Lake Chute and Red Baldy Chute

I love skiing and I love mountains!  Today was awesome.  I went up Red Pine Canyon to the top of Lake Peak.  I figured someone would have skied Lake Chute already, but when I got there I was stoked to see I was going to have first tracks.  The main avalanche concern would be any potential windslab so I cut the cornice on one side of the chute and let it drop.  The new snow sluffed but nothing more than that.  I ski cut the slope also just to be extra sure and then skied another line on my list in soft snow.

Top of Lake Peak

Looking down Lake Chute

Looking back up

First tracks

Then I headed over to Red Baldy.  I wish I had more time because I knew this northwest facing snow was going to be incredible and I was only going to have time for one lap.  I skied right off the peak down a fun chute.  The apron was heavenly!  It has been awhile since we've had soft snow and it was incredible! It was fun climbing around on Lake Peak and Red Baldy today.  I love ridge hikes in the snow and going to some of the peaks I got to experience the first time this summer, now experiencing them in the winter.

 Views on top of Red Baldy

This probably has a real name but I'll just call it Red Baldy Chute

Wasatch Powderkeg

My first race since high school track and first ski mountaineering race.  It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot.  I was able to get 5th place which I know was pretty good but I was bummed about how close I was to getting 3rd place and just feeling like I didn't do my best.  Aaron K finished five minutes faster (he raced in the elite division because his new skis were too light for Heavy Metal).  He said since he knew he wasn't going to be in the front of the elite division he just went his normal pace and ended up finishing 5 minutes faster.  I ran to get my spot out of the gate and just wasted energy in the beginning of the race and then my blood sugar got way low on the last big climb and I didn't have any other energy sources.  I also thought the people in 4th and 5th were farther ahead then they really were and let that get to me.  When we got to the last short climb I could see 3rd and 4th place about a minute in front of me but by then it was too late to pass them.  

The green in the uphill skinning, yellow are the booters, red are the descents

6,100 ft of climbing in 3 hours and 23 minutes

North Superior and Cardiac Ridge

A week ago Aaron K and I set out to ski North Superior, Cardiac Ridge, and Room of Doom but ran out of time.  

Aaron K coming up the ridge

I love the views on top of Superior, one of my favorite mountains

Still on my list

Aaron dropping in

Not quite as fun as South Superior, but still awesome

Benson and Hedges Couloir

A couple weeks ago, Aaron K, Josh and I set out to ski the Hypodermic Needle but the weather didn't look good and Josh had been out of town and forgot to pick his skis up from the shop.  With a late start we decided on B and H instead.  Due to very warm temperatures we started in BCC from Spruces and skied a decent lap in Days Draw before returning to the ridge and heading to the couloir. It was a great chute!  The snow wasn't that great but I've learned that when the snow isn't great you ski awesome couloirs and then you don't care too much that the snow wasn't great.

The snow in Days Draw was pretty good and was another first place for me.

Good views on top

The entrance 

Dropping in

Aaron K heading down the chute

Me enjoying this high walled chute

Josh mid hop turn

East Kessler Couloir and Argenta

I probably already said this in an earlier post but I decided after the Y couloir that I was going to try to ski somewhere new every time I skied for the rest of the year, conditions permitting (with the exception of my night time laps).  Fortunately, the last 3 weeks I have been able to accomplish that goal.  I also decided after the Y couloir that I love skiing steep chutes! East Kessler couloir was a great line in soft snow and it was awesome to stand on top of another peak.  It just changes the whole skiing experience when you get to stand on top of a cool mountain along the way.

 Great views nearing the top of Kessler Peak

Looking down East Kessler Couloir

Looking back up

A cool ice waterfall

Skiing back down Argenta

Superior, Toledo Chute, Two Trees

The south face of Mount Superior has been very high on my to do list every since I first looked at the line from Snowbird when I started skiing a year ago.  Conditions and availability finally lined up and I was able to ski this classic Wasatch line with Aaron R and Jeff.  Like the rest of these it looks way worse from the road then it feels going down it.

The advantages of an early start

The objective

Jeff on the short scrambling section

I did not ski this face today but it is now high on my list as well

Across the canyon

Looking down.  We skied right down the center from the peak.

Looking back up midway down

Moving on to Toledo Chute

Looking back up Two Trees

The Y Couloir

With the high pressure ruling the weather lately it has made for really stable snow on some of the steeper lines in the area so I have been taking advantage.  Last weekend, Josh and I decided it was a good day for the Y couloir.  This couloir is a pretty constant 42 degree pitch over about 3,000 vertical feet.  The night before as plans were made I started to have extreme anxiety but it didn't last too long.  As we booted up the couloir I tried not to think about the downhill.  When we got to the top of the climb it really started to hit me that I was about to ski down by far the most technical line I had ever skied.  I felt like I was going to throw up and just tried to remind myself that as soon as I started skiing I would feel fine and enjoy the incredible views.  After we down climbed off the summit and started skiing I felt totally comfortable (mostly) and it was the most fun line I've ever skied.  I knew going into this that overcoming my fear to ski this would probably set the stage for the rest of my skiing career.  The most interesting part of skiing more of these lines is that it is all skiing.  Once you get past the mental barriers it is just making turns.  And all of these lines look way worse than they are once you are actually skiing down them.

Josh getting into the short bushwhack 

Me starting up the 3,000 step staircase

Starting to get a feel for what it will be like

Josh on the final ascent up the fixed rope

The views on top were pretty amazing!

Now for the down...