At the 2013 Outdoor Retailer All Mountain Demo, we got to try out a pair of the much coveted Salomon Rocker2 108 skis. For 2013/14, the skis will remain the same expect for new topsheet graphics. Despite the lack of changes to the line next season, I was excited to click my boots into a pair and take them for a ride at Solitude. Conditions were a bit grim for a powder-loving, backcountry skier like myself, but they were perfect for racer-types and groomer-heads. As such, the snow was a true test of what the Salomon Rocker 2 108s...
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So many skis, so little time. The Outdoor Retailer All Mountain Demo is an orgy of new skis, boots, and other winter gear all in one place – at Solitude Mountain Resort. With so many options, I made sure to ski the planks I most wanted to try, and the Voile Buster skis were at the top of my list. The Buster skis came out this season, and they will return for 2013/14. According to Voile, the Buster is based on the old Drifter ski design, and they effectively replace that model. The Buster is more slim, with a...
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In Utah, you must be prepared for any weather. ISIS has the perfect jacket for any mountain town woman. (And if you’re looking for something to buy with money you got for the holidays…here it is.) The Park City Jacket is perfect on its own or layered with a puffy vest underneath. This modern day pea coat is a flattering cut for any size. It can look dressy with a cute scarf or be worn while walking the dogs. For me, the sign of a good jacket is one that repels water and dog fur doesn’t get stuck in...
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Wow, it has been a while since my last post. In the world of a ski patroller, days blend into weeks and weeks into over a month. The storms piled up the snow in December and we finished off with just about 100 inches of the white stuff. During that time I feel that I had some of the more formative experiences of my career. From personal education, to the education of others, the last several weeks have been nothing short of entertaining. The holidays brought storms and crowds, and now that the New Year has sprung, glorious opportunities...
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One of the greatest joys of being a backcountry skier is staying at a yurt or hut high in the mountains. While Utah doesn’t have a fancy hut-to-hut system like Colorado’s 10th Mountain Division huts, what we do have are quaint, small, and cozy yurts that are every bit as capable of getting us to the goods as a log, multi-story cabin. The Bunchgrass Yurt, located in the Bear River Range of far northern Utah, is one such yurt. We visited the Bunchgrass Yurt the first week of January, about a week after the last big storm. Temperatures were...
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With record-breaking cold temperatures putting Utah in a deep freeze this winter, camping is about the last thing anyone wants to do. But if you are an outdoor adventurer who laughs in the face of winter’s chill, then you’re going to need a warm sleeping bag. High Peak USA has a line of high quality, inexpensive mummy bags called the Alpinizmo Latitude. They come in three temperature ratings (20, 0, and -5.) I’ve been using the -5 version for a few months now on backcountry ski trips around the state, and found the bag to be very warm in...
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Alite Designs, a small company based in San Francisco, makes all kinds of unique and cool goodies. You may remember the Mayfly and Mantis camp chairs and Twig Pod Kits that we featured at the last Summer Outdoor Retailer (refresh your memory here.) So we’re pleased to be able to give their Clover Cook Set away to our readers! The Clover Cook Set is essentially three utensils in one that are perfect for taking out on backpacking or camping trips. First, you have a large spoon for stirring up stew or dishing out camp oatmeal. Second, there’s a spatula...
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Lake effect snow is a wonderful thing. We all know storms tracking across the Great Salt Lake soak up all that warm, salty water and puke it over the Cottonwood Canyons. But sometimes, once in a great while, a strange storm makes all that snow fall in the valley, and the foothills above downtown Salt Lake City get completely buried in feet upon feet of light, fluffy powder. The weekend saw one of those storms, and for once, skiers left the likes of Alta and Snowbird and drove down the canyon to ski powder in town. The foothills above...
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Skiing for charity – can there be a better combo? One way you can ski for a good cause is at the 6th annual Bob’s Vertical Challenge at Snowbasin. This year, Ski Utah has teamed up with Bob’s Vertical Challenge to help promote the event, which takes place on Tuesday, February 26th. Brandon Ott with Ski Utah is working with Northern Utah’s premier winter charity event to make this year’s Vertical Challenge their most successful ever by bringing The Yeti along. As with each of the previous five Vertical Challenges, all proceeds from the event go directly to ScoutReach,...
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Our traveling backcountry road tour recently brought us to the “other” mountain range of the Salt Lake Valley – the Oquirrh Mountains. After years of looking at these peaks every day and wondering what it would be like to ski them, Adam and I decided to stop the wondering and find out. We started the tour from the tiny town of Ophir, a former mining community that is now a sleepy burg surrounded by cliffs and the white-capped peaks of the southern Oquirrhs. We drove through the main street, amused by signs admonishing us that quiet time starts at...
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If you’ve ever wanted to learn to kayak, 2013 is shaping up to be a prime year. A good winter of skiing like this is sure to bring a decent spring runoff for paddling. And fortunately for you, there are plenty of opportunities in Utah to learn the ins and outs of whitewater kayaking. Rapid Progression Kayak School Rapid Progression Kayak School is Utah’s only remaining paddling school, lead by Andy Thunell. The classes cover everything you need to learn to get started: how to paddle efficiently, roll a kayak, and maneuver down a river. Throw in the occasional...
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