The best laid plans can sometimes be laid to waste, especially when it comes to travel in the mountains. Such was the case on a recent trip to backcountry ski Mount Timpanogos, where my objective, along with Mike D, was to ski the famed East Ridge. Warm, spring-like temps, along with lots of recent sun, started a mini corn-cycle in the Wasatch, so we figured it was a good time to knock on Mother Timp’s door despite it being a bit early in the season for turns on her massive slopes… we were wrong. The day’s forecast called for...
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The Mountain Collective, a collection of ski resorts around the western U.S. and Canada, has added several new resorts to the mix including Whistler/Blackcomb, Mammoth Mountain and Utah’s own Snowbird. This is big news because buying the Mountain Collective pass lets you ski a ton of resorts for half the price. With the Mountain Collective Pass, you get two days of skiing at 8 locations. In addition, once all your passes are used, you get unlimited 50% off day passes at all of them for the rest of the season. Also, pass holders get 25% off lodging.  Even with...
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Selecting the perfect down jacket for all of your outdoor adventures can be a daunting task. Considerations like down rating, loft, warmth, packability and, of course, style must all be factored in. You can surely find a coat that meets all of those qualifications, but why not take it a step further and also add in the latest in outdoor tech: DriDown. The Tov jacket by Sierra Designs may be one of the only coats out there that can boast such an impressive checklist of features, but is it just a bunch of tough talk? I set out to...
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If you’ve never tried an obstacle course before, the whole premise that people pay to crawl through mud and jump over fire can be hard to wrap your head around. But obstacle course racing has become a permanent fixture in endurance sports in the last few years. This year event companies will rake in about 250 million in profits and more than two million people will sign up to participate in over 400 events worldwide. \ Utah will host at least six of those events in 2013 that will attract hardcore athletes, weekend warriors and even some couch potatoes....
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The tiny house tour is exactly what it sounds like. Three backcountry skiers load up in a mobile log cabin and travel around the mountains of the west in search of fresh snow. It’s all sponsored by Outdoor Research, and the company’s ambassadors Zack Giffin, Molly Baker and Neil Provo are chasing storms and looking for skiers and snowboarders to add to the OR roster of Skiing and Snowboarding Grassroots Athletes. In the latest episode (#3) the tiny house arrives in Utah, which is why it’s this week’s featured Friday Video. The gang hooks up with Trent Meisenheimer of...
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Water drops landed on my face and woke me up from a deep sleep filled with dreams of skiing in a rain storm. Confused, I wiped my face and sat up in my sleeping bag to make sure I was still inside the Snorkeling Elk Yurt, located in Utah’s Tushar Mountains. Earlier that night my slumber was interrupted by the sound of “roofalanches” sliding off the yurt’s peaked, fabric top as six inches of snow fell in the evening. That sound cracked a smile and got me out of the warm confines of my sleeping bag to get ready...
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Whether you are breaking trail in fresh snow, negotiating nasty talus fields, or simply plodding along the trail with your backpack, balance is critical. Trekking poles are a no-brainer if you are looking to stay balanced on the trail while relieving pressure from your knees and lower back. MSR makes a full line of poles for all types of activities, and at the top of the pile are the Surelock TR-3s. Designed with ease of use and maximum versatility in mind, the TR-3 poles may be an appealing choice to hikers of all skill levels. I used the testing...
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The perfect insulated vacuum bottle for backcountry skiing has been difficult to find these days, as some don’t keep my coffee hot long enough, while others have leaked. We’ve been testing out the Innate Kaze Modular Vacuum Bottle ever since we picked one up at Outdoor Retailer in January, and so far it’s been an awesome travel companion. What’s also really cool, and has a Utah spin, is that Innate has special Utah Avalanche Center versions for sale that benefit avalanche forecasting and education in Utah. More on that later, but first, the specs: Double wall vacuum construction made...
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For years we’ve intended on featuring fly fishing articles on UtahOutside.com, but it’s been a challenge to find writers who not only write, but are avid fly fishermen (or women) in Utah. So it’s with great relish that we bring you this week’s Friday Video, titled “Fly Fishing the Weber River.” This clip comes from the KSL Outdoors Show. Full disclosure: I work at KSL as a videographer and shot this fly fishing episode. So, of course, this is the best episode ever. The episode features access issues on the Weber, and how a new program is allowing anglers...
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Backcountry skiing in the Wasatch just got a bit easier. Snowbird just announced that they are now offering guided snowcat ski tours, called “Snowcat Skiing for Nature.” Why? Because proceeds from the operation will go to benefit the Cottonwood Canyons Foundation. It’s the first time since Mineral Basin was brought into Snowbird’s boundaries that they’ve had snowcat skiing. Here’s the full press release from Snowbird about the operation: Snowbird, UT – For the first time since Mineral Basin opened in 2000, Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort is offering a guided, backcountry cat skiing experience, called Snowcat Skiing for Nature...
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Utah was blessed with some of the deepest snowfall of the season over the last weekend of February, when Snowbasin got buried in 26 inches in two days. After pigging out on powder Sunday, Adam and I headed north on Monday in search of backcountry turns untouched by the masses on Logan Peak in Dry Canyon. Originally, we considered the Wellsville Mountains, but that same deep snowfall made the dirt road to the trailhead impassable. So we u-turned across the Cache Valley to Logan and made our way up through a ritzy neighborhood to the mouth of Dry Canyon....
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