Today set a tough precedent for tomorrow. To recap, I’m in Alta taking a backcountry clinic with Utah Mountain Adventures with an awesome guide, Eric Gustafson, and three other rockstar skiers—Warren, Ted and Tim. Today our group started climbing up Grizzly Gulch at about 9 a.m. in tropical-alpine weather, sans hat, gloves or jacket. We did some rescue drills to practice with our beacons and shovels, and dug a snow pit to evaluate the stability of the snowpack. Ever heard of a shovel shear or extended column test? (a video tutorial to come)
courtesy: Alta Lodge
Because the warmth had lacquered south-facing slopes with a thick crust and also compacted the north-facing side, avalanche danger was significant so we stuck to below 35-angle slopes. We skinned and skied about 2,000 feet total, but spent seven out of the eight hours climbing and one skiing. Our first downhill on Twin Lakes Pass was “manky” (think mashed potatoes), but the turns down Patsy Marley at the end of the day were “dreamy,” according to Eric. It was deep, soft, Utah-stic powder that droned out the soreness of my hip flexers and my severe sunburn.
Before you feel sorry for me, I should tell you about the food at the Alta Lodge. With more courses in a meal than I usually eat all day, it’s a good thing we’re trekking for seven hours daily. Yesterday was ono with mashed potatoes and mango sorbet; today started with French toast and scramble and ended with butternut squash ravioli, Chilean seabass and coffee ice cream. This may sound greedy, but tomorrow I’m holding my breath for more freshies, sun, lessons, and lobster!
