Utah Trip Last Week

tirolerpeter · Dec 13, 2004, 7:33 PM

Salt Lake

Did the JET BLUE thing to SLC ($309 round trip for BOTH) with my buddy on Monday (12/6). Got to ALTA around 9:30 AM Tuesday and it was already snowing hard. By about 2:00 PM there was at least 12 inches on the ground and the drifts were about waist deep. Got lost (visibility about 50 feet) and skied into a gully. Caught a tail on a bump, flipped head over heels backward, went head first into the snow. Nearly "drowned" when I started aspirating snow. Luckily I had lost one ski and managed to backstroke back to the surface. Very scary stuff! By Wednesday AM the snow total was 29" inches at SNOWBIRD. We were literally waist deep in the trees! It was an awesome feeling for us "Easterners." Wind was so intense they never opened the Tram. Took the chair (which ends on the same ridge line as the Tram) and got dropped off into a "white hell." The only direction we were sure of was down. Couldn't see the ground, and every so often the wind simply blew me over. About 300 feet lower, the wind started to blow over us, and we actually were able to really ski again. Finished out the day on the lower lifts and areas. Snow kept coming and we got better and better in the powder. It was literally ski fast, or sink! We took Thursday off as planned. We needed the rest, and nursed our wounds. It amazed us that down in Salt Lake, it was in the 40's and simply raining lightly. Since it also kept snowing all day Thursday, we decided we had to get some "Fat Boys" for the next two days. On Friday we went to Brighton. It was GLORIOUS! The sun had come out, the temps were in the 40's, and the three-day fresh snow total was about 49 inches (on top of a mid mountain snow pack that was already at 75 inches). The powder boards I had rented made my day. I felt like I could fly. They have very little side cut, and you just have to go back to a more traditional style of turning with more emphasis on weighting and unweighting. We were giddy, whooping and yelling as we careened down the steeps (If you haven't experienced it, a Utah Double Black is something to behold!) In no time at all, we were in the trees. I now understand why there are tracks through and between anything wide enough for a human body to fit through. Also, some of the locals were jumping off ridiculous heights. From one of the lifts, we saw a local do at least a 60-foot jump and ski right out of his landing. It was like being in the middle of a Warren Miller Movie. You can (and people do) ski anything that is "inbounds." Trails exist, but only for the tourists. Due to the snow totals and the consequent avalanche danger the "back country gates" were closed. Of course, a couple of bozos didn't listen, and got caught in an avalanche in an area between BRIGHTON and SOLITUDE. Even though his buddy found him, and dug him out, one of the guys didn't make it. We watched the rescue chopper from one of the lifts as we rode up. The entire Big and Little Cottonwood Canyon region sounded like a war zone from the guns and charges they were tossing to break loose the dangers cornices and overloaded slopes. In some cases, the patrol guys just rode up the lift chairs and tossed timed charges into the snow pack as they moved. Brighton has night skiing and they even have lights on some of the steepest slopes and bowls, so we skied until about 6:30 PM. On Saturday we made a bad mistake. Unknown to us, SNOWBIRD had apparently had some sort of "fill up at Sinclair 4 times, and get a Two For One Ticket." Add the incredible amount of snow to beautiful weather, and a lot of people show up. We went back to SNOWBIRD because we hadn't skied Mineral Basin due to the closures on Wednesday. We finally found some lifts that had little or no lines, and still managed to exhaust ourselves by 4 PM. We later spoke with some people who had gone to Solitude, and they had never had a line. Oh well, 3 out of 4 ain't bad. We then went back to our hotel in town, soaked in the hot tub for about a half hour, showered, went to dinner, and then took the “Red-eye” home at midnight. Landed back in “reality” at 5:45 AM and found ourselves home. Needless to say, we are plotting furiously on doing it again. It’s easy for me since I am retired, but my buddy works, and has a fiancé to deal with. I guess I’ll have to find a new “Buddy,” because you just don’t ski in locations and conditions like that by yourself.

salida · Dec 13, 2004, 7:57 PM

damn im jealous

Dec 14, 2004, 6:45 AM

The Weather channel reported another death due to an avalanche in the Little Cottonwood, too. When I was a ski salesman we used to debate a lot about what was the best ski for powder. There was wide disagreement. An interesting fact about powder: Colorado receives less than Utah, but it is lighter. Alta being the highest elevation receives the most and lightest powder in the Wasatch. A long time ago an Avalanche took out one of their chairs so some of their best powder is accessible only through traverses from other chairs. Back 20 or 30 years ago an avalanche in the Tahoe area not only took out lifts but also collapsed a lodge full of people.

Dec 14, 2004, 7:05 AM

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Nearly "drowned" when I started aspirating snow.

Been There.

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Luckily I had lost one ski and managed to backstroke back to the surface. Very scary stuff!

Done that. Did you recover your ski? My first experience losing a ski, It took me a half hour to find it. I went to a leash after that, but now I own things called powder cords which I haven't used yet.

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We were literally waist deep in the trees!

I don't remember it ever being anything but waist deep in the trees in the Wasatch. I've been out in the little cottonwood on snowshoes because I would sink over my head with skiis.

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Wind was so intense they never opened the Tram. Took the chair (which ends on the same ridge line as the Tram) and got dropped off into a "white hell."

My first experience there was not a pleasant one as I was wearing Jeans and did not have a good knitted wrist on my gloves. The jeans got wet , the snow got into my cuff and I froze on the chair as the wind howled at me in spite. By the way that lodge that was taken out by an avalanche in California was full of people, the chair was operating, I believe, and there were skiers milling around outside. It doesn't compare, however, with the avalanches that took out a village I have visited in Austria a few years ago.

tirolerpeter · Dec 14, 2004, 8:13 AM

Yes beswift I did recover my ski. In fact, I had to use my skiis to work my way out of the gully. After I calmed down from the initial "near drowning" I popped off the ski I still had on and "dog paddled" with it to the other one (that fortunately had a tip still exposed) then used them both to make "steps" to get back to the ridge line. I was once in a class at Vail when an instructor who was demonstrating a technique that we were supposed to imitate suddenly veered toward the side of a trail. He had spotted someone down in a ravine wrapped around a tree. We used the skiis from eight people to build a "stairway" for the poor guy, and then passed him up out of the hole. As the instructor came up, he handed up each of our skiis in turn. While the wind at the top of SNOWBIRD was really intense, the temps were in the 20's and I have an excellent powder suit, gloves, and a full helmet that just totally protect me from the elements. I also was using a hood that covered my face. When I first got the hood a couple of years ago I experienced a bit of goggle fogging, but soon figured out that if I cut a "mouth hole" that I could exhale through (looks really gross when I stick out my tongue!) without a problem. Actually, at that altitude I am mouth breathing anyway. Gotta add one more thing. I bought a "Skier"s Edge" machine about seven weeks ago, and hammered it daily until our trip. I have NEVER started a season in better aerobic and or muscular tone than this one. I have always had little quad trouble because I ski well forward. Powder however, does often push you back on your skiis, especially, if you are not using powder boards. The conditioning program on the machine made quad usage a breeze with no "burn" until very late in the day, and four days of skiing without any post trip muscle affect. It also has improved my balance beyond belief. Sorry about the testimonial, but I really am glad I bought that toy. Think snow in New England!!! I will be doing a two-day run to either SNOW or KILLINGTON next week.

tirolerpeter · Dec 14, 2004, 8:15 AM

Hey salida looked at your scrap book. Do you always let the girls go on top?

salida · Dec 14, 2004, 10:45 AM

I'd respond but I'm not really sure what you are talking about.

-porter

tirolerpeter · Dec 14, 2004, 10:52 AM

Sorry salida. I was confused. There was a link to a college ski club in another person's posting, and they had some funny (not obscene) pictures that I was refering to.

Dec 16, 2004, 9:09 AM

tirolerpeter, interesting report. Making stairs with skiis

A bit O.T. but I once was going through a book or watching a documentary film on avalanche or mtn. climbing or something like that. They had a piece on this group that decided to cross an area at risk by roping themselves together and then crossing at the high end of the risky snow. As it turned out one guy got caught in an avalanche and pulled everyone else down. The last guy was able to cut his rope, dig in, and hold, however. He told the story: a few were saved but some died. My experience losing a ski was on a sunny day after a dump in the very large Honeycomb Canyon behind Solitude. After clearing the avalanche danger they had just opened the area. Three of us went in first from the summit ,and we all wiped out. As for my ski, no tip was showing and I had to estimate the trajectory of the ski and fish around for it. The other guys didn't wait, but it was sunny and warm out. I just can't imagine getting out of that Canyon (6 miles long) on one ski. Now, I pack the cords every trip I take. I haven't used them as the only deep powder skiing I have done since buying them has been with three pin telemark bindings which don't release. Even then, they used to require leashes when taking a lift. (Very stupid rule.)

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