Whipple Couloir Backcountry Skiing is a classic Wasatch ski descent.  Getting there and finding it isn’t straight forward but you’ll be rewarded if you do.  With some of the most unique and visually stunning scenery in the Wasatch, the Whipple Couloir could be the most scenic of all the classic descents. Whipple Couloir Route Planning…

Backcountry Skiing Broads Fork in Big Cottonwood Canyon Utah.   Backcountry Skiing Broads Fork in Big Cottonwood Canyon Utah is absolutely “Bonkers”!   People come here for some of the longest vertical feet of uninterrupted powder skiing in Utah.  The approach is BIG, the skiing is BIG, and getting out of Broads fork is a…

Desolation Ridge Desolation Ridge is where Mill-D fork in the Big Cottonwood Canyon gets rowdy!   Desolation Ridge is located Higher up top near the Park City ridgeline. This ridge reaches up to 9,990.  It wraps steeply around Lake Desolation sheltering it from the mountain winds. Backcountry Skiing Desolation Ridge Big Cottonwood Canyon Utah. The…

Backcountry skiing Neffs Canyon Mount Olympus Utah Memorial Couloirs Backcountry skiing Neffs Canyon is a hidden gem of the Wasatch.  Tours in this area have stunning mountain views, hidden powder, and big mountain objectives.  The approaches are long and require time and fitness.   Neffs Canyon is not part of the Salt Lake watershed, meaning…

For several years I’ve created a backcountry skiing checklist for a day tour.  I love going on a day tour but occasionally I would forget an item that was vital to the enjoyment of the tour.  I’d forgotten my gloves once and my hands froze.  A solution came from an unexpected source.  I have a…

Willow Fork Ski Tour leaves Canyons resort via the ninety-nine ninety backcountry gate, follow the ridge south to Silver Peak, and then skis the West Willow Ridge to Silver Fork bus stop.   Bus ride or hitchhike up to Brighton Resort, ski it, turn around, and head back. 2,200 Vertical climb Distance 2 miles (each way) …

Backcountry skiing basics; It’s a cold sunny February day sitting on the Supreme Lift of Alta.  I look across the canyons and see people skiing knee-high powder from a storm 2 days prior… I wish I could be skiing in Grizzly Gulch, but I don’t even know where to get started on the Backcountry skiing…

Setting a skin track early morning all alone, the click of the bindings and the sound of snow crunching under the skis is all that breaks the silence.  Suddenly, WHOOMP, the slope avalanches from above and there is no place to go.  When skiing alone there is nobody to dig you out, and even if…