Utah backcountry skiers are chomping at the bit. Before ski resorts open, most skin up Alta and Snowbird to get pre-season turns. But with Alta shutting off all uphill traffic on Sunday for opening-day preparations, the bounty of in-bounds skiing and riding was shut off. With a big storm that dropped over a foot of snow in the Wasatch, powder awaited. But terrain options were limited quite severely as Catherine Pass was the only high-elevation area with enough snow and moderate runs to have a good early-season tour. Needless to say, Catherine Pass became Catherine Highway.
Luckily for our group, the Niños Jugando, we got there early. Sean had the insane idea of meeting at 5am at the LCC park and ride. Despite complaints of a dawn patrol tour on Sunday morning, we gathered at the lot, bleary-eyed and full of caffeine, to make the drive to the Albion gate. Upon arrival, we saw that nobody was there save for a giant snow machine clearing the road of snow. We geared up by headlamp and skinned up the Albion Road by the light of the fading moon.
Halfway up what is Catherine Pass Trail in the summer, the sun began its slow crest of the mountains. Purple light illuminated the peaks that surrounded us. Devil’s Castle, Sugarloaf, Baldy and Superior all greeted us like old friends as we welcomed the return of winter. Damn it felt good to have skis on my feet once again. Despite frequent stops for photos of the dramatic sunrise, we made good time to the pass. But suddenly we weren’t alone as we heard voices in the woods behind us. The competition had arrived.
By the time we crested Rocky Point, two other touring parties converged with our own. Seeking fresh tracks, we traversed to Point Supreme, then made a run down the low-angle meadow below. The snow was deceptively thick, and after a few turns my right ski tip submerged in under the weight, causing a face plant and ejection. Welcome back to ski season.
After retrieving my ski, we linked powder pillows to the bottom and quickly started up for a second lap. Halfway up, Sean and Justin stopped to dig a pit, so I continued up to meet with Brian. Once reunited, we skied down to the tree line and to our horror, witnessed the Catherine Highway. In just under 20 minutes, a two-dozen people were skinning up our descent route. The crowd was so thick, we couldn’t even see Justin and Sean. Careful not to hit anyone, we skied down to the pit and decided it was time to get the hell out of there.
But descending back to the car showed how many people were on their way up. Hundreds. Sure that Catherine’s would be tracked out by noon, we thanked Sean for his 5am foresight, which allowed us first tracks on what may be the busiest day at Catherine Pass all year.
Back at the lot, even more skiers were arriving. Cars lined both sides of the road, alpine skiers started bootpacking up with skis on their packs, and mini beer-parties erupted on tailgates. We even saw a fight almost break out over a disputed parking spot near the winter gate – prime real estate for sure. An hour later, texts from the Utah Avalanche Center told of avalanches on Rocky Point (luckily nobody was hurt.) It was one hell of a way for the backcountry season to start, and a valuable lesson was learned – in a mountain range next to a million people, many of whom are die hard skiers, the early-bird most definitely gets the worm. You just need to drink lots of caffeine.