The U.S. Forest Service has denied Solitude Mountain Resort’s proposal to expand the ski area boundary on 182 acres in Silver Fork Canyon. According to the Forest Service, the proposal “didn’t comply with federal regulations governing recreation special uses”, and that allowing expansion into “adjacent, highly valued undeveloped areas is not consistent with the 2003…
Tag: Big Cottonwood Canyon
Hike Storm Mountain
The Wasatch Mountains are a peak bagger’s paradise: named and unnamed summits litter the canyons near Salt Lake City, inviting the intrepid to conquer their heights. Mount Olympus presides over valley residents while the mighty Pfeifferhorn lays hidden deep in the Lone Peak Wilderness area. If you’ve hiked, climbed or gazed for any amount of…
“Transformer” a moderate climb on the difficult Static Wall
Transformer is a lesser-known sport climb in the otherwise overcrowded Storm Mountain Area in Big Cottonwood Canyon. Located at the Static Wall, Transformer is a good chance to get away from the crowds lining up to climb the easier routes. There are only three climbs on Static Wall, and unless you are an expert 5.13 climber, then…
Rock climbing in the Wasatch Mountains
Rock climbing in the Wasatch Mountains has a deep history thanks to generations of climbers who pioneered routes on the granite and quartzite in Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons. Every canyon that spills down from the Wasatch into our backyards along the Salt Lake Valley is filled with world-class crags and climbing routes. Pick up…
Ski the backcountry in Silver Fork Canyon
This time of year, it’s strange to be writing about backcountry skiing, but the Wasatch Mountains look more like February than May at the moment. There’s still a lot of snow and backcountry skiing to be had, and Silver Fork Canyon, located next to Solitude Mountain Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon, is always a good…
Late spring skiing in Wolverine Bowl
Wolverine Bowl above Brighton is an upper elevation area where skiers are forced to go in late spring in search of corn snow. This time of year it may seem foolish to drive up the canyon wearing ski pants and jackets while rock climbers and road bikers recreate in the lower parts of Big Cottonwood….
Solitude scales back Silver Fork proposal
Fireworks have already been shot back and forth between Solitude Mountain Resort, backcountry skiers, the US Forest Service and watershed protectors over Solitude’s proposal to expand the ski resort boundaries into Silver Fork Canyon. Now Solitude is backing off their original desire to occupy the entire drainage. The new expansion has been cut back to…
Ski the backcountry at Powder Park
Powder Park is one of those Utah places with a name that just rings with images of tall pines, wide valleys and deep powder. All of the above is true, but it takes a lot of work (or money) to get there. The work part means it’s a fairly long skin to get there, especially…
Skiing the backcountry in Willow Heights
Willow Heights or “the Willows,” is a backcountry ski area across the highway from Solitude Mountain Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon. It’s a lesser known but awesome place for either a short tour or all day yo-yo fest. Open, low-angle bowls next to steep tree runs covered in well spaced pines is the main course…
Utah skiers celebrate seven feet of snow in seven days
Of course this happens in April. After an extremely dry winter, most skiers and snowboarders had written off the season. Then… BAM! The biggest storm of the 2010 ski season slammed into the Wasatch Front, dumping seven feet of snow in seven days… in April. The week-long storm started small but created consistent snowfall every day. Skiers rejoiced but still hit the resorts…