Storm Turns

Before my Garmont Masterlite boots failed for the second time, I did manage to get out for one day of turns with Jason Borro and Andy Coyle. The storm was consistent and dropped snow on us for the duration of our outing. We selected west facing slopes to ski as the winds were generally loading north and east facing aspects – this kept our exposure to danger from snow slides manageable. Before we got to any terrain that was likely to see (minor) avalanche activity in the new snow layer, Andy had bowed out and headed to Alta. Jason and I pressed on.

Onwards into the snow, A OK pushes along a windswept ridge. It was a Minus33 balaclava kind of a day. All day long.

We danced down the Hallway, finding the ‘middle’ entrance along the way. Clearing off the top layer of new snow as expected left icy but edgeable snow in its wake. This upper section is nicely filled in, but the crux – a narrow constriction at the bottom – was covered with a thick layer of hard ice. Jason straightlined it, I downclimbed. To each their own, every time.

The skis-on-ice sound during Jason's straightline maneuver was like nails on a chalkboard. Fun to watch, though.

I took the more classic Holbrook'ing route, combined with a bit of downclimbing on ice.

Following that, we monkeyed around and found ourselves in numerous fun zones with exposure below, as well as cliffs and tentatively held snow above. This was evidenced by the small avalanche that released on us from the rocks above. With seconds to spare before the slide reached us, I gave the warning, ‘Whoa, heads up!’ and moved a few steps to the side. The ‘lanche wasn’t deep nor excessively wide, but was fast moving, lasted for perhaps 15 or 20 seconds, and had a nice cloud at its front. Wish I had a picture to share, but the cloud blew by us in seconds. Fortunately we were booting near the edge of the chute at the time, and the incident passed by with feet to spare, causing no grief.

Jason gets into the powder.

A OK brings it down behind a tree.

A OK keeps it away from the rocks..

Ever the believer in democracy, I offered Jason the chance to take the warning and flee, which he did not vote for. We stuck it out and headed higher still. We weren’t going where the slide had come from, so it wasn’t a case of the flush having created a fully safe, rinsed out environment above. There was more hangfire above, but we did manage to connect some ridges to maximize safety until we did pull the plug on that ascent. As for me, I’m curious if that was a natural, or if some other travelers on the ridge above kicked it off. We heard voices in the vicinity, and as this occurred in an infrequently traveled area, others probably didn’t expect anyone below. Guess I’ll be curious forever.

Booting, booting, booting through deep, steep snow... Jason merges with the trench.

Sking democracy comes with options. A OK points out a few while product testing the 2012 Hestra Patrol Glove.

Spooks aside, the snow on the day was variable, if the snow falling out of the sky was not. It was a great day for some gear testing. There was plenty of powder, and many areas where our slope cuts and snow management sent off the top layer without effort. That left behind just enough slippery, icy conditions in sections to add some challenge to the day. Good times!

Jason getting into position to check for phone service. No dice. Cliffs, though.

Cliffs, rocks, a skier, and a blizzard. I don't see anything missing.