Sometimes the urge to go skiing becomes so overwhelming, that you’re willing to do just about anything to carve a few turns – including hike over 3,000 feet just to get to a sliver of snow. Well, our crew of Justin Lozier, Sean Zimmerman-Wall, Ben Napolitano, and myself did just that when we skied the…
Tag: backcountry skiing
Backcountry skiing Cardiff Pass
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…
Outdoor Research Credo Softshell Jacket review
The holy grail of softshell jackets is a combination of two basic things – water resistance and breathability. Some jackets have one or the other, but it’s rare to find one that balances both perfectly. The Outdoor Research Credo Jacket is a softshell that looks and feels like it’s up to the task, and we…
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…
Snowbird Coaster and Wasatch Canyon development full speed ahead
Ski resort development in the Wasatch Mountains has been a controversial issue this year, with proposed projects like the Snowbird Roller Coaster and SkiLink Gondola setting off a firestorm of anti-development skiers clashing with resort owners. In recent weeks, many of these proposals to expand the reach of ski areas into the Wasatch backcountry have…
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…
Salomon Quest 30 Pack review
Salomon has been hitting it hard these days with their release of backcountry ski gear like the Quest 12 boots, Guardian bindings and also the Quest 30 backcountry pack. I’ve been hauling my gear on ski tours in the Wasatch with the Quest 30 on my back for the past month, and like all of…
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…