Winter has arrived in Utah, and it slammed the Wasatch Mountain full bore. Over the course of three days, a late October storm dumped around 45 inches of snow at Alta. Of course the expected result is a mad rush of backcountry skiers in Little Cottonwood Canyon to make early season turns on blissfully...
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You can almost smell winter in the air when Utah Avalanche Center Fundraisers are on the horizon. In fact, the big party at the Black Diamond Store in Salt Lake City is on September 16th, and tickets are on sale right now. Like every year, the Utah Avalanche Center depends on backcountry users to...
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A sure sign that ski season fast approaches is when ski-movie trailers start coming out to tease us with rapid-fire images of deep powder, cliff jumps and winter debauchery set to a rocking soundtrack. Like clockwork, Utah’s own Powderwhore Productions just released the preview of their 6th movie, “TeleVision.” Like all ski films, the...
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It’s so hot in Utah right now that skiing isn’t even close to being conceivable. But colder weather is on the minds of skiers and snowboarders, and winter will be here before we know it. Ski Utah knows this future to be true, and will start celebrating the upcoming snowfall with a 100 day countdown to...
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The U.S. Forest Service has denied Solitude Mountain Resort’s proposal to expand the ski area boundary on 182 acres in Silver Fork Canyon. According to the Forest Service, the proposal “didn’t comply with federal regulations governing recreation special uses”, and that allowing expansion into “adjacent, highly valued undeveloped areas is not consistent with the...
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The Pfeifferhorn’s Northwest Couloir is a classic ski descent in Utah’s Wasatch Range. The line is located on one of the most iconic mountains in northern Utah and begins right from the top of the peak where it falls into a 50-degree chute that constricts to a 50-foot ice cliff that must be rappelled...
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This time of year, it’s strange to be writing about backcountry skiing, but the Wasatch Mountains look more like February than May at the moment. There’s still a lot of snow and backcountry skiing to be had, and Silver Fork Canyon, located next to Solitude Mountain Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon, is always a...
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Wolverine Bowl above Brighton is an upper elevation area where skiers are forced to go in late spring in search of corn snow. This time of year it may seem foolish to drive up the canyon wearing ski pants and jackets while rock climbers and road bikers recreate in the lower parts of Big...
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Backcountry skiing on the Wasatch Front can sometimes feel like you’re competing for turns during a powder day at a resort. Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons have become so popular that it’s a miracle to go on a tour and not see another ski party. But if solitude is what you seek, then there...
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Fireworks have already been shot back and forth between Solitude Mountain Resort, backcountry skiers, the US Forest Service and watershed protectors over Solitude’s proposal to expand the ski resort boundaries into Silver Fork Canyon. Now Solitude is backing off their original desire to occupy the entire drainage. The new expansion has been cut back...
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