knife spreading peanut butter on soft bread. The apron was even better as I sped up and carved, making wide turns around small trees like GS gates.
Excited about this mini gnar zone, we headed back up for more. The main, central chute was obviously our next objective, despite the fact that it hadn’t seen any sun all morning. So we hiked back up, this time bagging the true summit, then down-climbed to our skis above the shaded couloir. This time I went first. A ski cut across the top didn’t move anything, so I jumped in, making short turns into the middle choke. There the shadows lay in wait. As soon as I hit the shade, my skis chattered on ice in the more narrow and steep section of the run. Carefully sidestepping, I made it through until I could make turns again, then whooped it up on the apron where soft snow awaited. The skiing was so good, I vowed to return that weekend.
And so I did, this time with Dave Thieme and Eric Ghanem. Rather than return to the steep shots on Bountiful Peak, I wanted to check out a sub-peak where open faces called Mud Bowl and Rice Bowl looked to have good corn potential. The three of us skinned up Skyline Drive, then cut right to Farmington Lakes. A short switchback up the face to the ridge gave us easy access to Point 8735 – the top of both Mud and Rice Bowls.
The skiing was fantastic. We skied Rice Bowl first as it had more of a west-facing aspect and didn’t get as much sun. It was a wise choice as it was the best corn skiing of the year. Unfortunately it didn’t last long as the snow turned to sticky mush as soon as we entered the Rice Creek drainage. Rather than wallow in muck, we traversed south the the ridge between Rice and Mud Creeks, and skinned back up to the top.
Temperatures in the 60s were not kind to our day. By the time we regained Point 8735, the snow was totally saturated. Rather than risk a wet avalanche, we traversed the ridge toward Bountiful Peak, and skied mellow terrain through aspen groves back to Skyline Drive and the car.
Because of Farmington Road being closed all winter, there is a very short window to get up there for spring skiing. But the zone is worth the wait. Mini cliffs and chutes, bowls and headwalls of corn, and huge views of the Great Salt Lake make Farmington Canyon a spring-skiing tradition.
Get it when you can.
How long did it take to get to Bountiful Peak?
About 2 hours. It’s 2 miles from the road to the base of the summit cliffs.