I think it is safe to say that winter has finally hit Utah!
WIth 32 inches blanketing the mountains and 22 inches burying cars and homes in Park City, things are starting to look a lot more like christmas.
My day started at 7:30am when my phone started going off with friends eager to share the powder stoke. Thank god for those calls, because I had forgotten to set my alarm and was in bed sleeping the morning away.
I was a little tired from a late night, but the minute I opened my eyes and saw the snow piled over the porch, my lack of sleep was no match for my insane excitement.
I pulled on my clothes, went outside and started digging out of the house.
Whitney pulled up at 8am and we took off heading towards Little Cottonwood. We had survived the sketchy drive down Parley’s and up Little Cottonwood.
It was about 9:30 by the time we pulled up and to my surprise and excitement they weren’t loading the lifts yet. It seemed as though mother nature was trying to see how messed up she could make our snow pack and with a fully upside down pack every rollover was cracking. So we got our rightful place in line for the Wildcat lift and waited till they opened the lift at 11am.
It was well worth the wait! The snow was bottomless and not your typical Utah blower. It was a little firmer, which allowed it to feel as though you were getting a ton of energy out of each turn.
Everyone was popping off little hits, some were biting it. others were stomping everything.
It was a rad day to be on the hill! Can’t wait to do it all over today.
(Sorry for the lack of photos, I lost my camera but will have another one soon to keep the B log interesting)
Posted 2 years, 5 months ago. 1 comment
Well, as it usually does, Halloween week has brought a significant storm to the Wasatch and most of the Utah mtns.
I am about to head over to Little Cottonwood to see for my self, but I’m expecting to find snow totally of around a foot. Stay tune for fun photos and much more…
National Weather Service
Watches, Warnings & Advisories
Local weather forecast by “City, St” or zip code
2 products issued by NWS for: Alta UT
Winter Storm Warning
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SALT LAKE CITY UT
332 AM MDT WED OCT 28 2009
...COLD AND WET STORM ACROSS THE REGION...
.A STRONG EARLY SEASON STORM WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT THE REGION
INTO TONIGHT. SNOW WILL PERSIST IN MAINLY THE MOUNTAIN AREAS AND
ACROSS EASTERN CENTRAL UTAH THROUGH THIS EVENING BEFORE TAPERING
OFF.
UTZ008>010-517-281800-
/O.CON.KSLC.WS.W.0013.000000T0000Z-091029T0500Z/
WASATCH MOUNTAINS SOUTH OF I-80-WESTERN UINTA MOUNTAINS-
WASATCH PLATEAU/BOOK CLIFFS-CENTRAL MOUNTAINS-
332 AM MDT WED OCT 28 2009
...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM MDT THIS
EVENING...
A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW AND STRONG WINDS REMAINS IN
EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM MDT THIS EVENING.
THIS WARNING IS FOR THE WASATCH MOUNTAINS SOUTH OF I-80...THE
WESTERN UINTA MOUNTAINS...THE WASATCH PLATEAU AND BOOK CLIFFS...
AND THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS OF UTAH.
ONE TO TWO FEET OF SNOW IS EXPECTED IN THESE AREAS BY THIS
EVENING...WITH GREATER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE IN AREAS FAVORED BY
NORTHERLY FLOW.
SNOW IS BECOMING WIDESPREAD AGAIN TODAY AS ADDITIONAL MOISTURE
SPREADS INTO THE AREA. THIS SNOW WILL LIKELY CONTINUE INTO THE
EVENING BEFORE TAPERING OFF LATE.
IN ADDITION TO THE SNOWFALL...STRONG NORTH WINDS WILL CONTINUE
CREATING AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS A MIXTURE OF HEAVY SNOW AND STRONG
WIND IS EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. DRIVING CONDITIONS MAY BE
HAZARDOUS. USE CAUTION. BE PREPARED FOR SUDDEN RESTRICTIONS IN
VISIBILITY DUE TO BLOWING SNOW. KEEP A WINTER STORM SURVIVAL KIT
IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.
FOR WINTER ROAD CONDITIONS FROM THE UTAH DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORTATION VISIT...HTTP://WWW.COMMUTERLINK.UTAH.GOV OR DIAL
511.
&&
$$
Hazardous Weather Outlook
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SALT LAKE CITY UT
412 AM MDT WED OCT 28 2009
UTZ001>016-019>021-517-518-WYZ021-291200-
CACHE VALLEY/UTAH PORTION-NORTHERN WASATCH FRONT-
SALT LAKE AND TOOELE VALLEYS-SOUTHERN WASATCH FRONT-
GREAT SALT LAKE DESERT AND MOUNTAINS-WASATCH MOUNTAIN VALLEYS-
WASATCH MOUNTAINS I-80 NORTH-WASATCH MOUNTAINS SOUTH OF I-80-
WESTERN UINTA MOUNTAINS-WASATCH PLATEAU/BOOK CLIFFS-
WESTERN UINTA BASIN-CASTLE COUNTRY-SAN RAFAEL SWELL-
SANPETE/SEVIER VALLEYS-WEST CENTRAL UTAH-SOUTHWEST UTAH-
UTAHS DIXIE AND ZION NATIONAL PARK-SOUTH CENTRAL UTAH-
GLEN CANYON RECREATION AREA/LAKE POWELL-CENTRAL MOUNTAINS-
SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS-SOUTHWEST WYOMING-
412 AM MDT WED OCT 28 2009
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE WESTERN TWO THIRDS OF
UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING.
.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT
A WET AND COLD STORM SYSTEM WILL AFFECT THE REGION THROUGH
TONIGHT. MOISTURE WRAPPING WESTWARD ACROSS CENTRAL UTAH WILL
PROVIDE THE GREATEST SNOW TOTALS IN THE UINTA MOUNTAINS...BOOK
CLIFFS...AND THE MOUNTAINS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN UTAH. VALLEYS
FROM THE UINTA BASIN SOUTHWEST TO CEDAR CITY WILL ALSO BE AFFECTED
BY ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL. SEE THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER STATEMENT
FOR INFORMATION ON WARNINGS...ADVISORIES...AND FORECAST SNOWFALL
AMOUNTS.
GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS WILL REDEVELOP TODAY ACROSS WESTERN AND
PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN UTAH...LIKELY AFFECTING WIND SENSITIVE
OPERATIONS.
COLD OVERNIGHT TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE INTO THURSDAY AND FRIDAY
MORNINGS. FREEZING TEMPERATURES MAY AFFECT OUTDOOR PLANTS ACROSS
ALL OF SOUTHERN UTAH INCLUDING THE ST GEORGE AND LAKE POWELL
AREAS.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY
A WARMING TREND IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN THIS WEEKEND WITH A RIDGE OF
HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING BACK INTO THE REGION.
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
$$
ROGOWSKI
FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM NOAA/S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE VISIT...
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/SALTLAKECITY (ALL LOWER CASE)
Posted 2 years, 6 months ago. Add a comment
My alarm went off at 6am, but I was already wide awake. I had been up since 3am with that excited, heart racing, tossing and turning that usually only arrives the evening before the first big snow of the season, however this year it was due to the eve of finally hiking and possibly skiing one of the peaks I have had on my radar for four years.
As I lay there in bed trying to stay as still as possible, occasional trying to count sheep (but they inevitably turned into something ski related) all I could think about was hiking Mount Timpinogos. Just the thought of getting to hike to the top with my skis and boots on my pack was enough to get the hart racing, not to mention letting my mind wonder to the possibility of getting to put on my skis and actually make a few turns on the snow field. No, that thought was just too much and would send my feet twitching and my mind wondering if I should just get out of bed now.
But, I decided to stay in bed, knowing that I would need the last three hours of horizontal darkness, even if they were spent wide awake. Eventually, I did fall asleep until the alarm went off at 6am and I was finally allowed to start the day I had been hoping for since I moved to Utah.
I jumped out of bed, grabbed a cup of joe and checked the weather one last time. Then I fed Merl, the dog, a big heaping helping of his food, knowing that even though he didn’t know it, he was going to need every bit of kibble. After which, I grabbed everything that I had packed the night before, jumped in the truck, picked up Whitney and then we were off.
We arrived at the trail head at 8:15am. There were only two other cars in the lot, which was quite surprising seeing as Timp is one of the most popular hikes in the state. All we could think was that it was due to the fact that it was a Sunday in Utah.
We got our gear together, strapping skis and boots to the outside of our packs, while Merl, so over wrought with puppy excitement, used the lot as a formula one race track.
Before we knew it Whitney, Merl, and I hit the falls and then it was as if we blinked and there we were approaching the snow line. We were making great time. Merl was doing great on his first big hike and Whitney was mitigating hot spots on her feet very nicely, and I… well, I was busy taking more pictures than a Park City tourist.
Everything was going bizarrely smooth for a pair as accident prone as Whitney and myself, we just knew something had to happen. And just as Whitney uttered the words, “Last time I just pranced over this section.” BOOM!!! She slammed down hard on the boulder behind and let out a horrific scream. When I turned around, there she was, white as a ghost holding her ankle.
After a few minutes of silence she decided that the only way to figure out if we should go on or turn around was for her to just keep hiking up. So on we went….
We slipped and slid our way up through the glazed-over snow pack, kicked in steps where the ice gave way to recrystallized snow, and post holed through the deeper snow pack. Suddenly it became perfectly clear why there were only two other cars in the lot.
Merl, Happy to see the snow
Whitney pushing through
Side stepping one of the many steep and slippery slopes
As we reached the hanging meadow it became obvious that there was going to be plenty of snow to ski and that my decision to leave the skins at home was going to be brutally paid for by every step of trail I broke.
Trying to coast across the flats on skis before returning to the uphill boot pack
But inevitably we made it to the lake and snow field where Whitney and I decided to take a much deserved lunch break.
1 Can Smoked Oysters + 1 bag of trail mix = Retro Lunch
It was 1:30pm. The snow had been basking in the sunlight for the pas few hours, warming from it’s icy evening temps. Whit and I sat down among the juvenile pines, I opened my can of smoked oysers and bag of trail mix and we soaked in the rays while scoping out the boot pack up the snow field.
After eating enough oysters to ensure nausea for the rest of the hike we decide it was time to capitalize on the sunny slopes and get skiing.
The final push
We finished the hike, threw on our skis, and started our way down the hill.
After skiing four pitches down the peak, about 1,000 verticle ft. of velvety smooth, supreme spring like snow we hit the trail and it was time to hike our way back down the trail.
As Whitney , Merl, and I limped, moseyed, and swaggered our way down the mountain, I couldn’t help but fearing I was still in bed and this was all just a dream.
Posted 2 years, 7 months ago. 2 comments
