Sometimes backcountry skiers have to get away from the crowds, even outside the ski resorts. Head up a skin track in Little Cottonwood Canyon on a sunny Saturday, and you’ll discover why the Wasatch has earned the moniker, “Wasangeles.” Luckily, there are still less-traveled areas where good backcountry skiing can be found without elbowing the hordes, and Lambs Canyon is among them.
Lambs Canyon is a side drainage in Upper Parley’s Canyon, and is easily reached right off an exit from I-80. Almost two miles up Lambs Canyon Road is a pullout with a bathroom where the trail to the pass between Lambs and Mill Creek Canyon is found. This summer trail that heads through an old pine forest climbs south, and is the primary way to get to the skiing goods in Lambs.
Excellent skiing can be found all over the north, east and west-facing flanks of the ridges that surround the trail. Each place offers perfectly spaced trees composed of aspen and pine groves that are well protected from wind and sun. An especially good tour can be found in the fir trees on the east side of the canyon on the flanks of Millvue Peak. To get there, leave the main skin track at the bottom and bear left through the forest where a long climb tops out on the ridge that continues to the top of the mountain, which really does provide a great view of Mill Creek Canyon.
From the top of Millvue Peak, to the saddle of Lambs Canyon Pass, the ski down is long, steep, and without other people. Several mini-ridges and small half-pipes converge in the trees, where you can enjoy playful skiing on natural features. Once back at the bottom, you can skin up for more, or head back to the car via the skin track. Watch your speed though, because the lack of other skiers is made up in spades by people tromping up in showshoes.
As always, bring a beacon, probe, shovel and a buddy when venturing into the backcountry, and go with a knowledge of avalanche safety. Upper Lambs Canyon and Millvue Peak is in dangerous avalanche terrain and can be deadly during unstable snowpack conditions. Check the Utah Avalanche Center’s daily report before heading out.
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