Spent the morning crawling up various couloirs, namely the Memorial Couloir #5, after which we dropped into #4 for a slice of narrow-walled skiing, followed by an ascent of #2, after which we skied the Mt. Olympus West Couloir, which was then re-ascended and followed by a descent of #2. Dizzy yet? It wasn’t nearly the day we had planned, but as they say, time is ever against us.
Good times. Jason, Andy, and Jon boot up Memorial Couloir #5.
This relatively quick outing was facilitated for me by my recent acquisition of Hagan X-Ultra skis, which are my most recent step towards applying the Light is Right philosophy to skiing endeavors. The skis clock in at just about 2090 grams per pair on my gram measuring weight scale, which is just about 4 pounds, 10 ounces for those of you who are stuck on the American weight system. In case you’re not sure, that’s pretty light where skis are concerned, as many other ski options weigh that much per ski. Don’t get me started on the Black Diamond Megaweight or its new cousin, the Gigaweight. I’m just not strong enough to haul beasts like those uphill all day; kudos to you if you are.
Backcountry skiing may be exploding as a sport across America – an assertion backed by the sales numbers of many backcountry ski gear providers – but it’s nothing new in Europe, where hiking for human powered turns has been de rigueur for decades. America is behind the curve on this sport, as evidenced by international competitions. Accordingly, it’s not surprising that American companies build ever wider – and typically heavier skis, while Euros try to decrease weight while offering the same characteristics one looks for in a high performance ski.
Lighter weight allows more mileage, more vertical, and more peaks/lines skied in a day. Gear created with ‘Light is Right’ in mind allows fast movement, which can make all the difference towards safety if avalanche conditions are changing rapidly. It also allows one to see the mountains in a whole new way, as previous one-day peaks become just another dot on the day’s map of ski descents. And finally, lighter gear weights translate to shorter recovery times for a day’s exertion. This allows one to recharge their batteries and get after it again by the next morning, with little fuss and less soreness. All of that is known by companies such as Hagan – supplied in America by Inform Sports – who help backcountry skiers and ski mountaineers apply their craft on the peaks.
What is that they say about birds of a feather? They flock together, or something? The Hagan X-Ultra and X-Race side by side.
I’ll cover the performance of the Hagan’s in more detail soon, but for now, it’s on to the pictures of what was a beautiful, cloudless day in the Wasatch.
Approaching in the shadows as the sun rises.
This may not be considered a 'classic' Utah skin track, but it's fun to test the skills. The fellas head up.
Jon Swain handling a section of steep and rocky, with Jason behind.
Andy dropping into Memorial Couloir #4...
..With A OK not far behind.
Jon throwing some snow around.
Jon takes it up on the side.
Andy already getting lost in his cloud at the top of the West Couloir.
The West Couloir of Mt. Olympus as viewed from, well, pretty much anywhere in SLC.
Jason Dorais imagining what it's like to have grey hair.
Andy Dorais heads into the untouched goodness. Pic by Jon Swain.
One of those 'view' shots. Do you ever get tired of these? I don't.
Jason cranking. I had full faith he wouldn't ski into me, even as he passed by quite close.
Andy taking his Hagan skis where they're meant to be - in the mountains.
Neff's Canyon has an interesting feel to it. Same with its look..
Great post. Love it. Beautiful mountains. Great photos.
Thank you for the mention of the skis. Do hope they catch on. Will send you a pic of the new X-race soon.
Eva
Eva – Sounds good. Cheers!
Enjoyed those pictures!
Wendy – Sweet!
Like your post. We tried finding the memorial couloirs on friday, we think we verted on #2 and skied number 1. Your last photo in the post, is that Memorial #2?
Ron – Yes, that’s #2, where all the pine trees are.. #1 is to the looker’s left of that (not really visible in the pic). Nice work getting back into this corner of the Wasatch! Hope the snow was good for you and your party…
Adam,
Couldn’t agree more. I’d much rather go fast and far than short and slow. I don’t buy the argument that the skiing on fat skis is better than skinny skis. Occasionally (5% of the time) maybe, but even then, I’d rather do twice the laps and work more on the descents. I enjoy the climb, why would “having to” ski athletically on the descent be bad? If I wanted to go for an easy ride, I’d get a toboggan. I’d rather work that mountain.
Fat skis are fine if you need training wheels; but go with light, narrow skis, and just like taking the training wheels off a bike, you will go a lot farther and faster. Drop those training wheel fat skis and venture beyond the cul-de-sac.
Fat skis allow one to blow down a powder line with very few turns. That’s easy. Who cares about easy – I enjoy some challenge! I know you’re in the same boat.
Also, fat skis are far less than idea the rest of the time, when conditions are less than perfect. How many times have I heard from fat ski wearing folks that ‘conditions aren’t any good; I’m going home?’ Whether in word or action, it happens all the time. Of course, those might be people who would go home early regardless of the conditions..