Sunday, April 24th was Alta’s last day of the ’09/’10 season. As always, the end of another ski season and the beginning of spring was marked by the High Boy party at the top of High Rustler. This year, there were two High Boy parties, one the weekend before on the 18th, mostly initiated by…
Tag: Skiing
Snowbird 2010 spring skiing schedule
As is the case every year, Snowbird will once again have the longest ski season in Utah. After the weekend of April 24th and 25th, the ‘Bird will be the only ski resort in operation. That, however, does not mean that the mountain will be fully open. Restaurant, lift and ski run closures will take…
Ski the backcountry at Thomas Fork in Neffs Canyon
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 are…
Solitude scales back Silver Fork proposal
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 to…
Rossignol Voodoo BC90 skis, welcome to the family
Farewell Solomon Xtremes. Good bye to your squirrely ways, your old school edges, your narrow underfoot. I will not cry for you for you’ve served me well. Maybe I’ll pull you out during the early season when there’s not much snow coverage but I’m not going to make any promises. Please be kind to the…
Ski the backcountry at Powder Park
Powder Park is one of those Utah places with a name that just rings with images of tall pines, wide valleys and deep powder. All of the above is true, but it takes a lot of work (or money) to get there. The work part means it’s a fairly long skin to get there, especially…
Skiing the backcountry in Willow Heights
Willow Heights or “the Willows,” is a backcountry ski area across the highway from Solitude Mountain Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon. It’s a lesser known but awesome place for either a short tour or all day yo-yo fest. Open, low-angle bowls next to steep tree runs covered in well spaced pines is the main course…
Utah skiers celebrate seven feet of snow in seven days
Of course this happens in April. After an extremely dry winter, most skiers and snowboarders had written off the season. Then… BAM! The biggest storm of the 2010 ski season slammed into the Wasatch Front, dumping seven feet of snow in seven days… in April. The week-long storm started small but created consistent snowfall every day. Skiers rejoiced but still hit the resorts…
“Plinko!” A new first descent on the Pfiefferhorn?
“Busy Saturday in the Wasatch backcountry, but we weren’t too worried anybody would be on this particular line.” -Noah Howell The Pfiefferhorn in Little Cottonwood Canyon may be the most recognizable peak in the Wasatch Mountains of Salt Lake. From Snowbird, the view of this pyramid of rock earned it the moniker, “The Little Matterhorn.”…
Ski boot shopping sucks
Trying on ski boots is worse than trying to find a good bra. Seriously. I’ve never been so stressed out while shopping. Buying ski boots isn’t like buying a pair of cheap shoes at the store. They are a hundreds-of-dollars investment that usually should be good for at least 10 years. Okay, maybe not everyone…