...Excercise

There was nothing too exciting about this particular line on Tuesday, however, it was nice to get outside and make some turns on a warm summer day. Ambiance is the difference maker here, as the turns were laid down under the massive rock walls of Reid's Peak (right) and Bald Mtn. (left)

The folks are came into town Tuesday evening and my skiing days may be cut back while they're in town for the next month, and also while I make a trip to Steamboat Springs for a grown-up job interview. Apparently, I'm a bit strange for keeping this skiing thing rolling into mid-summer. Strange or not, I'm sincerely looking forward to the possibility of climbing and skiing Mt. Timpanogos on the weekend of the 28th. As you can see below, snow comes easy when you're on the largest massif in the Wasatch. Good luck me.

...June Steeps

Even after only a few days of warm weather, the snow pack in the Uintas had taken a hit. Our original destination was to ski Reynolds Wrap Couloir on Hayden Peak, but the warm weather had exposed some un-fun rock steps throughout the chute and left us no choice but to ski Reynold's neighbor, Mountaineer's Couloir. A bit bummed out that the 1st line of choice was a no-go after looking so delicious a few days before, we began to head up the mountain. As the Mountaineer's Couloir came into view, all thoughts of this being a second choice line disappeared as we began to realize we would be summiting in perfect timing to carve some beautiful June corn snow. The view from the top of the couloir was incredible, as is every view from anywhere up in the Uintas. The top was a bit exciting as the chute rolled over to 50+ degrees about 100 vertical feet from the top preventing a clean view of the tunnel-like couloir in its entirety. The corn was sweet, the top of the couloir was steep as hell, and the vertical descent was certainly significant (1400 ft. by our count).


Reynolds Wrap Couloir on the left and Mountaineer's on the right BEFORE the meltdown. Mountaineer's Couloir ended up being a great second choice.Cutting across a couple other couloirs and some exposure to gain the saddle.The uppermost, and steepest section of the couloir finally comes in to view.The last few steps to gain the top of Mountaineer's Couloir. The East face of Hayden Peak also looks enticing. ( top) Making the first turn into Mountaineer's Couloir. It's a little spooky being blinded by the rollover.


The lower half of the couloir. (right)

...New Summits

Mt. Watson was the objective this morning as the alarm rang at 3:50am. Given that the east face was the objective, and it is June, an early start was a necessity to descend this peak in good snow. This is one of the bigger lines I've skied this year and was inherently one of my favorites. Upon reaching the summit, I was discouraged to find most of the lines were only accessible by dropping a 20+ foot vertical old cornice onto a 50 degree slope. After further scouting, one line was manageable with only a 5 foot drop and that line automatically became the line of choice. Watson didn't disappoint.

...the New Frontier

It may be June 13, but it feels like mid winter in the Uinta Mtns, just east of Park City and the crowded peaks of the Wasatch. Mirror Lake Highway opened this week, providing much easier access to the largest range in the state of Utah, a range that is usually overlooked due to its limited access during the winter months. After a good freeze last night, I decided to introduce myself to this expansive wilderness with a climb of the moderately tame Mt. Murdock. I was flying solo so I was perfectly happy keeping my lines as tame as possible. I managed to get in 3 runs before the snow got a bit sloppy at about 10:30am...it is mid-June after all.

The two north facing runs of the day with beautiful corn skiing around 10am.