Utah Adventure Journal

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  Everest, Denali, Rainier, the Grand Teton…Utah has none of these. The Wasatch is not known for alpine climbing. The Alps have Mt. Blanc, the Matterhorn and dozens of others. Even Colorado, Californiaʼs Sierras and Washingtonʼs Cascades boast better alpine routes. But there are two user-friendly classics here, and they are actually pretty awesome in […]

  More backcountry skiers per acre than any other national forest…tracks everywhere…the Wasangeles Front is a (justifiably) popular ski touring haven.  Yet just a few trailheads and a tiny, user-friendly fraction of the available terrain sees the vast majority of the ski tourer visits. Easy access and moderate slopes attract most tourers to the multi-use […]

Now that backcountry skiing has tickled the consciousness of mainstream skiers, all sorts of destinations have become normal fare for the average hardcore skier. From the Green Mountains of Vermont to the Washington’s Cascade Range, Wyoming’s Tetons, the Wasatch of Utah, or California’s Sierra Nevada, the tracks of backcountry skiers are plainly visible where there […]

  March 2011, Grand Teton National Park Under a grey sky and through intermittent snow flurries, Charlie and I skinned up to and past the top of 25-Short, a 2,200-foot glade of pines on the Buck Mountain Massif. Our plan is to gain a ridge that divides the north and south forks of Avalanche Canyon […]

The numbness that began in my fingers now filled my arms with a tingling sensation. Not numbness of cold but of oxygen deprivation in the body. My heart and lungs could no longer keep up with what I was asking them to do. I’d been running at altitude for some two and a half hours, […]

Black Diamond Revelation Avalung The perfect all around ski and mountaineering pack, the Revelation features a top loading design with plenty of room for stuff for a day or two in the backcountry. Designed to carry skis A-frame style. The exterior zip pocket is designed to carry your shovel and probe for quick and easy […]

“What do you think is the most fun we can have?” The words of Dr. Geoffrey Tabin as I sit waiting to begin my interview. He is conversing with one of his good friends about the possibility of skiing ten resorts in one day. “We’ll see what the avalanche danger is, but I think we […]

-Guiding experience? I’ve guided full-time for nine years. I mostly lead mountaineering expeditions, backcountry ski tours, and teach avalanche courses. It’s been an amazing ride that’s taking me to most of the Western States, Nepal, France, Switzerland, Mongolia, Chile, Argentina, Antarctica, and Alaska. One of the best perks about the job is that the nature […]

Utah’s ski resorts are growing in popularity, as documented by a steady increase in skier days since the 2002 Olympics. While numbers are down slightly to just under 4 million last year, the last 7 seasons have all been in the top 10 in skier visits of all time, with 2007/08 the biggest year ever. […]

Skiing Utah’s Biggest Lines What is the point of pushing oneself aerobically? Why do that extra lap or pedal another hill on a training day? For many it’s to pass another athlete in the late stages of a race, for others it’s the satisfaction of establishing a new personal best. For me- it’s the possibility […]

As the last golden rays of sunlight faded behind the ridge, we began our descent. The rappels below awaited us as we hurriedly built an anchor and lowered into the twilight. The day’s adventure had begun with a 6 a.m. wake up call to grab gear and meet at the Little Cottonwood park-n-ride. Destination: The […]