human powered adventures
Steve boots his way up the hill.
Originally thinking that it would be best to take a rest day on Halloween Sunday, I got home from skiing on Saturday to find that Steve Perman wanted a partner to get out with on the following day. I only made turns with Steve once last year, so I took the opportunity to say ‘yes.’ Like many things in life, I wasn’t sure Continue reading ‘Booting up a Ski Run on Halloween’
Coming right along with remembering how to ski... Jason Borro making it happen nine months after serious injury.
Got up to and down Baldy’s Main Chute again today, then met up with Jason for another lap, this time up to the top of the Alta Collins chair. Last year, Jason’s season was cut short as he had an unplanned meeting with a rock while Pontooning, which is slightly different than skiing. This resulted in his having four lower Continue reading ‘Lapping Alta’
Coyle skinning the ridge.
A broken Fritschi binding screwed up the ski outing on Friday, as the day’s partner, Andy Coyle, suffered a broken binding screw that resulted in a hike down to the truck after about a dozen turns. I’ve used Fritschi’s in the past, although not since I joined the biblical Paul – who was apparently converted on the road to Damascus – with a full blown conversion of my own. Still, I never had the slightest issue with my Diamir’s functionality, and it surprised me to find that one section of the binding (the heel retention unit) is held in place with only one screw. I don’t think there’s a way to break a solitary screw on a Dynafit binding and have it ruin your day. Perhaps the solitary lateral DIN screw could break, but I suspect it’s not subject to large binding forces. Musings aside, my tiny spare parts and tool bag Continue reading ‘A Broken Fritschi Diamir Binding’
Group? shot. A OK and Andy Dorais. That rhymes, if you're not sure how to pronounce Andy's name.
Headed up to Alta (Where else? – it’s where some of the most easily accessed snow coverage is right now) on Thursday to meet Andy Dorais and make some turns. Getting out with Andy is like having a lit firecracker strapped to your back – you always want to keep moving forward to get away from the sting of the little explosion. Except in this case, you generally want to keep moving forward in an effort to keep him in sight. I’m no slouch, but getting out with him almost always involves my gasping for breath for a few hours while he relaxes and smiles away. What’s not to love about that? It’s an ideal characteristic in a partner to have them verbally pushing you along, or gently urging as the case might be. I think Andy’s gentle urging on the skin track yesterday involved the phrase, ‘You go in front, that way I can whip you with my poles.’ Too true, Continue reading ‘Examining the Rocks on the Baldy Shoulder’
The business end of the Perla's descent.
Once again past the jibbers and up to the lonely top of Baldy – that’s not in any way a bad thing – I did stop along the way to aid a young skier who needed to adjust his binding. Ah, the old, early season forgetfulness. As a result, I’ve finally remembered to pack (starting next time) all those little things I like to have along in winter. This includes hand warmers and the miniature screwdriver I fashioned by filing the tip from the nail file on my diminutive Swiss Army Knife. It works in a pinch on most ski bindings.
I knew prior to arriving that a guy named Andy had found, then made, a track in Little Chute. Others had clearly taken the same route afterwards. However, after surfing mogul sized piles of debris from all the users in the Main Baldy Chute the day before, I wanted fresh powder all to myself – mine, mine, mine! So, I got some. I headed over to Perla’s, where no tracks were to be found. On the first three or four turns, I found a pretty firm crust with some snow on it. That slowly sloughed off, but for the most part, the snow stuck in place. That was good news, as I wasn’t interested in going through the narrow choke and having the entire bowl flushing down on me. By the fifth or sixth Continue reading ‘Fresh Powder in Perla’s’
A familiar sight to many early (and late) season skiers - Alta's Baldy Mountain.
Fall colors have long since peaked, but as of last week, there was still an amazing display of vibrancy in the leaves which still cling to branches in the mountains. Aiming to have a bike ride up in Big Cottonwood Canyon with Steve Irish, signs cropped up indicating that hiking would be, by far, a better choice. Think snapped chains, rear brake failures, derailleur issues… Fortunately, this sort of comedy is more usual towards the end of mountain biking season. Which, with any luck, is now over with the arrival of snow in the Wasatch. All those bike repairs can now wait for eight plus months! (Fortunately, it’s not my bike with the serious issues!)
We ended up on the Silver Fork Trail, and walked to the ridge that drops into Grizzly Gulch. Along the way, there are several old mines to spot; some in the distance and one immediately off the trail. Otherwise, the hike involved plenty of scenery Continue reading ‘Fall Colors Turn to White – Or, Skiing Returns to the Wasatch’