A big, cold, all-too-anticipated winter storm arrived in Utah over the weekend. Judging by the crowds at Wasatch resorts and in the backcountry, you’d have thought it hadn’t snowed in a year. Well, actually that’s not too far from the truth. The result is every close-to-the-road open face on every aspect we could see was tracked out in two days.
Backcountry Conditions report from Bear Trap Fork
To find untracked lines, Eric Ghanem and I skinned up Bear Trap Fork in Big Cottonwood Canyon. Yes, you can laugh because Bear Trap is probably the last place to go in search of fresh powder. That place gets dominated by skiers coming over from the 9990 lift at Park City Resort. But I know a few out-of-the-way pow stashes. While there were a couple tracks in my “secret” spots, we did find excellent turns.
The new snow is blower. Cold temperatures and overcast skies kept the powder light and fluffy despite falling way back on Saturday. Even sun-exposed aspects still had good powder skiing. In the trees, you still have to be careful about logs, as they are now covered enough that you can’t see them, but not enough that you won’t hit them. The worst thing that can happen is getting a ski caught under a log while skiing down at speed.
To my surprise (but not really surprised these days) was how many touring parties were out and about on a Monday morning. Skiers are definitely getting after it thanks to the new snow. What is it the Utah Avalanche Center says about scarcity? I’m shocked there haven’t been more avalanche accidents this weekend.
The exit out of Bear Trap was thin, with many rocks, logs, and small trees to negotiate around. The last storm sure made the backcountry feel a bit more like a typical Wasatch winter, but we have a long way to go before the objects that should be buried get BURIED.