Ski Touring in the Wasatch

NW Col. Pfiefferhorn

Ten years ago, a man told me tales of getting off the chair lift at Alta and being up to your neck in powder snow. My mind tried to make sense of this....neck deep snow? How could that be possible I asked myself? My mind began to wander, but I could not imagine this "powder snow." It was akin to the human mind trying to conceptualise quantum mechanics.

Rippin' turns with SLC looming below

The following winter I hopped on an airplane in Boston, landed in SLC, took a shuttle, then a snowcat to my new home, a dorm room below Alf's Restaurant 9,240 ft, mid-mountain Alta, Utah. Greeted with 3 feet of fresh powder snow, my mind was blown. "Jumpin' Ja-hoe-sif-at," I exclaimed. Mt. Superior across the canyon from Alta Ski Area

When the storm cleared, I couldn't believe my eyes. Skiable mountains everywhere, covered in snow. The lone sets of ski tracks carved in fresh powder snow, scattered on the mountain faces across the canyon were inspiring pieces of art work. "Dude, its like Tuckerman's Ravine all ovah the place guy," I thought to myself. Ski track set down the fall line, not crossing another track, sheer beauty!

Louie's Rock

A bunch of other boyz up at Alf's Restaurant thought the same thing. We left confines of the resort and went in search of adventure and freedom. This became the regular and now nine years later I find myself skiing with many of those same boyz, The Skier Boyz.

~Richard Pumpington