Cardiff Pass (also known as Pole Line Pass) is located in the backcountry just above Alta on the north side of town. The pass is sandwiched between Cardiff and Flagstaff Peaks, and is easily one of the most crowded backcountry skiing areas in the Wasatch. There are many reasons for Cardiff Pass to be filled…
Category: Backcountry
Utah Avalanche Center hopes to create avalanche app
In the world of smartphones, there’s an app for seemingly everything. And there could soon be an app for saving lives in the backcountry, as the Utah Avalanche Center is applying for a grant to create an app that would unify their website, email, SMS, and social media alerts into a neat open source platform…
Black Diamond Quadrant Alpine Touring Boot review
The Black Diamond Quadrant Alpine Touring Boot has been around for a few years now, and during that time it has proven itself to be a stiff, light, and capable workhorse in the backcountry. Some AT skiers have complaints about fit and the stock liner, but a new version of the Quadrant is being released…
Backcountry skiing Little Water Peak
Little Water Peak is a nondescript summit between Mill Creek and Big Cottonwood Canyons that rises to an elevation of 9605 feet. But what it lacks in stature, it more than makes up for in honest-to-goodness killer backcountry ski lines. North, south, east and west, you can make tracks off the summit of Little Water…
Test your endurance at the 2012 Wasatch Powderkeg
The Wasatch Powderkeg celebrates its 10-year anniversary this year. The 2012 event will once again take place at Brighton Ski Resort and will be held on an 11-mile course with six climbs and 6,000 feet of vertical. Better have your touring legs under you! The 10th annual Wasatch Powderkeg happens on March 10. New to…
Backcountry skiing Short Swing in Big Cottonwood Canyon
There’s a legacy of names scattered around the Wasatch Mountains, known only to long-time backcountry skiers. For newbies exploring off-piste lands, the flood of unofficial names can be hard to keep track of. There are many places to ski in the Cottonwood Canyons, and most of them are not marked on maps or can be…
Watch avalanche videos from Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center
If you ski the backcountry in Utah, then there is something you must do right now. Get on Facebook, and “like” the Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center page. There has been a lot of activity on their wall these days as several videos have been posted showing the extremely weak snowpack we have right…
Backcountry skiing Rocky Point
Backcountry skiing at Rocky Point should really be called “slackcountry skiing” due to its proximity to Alta. A short traverse north from the top of the Supreme Lift takes you to Catherine’s Area and Rocky Point, where in-bounds skiing can be had when ski patrol drops the rope, and backcountry lines spread out in all…
Snowbird announces first ever Sidecountry Camp
In general, skiing has two options: resort and backcountry. But what some skiers may not know is that you can combine the two and ski the “sidecountry.” In essence, when you’re sidecountry skiing, you ride a ski resort’s chairlifts to the top of the mountain, but then ski down out-of-bounds back to the base. It’s…
Look at new ROTAUF MRK5 avalanche marking device
You’ll soon be able to add another avalanche safety device to your arsenal, as new and innovative gear is being invented. Along with the basics like shovel, probe and beacons, we’ve seen innovations like Black Diamond’s Avalung, then air bag packs, and now the ROTAUF MRK5 avalanche marking device. Looking at the ROTAUF MRK5, it’s…