Sun, snow, and Mt. Superior
With weather worthy of sandals and shorts in Salt Lake City, June 5th, to me, seemed like an excellent day for skiing. Lots of late-season snow and consistent melt/freeze cycles with little rain left considerable coverage on favorable aspects above 8,000 feet. And after more than 20 consecutive weekends of charging down the fall line, the idea of another Saturday without strapping sticks to my feet made me feel a little dead inside. It is an addiction, after all.
I set my sights on the biggest and best bang for buck I know, Devil’s Castle. With it, I would finally be able to hike to the top of Sugarloaf Peak, which ski patrol closes while Alta is open for skiing. From there I planned to traverse down to the top of the giant, rolling snow-covered moraine known as ‘The Castle.’
I dressed in my ancient ski pants and a thin cotton shirt similar to The North Face Red Box T-Shirt, and then packed my backpack with as much water as would fit in my reservoir. In addition to snacks and such, I never leave for snowy adventures without:
Backcountry Access Tracker DTS Beacon
Ortovox Orange Avalanche Shovel
Sugarloaf Peak in my sights
Traveling up Little Cottonwood Canyon is always exciting, and that day the creek next to the road raged like the Zambezi. It reminded me that I was running against the flow of nature, and the snow I live for would soon be gone.
Confident but cautious was the mindset I was in while strapping my ’06-’07 Line Chronic Skis to my pack at the end of Highway 210. I started up the summer road and passed a few tourists taking pictures of the summer snow, but after a hundred yards I was alone and letting the steps blur into a comfortable groove.
Alta is a magical place. For me, there is no other way to describe it. It’s not the lifts, lodges, or religiously localized ski clan that makes it my favorite little nook on this giant blueberry. It is the otherworldly aspect of the terrain and surrounding mountains. The real Alta wasn’t designed by someone with ‘prohibited’ in their divine vocabulary. But to totally write off such a wonderful place that belongs to everyone from April until November is as much of a crime as denying access to it.
These ideas bounced around my head as I traversed empty beginner runs, passing Alf’s Restaurant.
Cecret Lake
Letting time slip with a few hundred steps, I found myself on a gentle slope looking down onto Cecret Lake with its brilliant blue water just beginning to emerge from icy hibernation.
About this time I began to notice the river of water running down the back of my pant legs. With temps soaring into the mid-to-upper 60s, it felt amazing. That is, until I discovered that it was my leaking water supply, not some evolutionary response. I stopped for a bite and to fix it to the outside of my pack.
Moving again, I quickly ascended to the top of the chairlift at 10,500 feet. I followed a skin track up onto the final stretch and entered a maze of deep, drifted snow and bushes.
Mineral Basin and American Fork Twin Peaks
Almost there
Near the summit, the windward side became a rocky sprint to the top. On the remnants of a goat path, my boots clunked up the rocks like a Dutch settler on the cobblestone streets of New Holland.
The unexpected summit cairn brought on that same top-of-the-world feeling, and I spent the good part of an hour enjoying the view.
Peeking down on Albion Basin
My rig and Mt. Timpanogos
Taking cues from the wind, I slung my pack on my back and continued down the darker side of the mountain. I knew this was the most challenging section, with hanging cornices on the left and steep snowfields on the right. The next 45 minutes I spent traversing over snow, rock, and snow again before I reached the top of The Castle.
Three hours after I started hiking, I put on my skis and began the downward journey. With the hard part behind me, arcing smooth turns through the soft, creamy snow felt like the primal beast inside me was let off the leash. I became a part of the natural flow, instead of fighting it, while at the same time mocking the chaos of the universe with the oh-so-human illusion of control. But you know the feeling.
I put together this video with my point-and-shoot and the VholdR ContourHD 1080p Wearable Camcorder.
Beaters
I crossed a few snowmobile tracks on the descent, and at the bottom it was clear that some sledneck poachers had been topping The Apron, which to my knowledge is against the law.
A long, slow descent through Albion Basin followed, with a bunch of poling over nasty, pine-needled snow. I eventually made it back to my car, with the sun casting its orange afternoon light on the Alp-esque Devil’s Castle.
Time for a beer
After adventures big or small, I can’t help but think what could’ve made it better. What would I bring next time? Here’s a brief list:
Black Diamond Ascension Nylon Custom STS Skins
Scarpa Typhoon Alpine Touring Boot
Black Diamond Covert with Avalung Winter Pack
CamelBak Omega Hydro Tanium Hydration Reservoir
Insight Stone Free Board Short
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Tags: backcountry skiing, skiing