It Goes Free!

Having such an Epic snow year in the Wasatch the boyz began to talk about skiing some trade routes that rarely see a free ascent. One of these lines is the classic NW couloir off the Pfeiferhorn. This man balls monday turned out to be perfect for the objective. It just snowed 40 plus inches over the weekend and the snowpack has been bomb proof as far as we had seen. When you climb and ski the Pfeif "little Materhorn" you are very high up in the Hogum drainage where exciting lines are abundant. This late in the season it is virtually impossible to have a Hogum Hero day, due to lots of east facing exposure and warming temps, but for the mortal boyz two classy lines = a fine day!

Early morn sun on the Coalpit Headwall. Our way out.
Little Matterhorn, Objective #1 before Stefan sent the skinner then boot pack to the top.
Buffalo soldier marching on and on.
The Paco Kid on the summit ridge of the Pfeif.
Stefan and Josh harnessed up for the drop in not knowing how filled in the NW would be.
Stefan drops in first. Beautiful line, almost unreal!
The Paco kid descending the NW for the first time ever! Lucky.
Stefan, Hollbrooking his way down to the choke. Does it go?
It goes Free! with little side stepping and tip and tail scratching. Good style SB, who has never had to make the rappel.
This is what the choke looks like above the Boyz. Not much snow left for the next party to descend. The way we like it.
Boyzd It! Take a look at the NE ramp above the choke!
After the entire Thunder ridge slid due to the rapid warming we climbed high in Hogum, linking the super tour variant to the Coalpit Headwall.
Upper Hogum chutes. This one looks real nice.
Due to the huge overhanging cornices at the top of the Coalpit headwall we each aired in then sent the 2000+ foot headwall in primo conditions. Best tour ever!

-Kid Buf

Rainbow Peak

Just some of the great views from Rainbow Peak on Monday. After this bluebird day it was right back to the 2011 dump-a-thon. This season is really sizing up with nearly a 200" base and this next storm could push the average to 600". I couldn't agree more the words of The Prophet regarding the Dick Coaster. Don't forget the aggressive closures prompted by Oh'no & Tight-Ass. Too much time in the canyon can make people crusty. Crusty people tend to want to spread their misery. Names may need to be added to the "D.T.C. for life" list.

Upper Hogum

The Pfiefferhorn

Thunder Ridge

Helmet Cam: Rainbow Peak

Mountain Cristo

We went in search of lifeforms of higher intelligence last evening in the Wasatch Mtns. No luck this time, just another heady morning of universal connections. Once the nostalgia of a sunrise over the turquoise mtns wore off, we had a business meeting. On top of Mountain Cristo, cell phone coverage was kind spotty. Dont tell anyone, but I heard Dick Ass I mean Dick Bass (Snowbird Ski Resorts President/Owner whatever, basically the rich Texan ass clown and local asshole who wants to put a ROLLER COASTER up Superior)... also wants to put a Cell Phone tower on Monte Cristo! WELLLLLL you know what I want to do? Somehow get rid of all these rich, old, soulless, and heartless business tycoons who have been fuckin shit up in the world for way to long. Dick Bass, Dick Cheney, Dick whoever, all the Dicks of the world need to leave this earth. Its way to special of a place for assholes like ya'll to be ruining it in so many ways....If all the Dicks of the world were ever found in LOT, wooks would have then hanging upside down from a tree with their mouths duct taped and a sheet of doses duct taped to their sweaty foreheadz.

On a lighter note, it was pretty fun laying down some eights on the "edge of the world," and skiing above Disney World I mean Snowbird and the Salt Lake Valley.

Suicide: January 9

There's been a lot of talk of dawn-patrol lately. I found myself participating in the storied ritual early Sunday morning. My reasons were simple: free ride up the canyon with a promise of breakfast.

Cornwallis and I geared up in the covered entry in the shadow of Hellgate. The snow was beginning to let up and stars and planets peered through the last remnants of a weak system. The skinner began at the road in 2 angry inches. Trail breaking was easy and we were at the base of the chute in short order.

Cornwallis put it in 4 low and took off in a fury. I would not see his face again until the top. The higher we got, the deeper it got. It became obvious that we were in for a treat. Wind and snow had conspired together in our favor.

The cornice was bigger than usual and required some low 5th class moves. True to form, Cornwallis strong-armed it. I elected to pass my pack up.

From our perch, we shouted obscenities at Snowbird and Alta for longer than was necessary. Eventual we clicked in. We didn't say much because of hoarse throats from our recent hollering. The snow was excellent and the skiing effortless. 10" of low density scattered as we silently plummeted towards the 210.

Cornwallis Cam

We rounded the bend and passed from shadow into the sweet sunshine. Lower down there was only 4" and the turns were getting loud. Trenches from skiers earlier in the week were frozen solid. We worked right to a smoother area and let 'em run until it got quiet again.

I've always wanted to "ride that shit switch into the road," but the reality of a 4' drop to flat convinced me otherwise. It was still early and my stomach reminded me of the pre-arranged breakfast. Free-ride, free food: maybe there is something to this dawn patrol fad.

- U.K.

Coalpit 4 & Bell's Cleaver: January 7

J-Wow and the PA Prince had sent the booter up "The Cuatro" two days prior. We used our phone-a-friend to get the inside line on the creek crossing since the bridge at the power house is out. Shred-Hound quickly found the class 5 skinner through the brush and on to the booter. The Prophet and Powers took turns leading the charge while Cornwallis and I lurked in the back.

Up Coalpit 4

3,200' later we topped out on Perla's Ridge and the Cleaver came into view. There was some debate whether to ski down into Bell's or to conserve vertical.

Shred-Hound Visualizing Lake Bonneville

We made some turns but mostly trascended across the south facing slope. There was a rapidly warning crust and frozen roller-balls, but the going was fast and we were skinning towards the Cleaver. The closer we got the worse the snow looked. A prior wind event had the team worried about snow quality up high. We were 800' below the summit looking up at the NW face of the Cleaver. The dream was over; it was not to be. The consensus was the snow was garbage and Powers starting skinning to a mini-pass east of the Cleaver. But Power's must have been suffering from vertigo. He kept going up where he should have switched back. He was above the pass. Now another kick step and another. The distance to the summit was halved and the Prophet took the lead. The distance was halved again and we regrouped on the ridge about 200' below the summit and there was no choice despite the rock, ice, snow route above.

Leading the Charge

The last 200' took 45 nerve-racking minutes. At last the summit yielded. High fives all around. Powers had obviously won the uphill portion of the tour and was offered 1st tracks, which he graciously accepted. The spine started in the high 40's and and mellowed to a reasonable 41 for the run-out. Snow quality defied expectations: it was creamy goodness and the coverage was excellent.

Cornwallis on the Run

NW Face of the Cleaver (click photo for better view)

(click here for helmet cam of Cornwallis)

The day was far from over. The 3,200' Coalpit 4 waited patiently for her 5 lovers to return. Passion reigned as her tender slope fell away. Light gave way to dark. Snow to rock. Love to exhaustion. Exhaustion to hunger and back to love. What a great day!

This upper schuss is not in the Chuting Gallery so we were at a loss for a name. I felt empty knowing that I would not get to check anything off in the back of the Wasatch Primer. The shot deserved a name. Meat Cleaver? Leave it to Cleaver? Maybe NW Face of Bell's Cleaver should stand instead of some "Cleaver Play on Words."

Groan......

Sorry.

- U.K.