Tag: Wasatch

Backcountry Skiing the Wasatch | Days Fork (Video)

Zachary Kenney0 Comments

02/26/2023 – With avalanche conditions slowly healing from the previous weeks storm that dropped over 3ft of powder on the Wasatch Mountains, it was time to get out and do some skiing. I linked up with my buddy Mike and his friend Skyler to check out some safe terrain in Days Fork of Big Cottonwood Canyon. The plan was to keep it mellow and low angle, because the avalanche conditions were considerable due to the heavy wind loading along with the wet-slide potential from the unseasonably warm weekend temperatures. We parked at the spruces campground and headed out on the …

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Backcountry Skiing Couloir off Lake Peak in Wasatch

Zachary Kenney0 Comments

This season has been wild so far, with regards to our snowfall and snowpack her in Utah. We got dumped on in October, which is never a great start for any snowpack to prevent a season-long persistent weak layer. November followed with not a single flake of snow, which lead to a rotting snowpack from the early season snow. Then came a record-setting December which gave us nearly 10 feet of snow in some areas. But then a freakishly dry January rolled in, where it hadn’t snowed past the 7th and combining with warm temperatures, we had incredibly safe avalanche …

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Black Diamond Helio 105 Ski | REVIEW | Backcountry Touring Skis

Zachary Kenney0 Comments

The Black Diamond Helio 105 Carbon Ski is flat out an incredible ski. Of course, like all skis, it has its time and place and its own set of drawbacks. But so far, after skiing 3 seasons on them, I can officially say it’s a great ski. Early models of the Helio 105 were definitely a work in progress, like any new product, but their latest models have really dialed it in. As a full disclosure, I live and ski in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, where I primarily use these skis to access backcountry terrain, where I ski between …

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Backcountry Skiing LCC to BCC via Days Fork

Zachary Kenney0 Comments

When your friends tell you it’s gonna be a big day, and those same friends are in way better shape than you, it should’ve been my first clue. Nonetheless, we set up from Flagstaff Gully with a bunch of skiing ahead of us. The plan was to ski from Little Cottonwood Canyon, down to Big Cottonwood Canyon, where we had parked a shuttle truck earlier that morning. That in itself isn’t a big deal, but knocking out a few laps on the way was going to be where all the very really is. After climbing the sun rusted southern aspect …

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Backcountry Skiing Thunder Mountain (Lake Peak) | Trip Report

Zachary Kenney0 Comments

The goal was to ski a little known chute known as Lake Chute. Tucked away below the summit of Thunder Mountain, in the Cirque that contains both White Baldy and Red Baldy, is a wide chute. So steep at some points, you wish you brought your ice axe. But of course, not everything works out according to plan. A group of 5 of us, Pete, Kyle, Mike, Brett, and myself, all met up at the White Pine Trailhead to go over our plan for the day. Once the route and backup ski plans were set, we performed our safety checks, …

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Mid Mountain Trail | Park City Mountain Biking [Gallery]

Zachary Kenney0 Comments

From one side of Park City, to the other. Running South to North, from Deer Valley to Canyons. One trail, that covers well over 15miles of ski area terrain, and is now my new favorite trail in Park City. And even though I’ve ridden sections of this trail before, I’ve never linked the whole Mid Mountain Trail together. That is, until yesterday. My buddy Bill and I used the Purple Line bus to shuttle ourselves up to the Montage at Deer Valley where we could hop on the Mid Mountain Trail. Sure, we could have left a car the side …

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Mt. Timpanogos Hike

Zachary Kenney0 Comments

The summit of Mount Timpanogos can be view from nearly every direction whether you’re down in Provo, from the summits in the Cottonwoods, or just driving through Heber City. And ever since we saw its snow capped ridgeline when first visited Salt Lake, back in February of 2017, we knew we just had to hike it. On Saturday, September 14th, five of us, with two dogs, hit the Aspen Grove trailhead in hopes to be on the summit a few hours later. At 11,749 feet, Mount Timpanogos (or Timp), is the second-highest summit of the Wasatch Mountains. From the Aspen …

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Last MidWeek MTB Race of the Season | Final Points Standing

Zachary Kenney0 Comments

With the Midweek MTB race season wrapping up with last week’s final race at Solitude, it’s time to look back on my second race season. This season was much more successful, and fun, than last year. I no longer was getting smoked by every single rider at the start, and left in the dust on every climb. I took the riding a little more seriously going into every race, putting in harder miles than I normally would to get into race shape. Turns out, putting in the work really does pay off. The last race was a really fun XC …

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Dogwood Crag | Great Beginner Spot to Climb in Salt Lake City

Zachary Kenney2 Comments

I’ll be the first one to admit, the amount of climbing areas near, and in, Salt Lake City can be overwhelming. The first time I pulled up Mountain Project when I moved here, I had no idea where to begin. In the Wasatch Range alone, there are 1,595 Trad routes, 2,230 Sport routes, 318 Top-Rope Routes, and 679 Boulder problems. So as you can imagine, when I looked at the map below for the first time, I had no idea where to begin. Sure, with the introduction of Mountain Project, finding rock climbing areas and routes have never been easier. …

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Wasatch Crest Trail | IMBA Epic Ride

Zachary Kenney0 Comments

When it comes to Park City, there’s not shortage of trails to ride. From PCMR to Canyons, Round Valley to Deer Valley, UOP to Glenwild, and everything in between. But there’s one ride that everyone knows, and if they haven’t ridden it, it’s on their bucket list. Whether you shuttle to the top of Guardsman Pass or earn it from Park City or the Big Cottonwood side, it doesn’t matter. The ride I’m talking about is the Wasatch Crest Trail, or the Crest as we mostly call it. I’ve ridden this trail 3 times now, once shuttled and twice ridden …

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