Every winter, ski resorts pray for enough snow to be able to open before their competitors. Whether it’s for promotional purposes, to please hardcore skiers who are chomping at the bit, or just for bragging rights, saying you were able to open for business before any other ski mountain is a feather in a resort’s cap.
Author: Jared Hargrave
New Wasatch Canyons Master Plan may limit recreation use
The canyons of the Wasatch Mountains may look a bit different in the years to come as new land-use policies are being drafted to replace the Salt Lake County 1989 Wasatch Canyons Master Plan. The plan essentially is the Bible for how we use the land in City Creek, Emigration, Red Butte, Parley’s. Mill Creek, Big Cottonwood and Little Cottonwood Canyons.
Mountain biking the Great Salt Lake’s Antelope Island (video)
Mountain biking on Antelope Island is like riding on another planet. The strange landscape, covered in rocks over a billion years old, surrounded by a dead, salt filled lake, is an other-worldly place to pedal a bike. This fact alone is reason enough to make the drive to the Great Salt Lake and explore Antelope Island by bike.
Re-educate at Utah Snow and Avalanche Workshop
A good way to re-educate is to attend events that benefit the Utah Avalanche Center, which is the non-profit organization that works hard to save lives in Utah’s backcountry. They analyze the snow pack on a daily basis and report their findings to the masses so we can all make informed decisions before entering avalanche terrain. However, one problem Utah Avalanche Center faces is they are always operating on the financial edge, so fund-raising events are critical. In order to keep their heads above the fiscal snowpack, they have to rely on fundraising events throughout the year.
Pearl Izumi X-Alp Enduro bike shoes review
My search for mountain bike shoes that are tight yet comfortable is at an end. The Pearl Izumi X-Alp Enduro bike shoes have everything I wanted for cruising the trails of Utah. Stiff plates for rigidity while pedaling? Check. Lightweight? Check. Breathable? Check. Deep soles for easy walking? Check. A way to ratchet down the straps for that extra-tight fit? Check.
Celebrate Halloween at the Moab Ho-Down Bike Festival
You can celebrate Halloween a bit different this year at the 4th Annual Moab Ho Down Mountain Bike Festival. It takes place (of course) on Halloween weekend from October 30 to November 1. One of the original fat tire festivals in town, the Moab Ho Down has evolved over the years and now combines the costume parties of Halloween with mountain biking events in Utah’s slickrock country.
Mountain biking to Hole in the Rock
The Hole-in-the-Rock Road near Escalante, Utah, is the route used in 1879 by Mormon pioneers on the way to settle the Four Corners region. Huge cliffs descending to the Colorado River blocked the way, so they blasted a slot through the rock where wagons could be lowered 1,000 feet down the the canyon bottom. This passage was named Hole-in-the-Rock, and evidence of the incredible event still remains. Lake Powell now occupies the bottom of the canyon where much of this accomplishment took place, but the road still exists and can be traveled year round by vehicle and by bike.
Utah skeleton is not Everett Ruess
Outdoor enthusiasts and history buffs alike were astonished last spring when the remains of Everett Ruess were found. DNA tests revealed that the skeleton found in a grave on Utah’s Comb Ridge belonged to the vagabond writer, which solved a decades-long mystery. But the University of Colorado at Boulder issued a press release on Wednesday, October 21, revealing the test results were incorrect.
Rock climbing Castleton Tower’s North Chimney
Castleton Tower is a place that is one of the “must climbs” of the country. It’s a perfect sandstone tower right out of a Roadrunner cartoon that rises up from the desert floor near Moab. Spring is a good time to go and tackle the tower as mild temperatures keep the climb comfortable, especially while ascending the North Chimney route.
Canyoneering in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument
When it comes to outdoor adventure in Southern Utah, there is nothing quite like canyoneering through a sandstone slot. Canyoneering gets you down into the earth, where you are forced to touch and interact with the rock, sand and water. Canyoneering is dirty, wet, sometimes dangerous,