My good friend, Rich, took me out for a tour in the backcountry near many of the most popular resorts in the country: Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, and Solitude.
I was nervous about venturing into the backcountry, knowing the dangers lurking in the rough terrain of the area, and the possibility of avalanches. My anxiety wasn't lessened when Rich and some of his group went to British Columbia last year for a guided Cat tour, only to be caught in an avalanche in their last run of their day. Several members of the group were buried, but quick reactions and good teamwork got everyone out alive, although a couple members of the group are still physically and emotionally recovering.
The past couple weeks in the Wasatch have been mild, with little new snow. This means less than favorable conditions for skiing, but stable conditions for avalanche forecasts. The forecast showed a low risk for most aspects and elevations, with moderate risk for higher, north-east facing slopes with wind-loaded snow. Rich planned for us to stay on relatively low-angle slopes in the trees, so we were comfortable venturing out.
We parked past Alta in Little Cottonwood Canyon, and dressed for the 33 degree temps as we headed out.
We skinned to the top of the ridge that separates little and big Cottonwood canyon, Rich on a split-board snowboard, while I used a new pair of carbon-fiber skinning boards that Rich just bought. They were super light, even if they were a touch too wide and not 'grippy' enough to be perfect.
Once at the top, we put shells, helmets, gloves, etc on to keep from freezing after working up a sweat. Rich lent me a board to use, he used his split board. These two photos were on our second run, after we dropped in off the ridge and descended into big Cottonwood Canyon. The snow was in very good condition here.
If you zoomed in over Rich's right shoulder, you could see Millicent lift at Brighton:
We got to the bottom, stopping before getting to Twin Lakes reservoir. Here is a vid of Rich doing a little rail slide on a tree branch.
Then we skinned back up the bowl to the same ridge before dropping back through some trees and to the parking lot, safe and happy to return to our families.
By the end, I was soaked in a combination of sweat and melted snow from head to toe. Not unlike cross-country mountain biking, backcountry skiing requires a different perspective from lift-served riding. It helps to have an appreciation and respect for the wilderness, and a resolve to put in quite a bit of effort. It's not for everyone, but I hope to get out there again in the near future.