Aug 02 2008
I’ve been noticing more glass splattered on the ground at trailhead parking areas, and my roomate has heard of an increase of car break-ins in Millcreek Canyon. So I wasn’t too suprised the other day when after a run in the Red Butte area, I returned to find my wallet and cell phone stolen from my glove box….
Continue Reading »
Jul 12 2008
It wasn’t the fourth of July, but it felt like a celebration anyway. Starting our descent down Alta’s Baldy Chute around noon, the snow was perfect corn, resembling a giant cone of smooth Hawaiian shave ice. The lower parts were slightly less than stellar, but skiing in the chute was as good as you could ask for on any spring skiing run. Continue Reading »
Jul 02 2008
Reason number one: Today I read this headline on washingtonpost.com “Cheney Pushes for More Drilling”. What more evidence do you need?
But wait, there is more! In the Salt Lake Tribune newspaper today Utah senators claim that a ban on domestic oil shale development “imperils the nation’s hopes for energy independence.” Continue Reading »
May 27 2008
A quick Memorial Day weekend road trip that circled the center of the state. We stopped at Mystic Hot Springs, Bryce Canyon National Park, and Coyote Gulch, all places that we want to revisit, again and again. The Prickely Pear cacti were blooming like mad. Huge pink blossoms flaunted their delicate petals to a dry, abrasive landscape. Continue Reading »
May 17 2008
Well, just got back from the west desert. We went to ski Deseret Peak. Our timing was perfect except for the fact that the road is closed. We opted out of walking the 4 extra miles to the trail-head. Then we felt obliged to drive around in a futile attempt to find somewhere else to ski. We found a short cut that tooks us over to Ophir canyon, where we knew the access would be good, but the snow there was too far away as well.
May 15 2008
Deer Valley rules this time of year. It’s about the only easy place to go lap a few quick runs with the pooch. Unfortunately, the powder porpoise has only been up for one hit wonders these days. About a year ago she jumped out of a second story window. Recently the injury has been resurfacing. It’s changed the way I look at skiing, but it’s great to know that her enthusiasm for our outings is not waning. Continue Reading »
May 10 2008
My Buddy DH-1 just sent me this painful photo of his tracks from a solo tour on Mount Nebo. Of the 3 or 4 times I’ve skied this area, I never had snow as good as this. And the beauty of his single line just kills me. Funny thing is that these look like little turns, when in reality, the turns are about the average size. It’s the bowl that’s much bigger than you would imagine.
Big round o’ applause to the big DH!
May 08 2008
Two times now I’ve had to cancel planned spring trips to the sierras, so when this one was suddenly falling apart days before departure, I suddenly realized that it could quite possibly be now or never.
So with newfound determination, I hurridly planned out the trip in the day or two before departure. I impressed myself by rounding up a fat library of topo maps to the sierras, detailed Delornes road map books for Utah, Nevada, and Northern California (to support my addiction to back-roads and “short-cuts”). I had two different guide books to touring in the Sierras, a guide book to hot springs in California and Nevada. Most importantly, I had a guidebook to help plan for the next big trip, to Morocco, Africa.
In concept, I really like planning, organizing and carefully packing for trips. In practice, however, I consider myself lucky if I remembered to pack my sleeping bag and know which airline I’m on when I arrive at the airport. So, as we drove across Nevada I was very proud of myself for amassing such a complete collection. I was confident we’d be able to navigate any obscure back road or hidden couloir California or Nevada could throw at us.
So when we chatted with some California fisherman in a hot spring in the middle of the Nevada desert, it was a little disappointing to hear that there was very little snow left in the Sierras, and to realize that I had totally neglected to even ponder, wonder or research this tiny little detail.
Plenty more ski picts here Continue Reading »
Apr 26 2008
Today was payback for suffering through the icy, windy conditions of the Tushars. White Pine offered up run after run of perfect spring powder. Continue Reading »
