2016, by many accounts, has been a bad year. From the… unprecedented presidential election, to natural disasters, and the long list of beloved musicians and actors dying, there’s a lot people want to forget and leave 2016 behind. But as far as outdoor recreation in Utah is concerned, there was much to celebrate. Lots of snow and good skiing in the Wasatch, a mild summer full of mountain bike adventures, and to cap it all off, the creation of the Bears Ears National Monument.
So to look back on 2016 in the outdoors, below is a few lists of the top articles of the year, based on page views.
GEAR OF THE YEAR
1. Mountain Hardwear StretchDown Jacket
By far, the most popular gear article on UtahOutside.com and article in general, was our review of the Mountain Hardwear StretchDown Jacket. This down coat is truly innovative. The welded baffles, coupled with stretchy materials, creates a jacket unlike anything else on the market today. And readers took notice, propelling this review to the top of the heap for 2016. Read the full review…
2. New skis and gear at Outdoor Retailer 2016 All Mountain Demo
From new skis by Black Diamond and Voile, to electric fat bikes and goggles, the new winter gear we featured at the 2016 Outdoor Retailer All Mountain Demo had a ton of interest at the beginning of the year, making this the second most popular gear article of the year. Read more…
3. Diamondback Mason 27.5+ mountain bike review
Plus bikes are the new deal in mountain biking, and reader interest in our review of the Diamondback Mason 27.5+ is proof of that. With wide tires, Boost hub spacing, and a low/slack frame geometry, this bike crushed the singletrack in the Wasatch and impressed us with its capabilities despite no rear suspension. It seems many others were considering a purchase based on how many of you read the review from Google searches. As a result, this is our third-most viewed gear article of the year. Read the full review…
4. New 2016 skis and gear from Black Diamond at Outdoor Retailer
Black Diamond is Utah’s very own high-end ski and apparel company as we are damn proud of that. So it’s no wonder that our sneak peek at new gear coming out from BD at the 2016 Outdoor Retailer Winter Market was our 4th-most viewed gear article of the year. Read more…
5. New Voilé skis for 2016 at Winter Outdoor Retailer
Another popular ski company based right here in Salt Lake City is Voile. At the 2016 Outdoor Retailer Winter Market, we showed off the new skis coming out for the 16/17 ski season ans there was a lot of interest, especially in the SuperCharger skis. Read more…
NEWS/ADVENTURE
1. UDOT to close Little Cottonwood Canyon backcountry on powder days
By far, the number one news article on UtahOutside.com was the story about UDOT’s new backcountry avalanche safety policy in Little Cottonwood Canyon. A premature release of a half-baked idea on the Utah Avalanche Center’s blog about a canyon-wide closure to backcountry skiing on days UDOT is shooting artillery created a huge uproar. Luckily UDOT back off of that idea and released a revised policy, which you can read about here…
2. Bluehouse Skis giving away entire company for free
Ever dream of owning your own ski company? Well 2016 was the year to make the plunge as Salt Lake City’s own Bluehouse Skis closed up shop, but instead of selling the business, they gave it away for free to anyone who was willing to pick up the torch and bring Bluehouse into the future. Obviously, this generated a lot of interest, launching the article to our #2 spot. Read more…
3. Utah’s backcountry ski community mourns Douglas Green
2016 saw tragic avalanche deaths – each one leaving a huge hole in Utah’s backcountry ski community. One of the most high-profile accidents was the death of Douglas Green in January. Green was skiing with another skier on a south-facing run called White Snake on Gobblers Knob. Green was pronounced dead after being evacuated by helicopter to Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City. Read more…
4. Snowbird asks to put ski lifts and zip line in Mary Ellen Gulch
One of the most controversial happenings in Utah’s ski-land is Snowbird’s efforts to expand the resort boundary into Mary Ellen Gulch on the Utah County side of the mountains. Snowbird’s plan is to install two new ski lifts in Mary Ellen Gulch on private property, as well as a year-round zipride tour. Read more…
5. 5 favorite backcountry ski routes in the La Sal Mountains
Backcountry skiing in the La Sal Mountains has been getting a lot of press in 2016. With the opening of the Talking Mountain Yurts, skiing this remote desert range near Moab has never been easier. Our list of top 5 ski tours in the La Sal Mountains was among our most popular articles of the year, which is a good sigh that the backcountry renaissance is underway. Read more…