Spring is probably my favorite time of year to ski. The snowpack is deep, the spring storms come in big and heavy, the days are warm, the sun shines bright, corn snow is massively fun to ski on, and every day feels like a party. The beer flows on lodge decks, heavy jackets come off…
Category: Skiing
Oquirrh spring skiing on Lowe Peak
The Oquirrh Mountains, Salt Lake City’s “other” range on the west side of the city, is like the redheaded stepchild that gets no love compared to the Wasatch. But despite the range’s confusing access because of an obscene amount of private property, and very little in the way of developed trail heads and general information,…
Backcountry skiing Lone Peak
Lone Peak is one of those iconic, Wasatch mountains that just begs to be skied. If you look at her from the south as she rises high above the town of Alpine, gigantic ramps of south-facing slopes call out. Every time I drove north from Utah County in the winter, I would promise myself to…
Atomic 2015 Bent Chetler ski review
The Atomic Bent Chetler has been around for a few years. So why write a review about it now? Because the new, 2015 model is basically an entirely different ski. This will be the 6th version of the iconic pro-model ski from Atomic athlete Chris Bentchetler. So what makes the new Bent Chetler so different?…
Critical response to One Wasatch interconnect plan
After Ski Utah’s big announcement of the One Wasatch interconnect plan that would make it possible to ski from Deer Valley to Snowbird on one lift ticket drew praise on the one hand, and critical ire on the other. Among the organizations that came out in opposition to the plan are Save Our Canyons and…
One Wasatch to connect 7 Utah ski resorts
Ski Utah and all seven Wasatch ski resorts dropped a big announcement that may well push the long-talked about Interconnect into reality. One Wasatch is a new idea that will connect all the Central Wasatch resorts from Deer Valley in Park City to Snowbird in Little Cottonwood Canyon. The combination of joining these resorts means…
Backcountry 101 Class at Brighton Resort
Shhh…come closer, I have to admit something terrible to you: I’m not a backcountry snowboarder. I know, I know…the horror! I have been in Utah for nine amazing winters, and before this season have rarely strayed from the boundaries of our fantastic resorts. Impossible, right? I assure you it is all true. However, I decided…
Backcountry skiing Box Elder Peak
Years ago, on a mission to ski/rappel down the Northwest Couloir of The Pfeifferhorn, I first laid eyes on Box Elder Peak. After a long ascent up Red Pine Canyon in Little Cottonwood, my touring partners and I crested the ridge above Dry creek Canyon, and beheld I sight I didn’t know existed. If you’ve…
The Snowbird Freeride World Tour comp that almost wasn’t
During the throws of a powerful winter storm in March, the top riders from around the globe gathered in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah to test their might against the formidable steeps of Little Cottonwood Canyon. After an abysmal snow year in the Sierras, the fourth stop of the Swatch Freeride World Tour by The…
Backcountry skiing from the Castle Peak Yurt
Utah has dozens of mountain yurts, and I’ve stayed at many of them. From the Snorkeling Elk Yurt in the Tushar Mountains, to the Steam Mill Yurt in the Bear Rivers, I’ve sampled both the good and bad in terrain and yurt amenities. But my favorite yurt of all, by far, is the Castle Peak…