Black Diamond has been killing it with backcountry ski gear in recent years, with a renewed focus and streamlined apparel and ski lines. The winter of 2017/18 looks like it will be no different as a new series of skis, updated touring shells, backcountry-specific gloves, a new touring binding, and an innovative transceiver-connected probe pole…
Tag: backcountry
Mountain Hardwear Dragon Hooded Jacket review
The Mountain Hardwear Dragon Hooded Jacket is described by the company as an “alpine softshell workhorse.” To me, that means this jacket ought to be able to do it all – from skinning up mountains on ski tours, to descending open faces in high winds. It should keep out the elements while remaining breathable, yet…
Update: UDOT to close Little Cottonwood Canyon backcountry on powder days
Update: The full Little Cottonwood Canyon closure policy put forth by UDOT as described below has been revised. The new policy is as follows: The entire north side of Little Cottonwood Canyon from Lisa Falls to Grizzly Gulch will be closed during avalanche control work. However, the closure boundaries will extend an additional 1,000 meters,…
Stio Second Light Alpha Jacket review
The Holy Grail of backcountry ski jackets is the perfect balance between warmth and breathability. Stio may have concocted the secret sauce with their Second Light Alpha Jacket. When ascending in the skin track, body heat red-lines and sweat is inevitable, so the jacket must breathe as heavy as an elephant running a marathon. But…
La Sal Mountains skiing featured in “Sandstone and Snow”
Pro ski athletes tend to spend their winters in exotic, far away mountain ranges like those found in Alaska, British Columbia, or Japan. But Aspen, Colorado-based skier, Colter Hinchliffe, chose the path least traveled (or skinned) by exploring Utah’s comparatively-seldom-skied desert range, the La Sal Mountains of Moab. Of course no athlete goes skiing without…
Get avy savvy at 9th annual Utah Snow and Avalanche Workshop
If you are a backcountry skier in Utah, then you would be advised to attend the annual Utah Snow and Avalanche Workshop, or USAW. In its 9th year, USAW will once again gather the backcountry skiing, riding, snowshoeing and snowmobiling community at the South Towne Expo Center in Sandy for a day of avalanche education….
Luke Hinz aims to ski entire “The Chuting Gallery” in one season
Andrew McLean’s guide book, The Chuting Gallery, is a work found on every Utah backcountry skier’s shelf. In it is a checklist of 90 of the steepest, narrowest, and spiciest ski lines in the Wasatch. Skiing all of them is a massive and brave feat that takes years to accomplish. But one local skier, Luke…
Whisper Ridge opens huge backcountry ski resort in Utah
Utah has a new ski resort opening for the 2016/17 season. No, it’s not the typical ski area with lifts, lodges and restaurants. Instead, Whisper Ridge is a “backcountry resort,” essentially a massive cat and heli-skiing operation that encompasses 110 square miles of mountainous terrain in northern Utah. To say Whisper Ridge is massive would…
Black Diamond Helio 105 ski review
The Black Diamond Helio 105 is a one-quiver kind of ski. Now, lately I’ve not been a fan of the “one-ski-quiver” idea. For me, if it’s a powder day, then I want fat boards with rocker. If it hasn’t snowed in a while, I’ll grab my all-mountain sticks that can carve groomers and bust crud….
Backcountry skiing at the Geyser Pass Yurt
Utah has a brand new yurt system, and it’s in one of the most spectacular mountain ranges in the country – the La Sals of Moab. Just this winter, Talking Mountain Yurts opened their doors to backcountry and nordic skiers (and summer mountain bikers) with two yurts, the Gold Basin Yurt and the Geyser Pass…