Day 24 - Friday Jan. 26 - Avy Course

We went up to Cardiff Pass today to do some snow stability testing. Yup, still stable. We performed some Rutschblock tests and asessed the snowpack. The ski down could very well be the work skiing I have ever done in my life. The snow was so iced over that it was impossible to ski (this is a South facing slope). You wanted to stay on top of it all, but you couldn't. And once you fell through the top layer it became impossible to turn and you simply had to fall over in order to slow down or get going another way. The snow is super stable, but it totally sucks. We need to get some mega storms to come through in February in order to give some sort of redemption to this weak winter we've been having. I look at the amount of days I have been out this year and it is just so low compared to years past because of the lack of snowfall. We shall see what the future holds in store for us. I will keep you all posted.

Day 23 - Friday Jan. 26 - OR Backcountry Base Camp

Due to the fact that all my friends are lame and nobody would go out with me today, I went up (by myself) to the OR demo day at Brighton. I wanted to go up today, but I also wanted to go out into the backcountry first. Oh, well. This was a lot of fun. I was able to test out two new setups and I will post my review on each.
First - I got out on some Voile 172 Insanes with the Switchback binding on them. This is going to be a sweet setup. I was only able to make turns at Brighton on it and the conditions there totally suck right now (but everywhere in the Wasatch sucks right now). This is not a resort setup so I was not expecting to totally love them. Well, I did. The ski is great. Even with how light it is it was still able to hold an edge due to the new cap construction. The binding will be super sweet for touring. The free pivot is really smooth and easy to "switch" into. It performs a bit more neutral than I am used to, but I can get used to that. It is really light and I think it will be a great binding (now if I could only get a pair of my own).
Second - I had to do it. Even though I have been a skeptic this whole time, I had to try out the NTN system from Rottefella. Not that I necessary need a pair, I just wanted to see how it performed. I wanted to see if it lived up to the hype. I went to the Scarpa Boot booth and they hooked me up with some boots no problem (for those of you unfamiliar with the new system - it is a whole new telemark interface requiring a new boot as well). Then I went over to the Rottefella booth and asked for some skis. The dude asked me where I was from and I told him Voile. Amidst his grumpy face he told me that I can't test them. They are for retailers only. I asked if he expected all 8 pair (not to mention all the others that were on the mountain at the time) to be needed for the next 20 minutes while I took a run, and he still told me no. But I was determined. I waited across the way at the Voile booth until that guy left for his lunch break and I was going to go over and approach another guy and tell him I was from Wasatch Touring. The guy I approached didn't even ask me where I was from so I got a pair no problem. I was set up on the lime green binding - which is the second stiffest model of the NTN - and they were mounted on some K2 Work Stinx skis. The step in was pretty nice. I fumbled around on it at first, but I can see how it would be nice to have that capability. The releasable mechanism was also pretty cool, but I wasn't able to really test it out since I didn't experience any major falls on the way down. The whole setup was really heavy. That heavy binding on those heavy skis did not make me want this as my backcountry setup at all. I noticed how active the binding was even just making my way over to the lift line. It was even much more active than my current Black Diamond O1s. The ski down I was surprised with. I was actually really impressed with how they skied. They had a lot of control and a whole lot of power. I felt a lot of power even in my trailing ski. All in all I thought it was fun, but I am not sold on the whole idea. I will wait until BD comes out with their competing setup before I go making any decisions on where the future of my telemark skiing is going.
I had a good day up there. It was fun to be around all that. I will be working the booth for Voile on Saturday at the Salt Palace. That should be cool. I look forward to meeting some people and getting out there in the outdoor scene (not to mention getting to go around and check out all the latest gear!).

Study Plot Pit Data

I am taking a Snow and Avalanche Studies class this semester through the UofU. I will be posting my data here each week as I get it. Some of these will be posted with TR's as we will do some tours to get to the areas where we will be taking the data. I will count these as separate days even though I will most likely have already gone on Friday morning for a tour. I just don't want things to get confusing.
Data: The snowpack is considerable shallow. It is very stable right now, so the observations are not that exciting. There is one "weak" layer about 24-30cm from the ground, but it took quite a lot to get it to fail. It is going to take a big storm to get into some dangerous conditions in the Wasatch.
PS. The poor handwriting on the left was not mine.

Day 22 - Friday Jan. 19 - The Search For Good Snow

I met Jer at his house at 7:00 this morning. Dave was supposed to meet us there as well, but we never saw him. I don't know what the story was. We made our way up to Patsy Marley and made a few quick laps. We listened to Tom Waits (album unknown) on the way up. Sometimes I dig him and other times I just can't get into it. This was one of the good times. As we skinned I felt a lot slower than I have in the past. It is amazing how out of shape I am after just a week of not going out. It was my first day out on my Voile Carbon Surfs. I really enjoyed them. The only downfall I have found so far is that they are a twin tip ski and I was having a hard time keeping the tail kit on when I was skinning up. This wasn't very much fun for the third and final lap we made. I am currently in the process of brainstorming ways to remedy this situation. If anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear them. The snow actually wasn't too bad. Just recrystalized stuff, but because of the subzero temperatures it is still nice and soft. We made two laps in the Grizzly side of Patsy then made our way out on the South aspect. It looked a lot better than it was. The sun has simply taken its toll on this side. We were doing our best just to stay on our feet with the inconsistent snow we kept coming in contact with. It was a nice workout and I am glad we got out (where have I heard that before?). We listened to The Unicorns - Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone? on the way down and I was totally digging it. I have only listened to them shortly before and saw the majority of them in concert as The Islands, but I was totally into this album. I need to look into picking it up.

Day 21 - Saturday Jan. 13 - It's Getting Cold Out Here...

I can't remember if that's how the song goes or not. Cole and I went up to the Bird today to get some much needed turns. What we got instead was some cold extremeties. We listened to Built to Spill - Keep it Like a Secret on the way up thinking that would help pump us up. It did to an extent, but it was so cold out there that it didn't last long. We were able to get a few runs in, though, before I wimped out and we went home. We made our way over to Gad 2 and up to Upper Tiger Tail. We passed a ski school instructor taking some family back there (which I was not happy about - ask Cole). We found some soft snow and got some good turns in. I was excited to get to Lower Tiger Tail, but once we arrived there wasn't much to be excited about. I suppose sometimes my secret places are discovered by others. Bummer. The next time we were headed up Gad 2 we were behind this group of three kids that decided to set off a bottle rocket half way up the lift. I took the liberty of yelling at them and asking them politely to pick it up on their way down. I don't know if sometimes I should be taking things like this into my own hands or not, but I just think someone should educate these kids about what you can and can't do on a mountain. Why can't this be me? I am sure Cole was a bit embarrassed. We didn't make it much longer out there. It was just too cold for me (maybe I should have worn a jacket other than my softshell). It was fun to get out with Cole again, though. It seemed like it had been a while since we had gone together.

Day 20 - Friday Jan. 12 - A Slow, But Enjoyable Morn

I met CJ and David at Jer's house at 6:30 this morning and we packed into the FJ40 for a morning tour up Big Cottonwood. We all enjoyed the drive up as it was accompanied by the soothing sounds of Tool. Yes, Tool. CJ was bummed out that I didn't admit that last time he drove I didn't mention that Tool was on the mix, so they are the only ones being mentioned this time (it was the same mix). We went up to Circle All Peak. Jer and I had never been here before so we were just following the Whittakers (which, in all seriousness, we do every other time as well). We thought the avy danger might be a little higher today so we wanted to go somewhere very well protected. It turns out that the avy danger is still quite low, but we had a good time all the same. The skin up took a lot longer than usual because of some good conversation. But Jer was just glad we got out. Sometimes it is funny to get talking to someone you think you know a little and you find out they share interests with you that you never would have thought. We all enjoyed the time on the ascent, but it definitely took a lot longer than usual. Our rate of ascent was 7 ft/min. With a total of 1591 ft. ascended (like I said, it was a slow morning). Due to the lack of snow this year we had to navigate our way through an assortment of trees and brush on the downhill, but we still got some killer turns in. But Jer was just glad we got out. I didn't get many photos today, because CJ brought his new camera and took a bunch. I don't know if I will ever see those photos, but if I do I will totally share them with you. We were surprised to pass about 10 people on the way down as they were on their way up. We thought we were the only ones headed up that way today, but we were wrong. It was a nice morning. And Jer was just glad we got out.

Day 19 - Saturday Jan. 6 - Porter Fork

Let me just start off by saying that this was a good week. I was kind of freaking out when it was Wenesday night already and I hadn't skied at all. Now as Saturday comes to a close I have three days under my belt and I am a happy guy. This morning Stacy, Bowie, and I went up to Porter Fork in Millcreek Canyon again. We listened to Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea to get us pumped up for the tour. There were a lot more people up there today than last time, but still not bad. We only passed by a few and were passed by a few more. We made it quite a bit further today than we did last time. It is fun to get out and get some exercise with the whole family. We pretty much stuck to the road again this time, but it was a good time none the less. Sometimes it seems like we don't get to show Bowie enough attention during the week, but when we take him touring it totally makes up for it. He loves it out there. I'm hoping that some time soon I will get down to the Provo area to do a tour where he can join me for some steep skiing. I forgot to start my watch today to measure the rate of ascent and other such statistics, but in all seriousness it would have been quite low with the low angle and rate we were traveling. I like the picture with Bowie and myself where he looks super serious. I think that's funny.

Day 18 - Friday Jan. 5 - Dawn Patrol With BD

My standby touring partners all bailed on me yesterday saying that they were not going to be able to go with me this morning so I needed to find someone else. There was no way I was going to miss the first turns from this storm. I called Mike Schultz from Black Diamond (he is in my ward) to see if he wanted to go. He said he was already going, but that I was more than welcome to join. I have to say that this was a bit nerve racking. I have no problem going with one or two new people, but to go with the whole BD crew (not to mention the PowderWhore guys and many others that ended up being there - about 20 total) kind of scared me with questions like whether or not I was going to be able to keep up. We met across from Porcupine Grill at 5:45 and I got in the car with Mike and Jaime (spelling unknown - pronounced 'hi-me'). We made our way up to the Alta Lodge where we parked and began our ascent to Flagstaff. I was ready to work as hard as I needed in order to keep up, but once we got started I found that it wasn't going to be a problem. I am in better shape than I give myself credit for. I kept up with the "B" team no problem, but then waited for Mike and Jaime (Jaime is new to this whole touring and skiing thing) at the top - which was really cold, by the way. We skied down into Day's and the snow was sweet! Way deeper than I thought it was going to be. Even during the skin up I thought we were going to have dust on crust action happening with about 8 or so inches of new snow, but NO! It was probably 18 inches deep and I didn't hit any of the old stuff on the North facing aspect. We skinned back up and due to time and physical restraints (not mine) we decided to ski down the South side and call it a day. Even the skiing on this side was great. It was dust on crust, but the hard stuff underneath didn't throw you out of your turns too much. The light was flat, though, causing some weird things happening closer to the road. I did set off a pretty decent little sluff in a gully while crossing it - that was pretty cool. I didn't take too many pictures today because I didn't want to look like a goon and I didn't want to take the time. Sorry.
Rate of Ascent: 13 ft/min 2244 total feet ascended in 2 laps in 2:36.49

Day 17 - Thursday Jan. 4 - Patsy Again?

Kai and I went up this morning and knowing that there isn't much snow to be had out there we went somewhere we could bail after the first lap if the snow wasn't any good - thus Patsy Marley. I picked him up at 5:30 and we listened to Live Phish 3 on the way up. Sometimes it just seems like I go too long without listening to some good old fashioned live Phish - thanks for the tip, Crazy. The reading for our rate of ascent came out again to be 10 ft/min. This may be a little skewed since we stopped a couple of times on the way up and I tried to show Kai how to do a kick turn. The morning started off with a litte snow, but not so much that it made the tour miserable. The exercise was good, the company was nice, but the skiing totally sucked. It turns out that if it doesn't snow for a long time the snow isn't as much fun to ski on (who knew?). As we had planned for, we simply made the one run and then made our way back to the car. It was nice to get out this morning. I always enjoy the exercise, but I can't wait for tomorrow when we should have a bit of new snow. Peace out.

Climbing - New Year's Weekend in St. George

Even though this is technically a blog about ski touring I figured I could include some pics and thoughts about our weekend in St. George where we did some climbing (who knows, this may just become a climbing blog this summer). Stacy and I went down to St. George this weekend with Jer and Mallory and CJ and Ann. We stayed at Mallory's family's condo and it was sweet. We were able to climb pretty much all day Saturday and all day after church on Sunday. The weather was beautiful all weekend which allowed for some great climbing. We climbed the Bluff Street Cracks and the Blackrocks on Saturday and the Circus Wall in Snow Canyon on Sunday. It turns out that I am a total chicken. Every time I attempted to lead a climb I would get scared and chicken out. I was feeling so confident at the end of the summer, and now I am a total wuss. What is the story? Oh well, I am sure with time I will get over it. We all got in some good climbs and were able to have a good time. It was a great way to finish off the year 2006. As I look back on the year of 2006 I think about the great things that have happened in my life...
I have become a climber,
I have got a job in the telemark world,
I have bought a house,
I have bought lots of gear,
I have a dog,
I continue to have HeMan and Skeletor displayed in my home,
and I have been able to spend time with my beautiful wife.
Some of the problems with this year...
I have ceased watching the OC,
I have struggled at the beginning of this winter season due to a lack of aerobic exercise during the summer,
and I have not watched Heavyweights nearly enough.
All in all I think this has been a good year.

Day 16 - Friday Dec. 29 - Another Morning On Patsy

Jer and I woke up this morning a bit later (we had both taken the day off work) and made our way up to Patsy Marley for some quick turns. We listened to Sufjan Stevens - Illinois on the way up. Check it out if you haven't already. We were leaving this afternoon for St. George with our significant others so we needed to make it quick. We just made 2 quick laps and got in some really good turns. The snow is good for the skiing and very desirable. Christmas was good to me. I got a new altimeter watch. Here are our stats for this morning:
Ascent: 10 ft/min (leaving plenty of room for improvement)
1263 total feet ascended
Descent: 16 ft/min (a lot of time lost in transitions and Jer's incessant talking)
1263 total feet descended
I hope to have improved stats for you each time I go out so you can all see how I am doing (and give me the needed encouragement in order to prepare for the PowderKeg).
Later, dudes.