With a winter full of holidays weekends, and therefore ski-resort season pass blackout dates in effect, the only thing bummed-out skiers can do during those downtimes is head to the backcountry. But what if avalanche conditions are too dangerous, or you can’t find an available partner? Then it’s time to go on a ski walk (not to be confused with cross-country skiing.)
What is a Ski Walk?
Simply put, a ski walk is when one uses a full backcountry-touring setup to walk up a closed winter road. Gear overkill for taking a walk is the name of the game. While you could take snowshoes or Nordic skis to navigate a groomed, snowy road, that would require owning those things. For guys like me, who’s winter quiver consists solely of 106mm underfoot rockered skis, climbing skins, and 120-flex touring boots, you use the gear you got.
On a recent ski walk, I headed up a popular Wasatch Mountain road, which was closed for the winter. Grooming machines had layered a flawless corduroy into the snow surface. A perfectly parallel Nordic track off to the side sat empty. On this resort-blacked-out-morning with a high avalanche rating, there wasn’t a single cross-country skier, or even a hiker clomping up in snowshoes. But there were a ton of backcountry skiers, like me, out for a safe walk in the woods.
As I skinned up the road and took in the scenery, I enjoyed how easy it was to walk uphill on a groomed trail, as opposed to breaking trail in waist-deep powder (not that I wouldn’t have rather been breaking trail in waist-deep powder at that moment however). The sunrise cast a pink glow upon the highest peaks. The air was frigid enough to sting my face. But my ski-walking efforts kept me plenty warm. Up the road, ski walkers who had arrived earlier were sliding down and gave a friendly wave. It’s nice to know you’re not alone in a fanatical and perhaps questionable activity. Behind them, dogs bounded along, frenzied faces speckled white with powder snow. I tremendously missed my dog, Lucy, as she used to join me on ski walks long ago.
Further up the canyon, I spied fishing holes in the creek. Perhaps a ski walk could become a multi-sport endeavor. Why not pack a Tenkara rod and some small midge patterns to catch cutthroat trout along the snow-covered stream? I caught an image of myself, making like outdoor “philosopher-king” Yvon Chouinard, catching tiny monsters while simultaneously wearing Patagonia ski pants. Oh how I could pose for a social media post, holding a suffocating fish in one hand with my Voile HyperChargers in the other. #skitofish
At the top of the road, I neared a yurt where the sound of children’s voices billowed out with the wood smoke. Soon, I thought, my boy will be old enough to join me on a ski walk, maybe someday to this same yurt. The idea excited me even more than fly fishing on skis. At that, I ripped my skins as if I were about to descend an untracked powder field, but instead poled and skate-skied my way back down the road. The only thing missing was a snow-crazed dog running behind me.
Where to Ski Walk
In the Wasatch Mountains, there are many places you can go for a ski walk. All you need is a road closed for the winter, and enough snow to cover the asphalt. Some of my favorites include:
- Mill Creek Canyon Road
- SR 65 from Little Dell Reservoir to Big Mountain Pass
- SR 150 (Mirror Lake Highway) in the Uinta Mountains
- Forest Road 33 from Thousand Peaks Ranch to Smith and Morehouse Reservoir
- Guardsman Pass
- Forest Roads above Tibble Fork Reservoir in American Fork Canyon
- The Summer Road at Alta
There are doubtless many more roads to meander around Utah, like Geyer Pass in the La Sal Mountains near Moab, or Forest Road 79 in the Abajo Mountains near Monticello. However you choose to ski walk, don’t forget your safety gear, including your beacon, avalanche shovel and probe. Because even though it seems closed roads are safe, they could be under avalanche paths. Plus it’s not a proper ski walk if you’re not carrying way too much heavy gear.
I do a similar activity down here in Sanpete County with my slightly skinnier Voile skis with Fishscales on the bottom, but I call it gravel grinding on skis or #ggs.