Wasatch Backcountry Skiing

[powderhound]

Some photos of my main addiction, backcountry powder skiing. Although this year has been notably bad, what we call the "northern powder circuit" in the Wasatch Range typically has the best snow on earth for backcountry skiing.

These photos are from the past 6 years. There aren't many photos from this year...

Meadow Chutes at sunset, Silver Fork
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Skinning the ridge between USA Bowl and Willow Fork
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Sunset over Salt Lake valley before a ski descent into Beartrap Fork
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My wife and I spooning, USA Bowl
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My wife rocking Holy Toledo in Cardiff Fork on a snorkel day
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Prepping gear above Cardiff Fork
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Skintrack, Mineral Fork
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My wife on a powder day
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Mt Superior
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My wife skinning in West Desolation
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Powder 8s off of Emma Ridge
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Skinning above Little Cottonwood Canyon
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Skinning into the Tri-Chutes in White Pine
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My wife skinning in White Pine
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My wife skinning up to Tom's Hill
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My wife skiing West Monitor (my tracks are on the far left)
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My wife skiing Silver Fork
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Deep!
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Going for Lap #2 in Days Fork
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Late season high wire act in White Pine
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Look closely in the center bottom for my wife skiing Flanagan's in Silver Fork
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Winter Wonderland, Willow Fork
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Me skiing Two Dogs, Days Fork
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2000' of coldsmoke, Me skiing
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My wife drops into Davenport Hill
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And finally a shot from the top of the Honeycomb Cliffs featuring most of the best ski terrain in the world
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[moab mark]

Amazing pictures thanks for sharing.

Mark

[tmartenst]

Very cool. Great shots. I share your passion but will oblige a lift :). I've been to a few of the spots in your shots, but need to tackle a few more. Awesome that you share the passion with your wife too. One notable omission that was my best backcountry run ever (got it with good snow) - Superior proper. No good pics perhaps?

btw, the beartrap sunset is fantastic!

[powderhound]

Thanks, I was going for photo quality here. Been to many more places in the Wasatch. I can get around the Wasatch backcountry better than I can downtown SLC...

Yeah, my wife and I run a small business together (internet based) so we can schedule stuff easily together, and we almost always do stuff during weekdays to avoid crowds.

Superior is one of the best. Always crowded, which steers me away, but a classic nonetheless. Been in Mill B South? No helis (also not my thing) and stunning scenery and terrain. Don't know why I didn't include this above:

The Sundial on a bluebird midwinter late afternoon. Our signatures are visible if you look closely.
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[outsider]

Awesome - thanks for the photo stoke! Been tough to get the real thing this winter...
-john

[tmartenst]

Been to upper Mill B South a few times but only in the summer. Possibly my favorite area in the Wasatch due to the lack of people. Did you come down from Superior or up from BCC?

[tanya]

Nice!

[accadacca]

:hail2thechief::hail2thechief::hail2thechief:

Man your wife looks hella good on those sticks! Awesome photography skillz too. We haven't seen this kinda eye candy much this season.

Cheers! :2thumbs:

[powderglut]

Beautiful! Beautiful Beautiful!!:2thumbs:

I love to do this style of skiing. But the backcountry has been so unstable, we really have limited ourselves to mostly low angle slopes. Layers underneath are really rotten. I can't imagine it's too different in your neck of the woods. Hopefully you're not laying it out to far. we've had a lot of stuff slide on lesser angles than you're showing.

Be Safe!!:nono:

[powderhound]

Beautiful! Beautiful Beautiful!!:2thumbs:

I love to do this style of skiing. But the backcountry has been so unstable, we really have limited ourselves to mostly low angle slopes. Layers underneath are really rotten. I can't imagine it's too different in your neck of the woods. Hopefully you're not laying it out to far. we've had a lot of stuff slide on lesser angles than you're showing.

Be Safe!!:nono:

Yeah, we've been visiting the desert a lot and skiing the meadows this year (almost all of those photos are from previous seasons). The persistent instabilities in the snowpack this year are just too unpredictable. I've been touring the Wasatch for a decent number of years now, and I've just never seen conditions like this. It's much more similar to a continental snowpack like Colorado than the usual Wasatch 'pack.

[Brian in SLC]

Been to upper Mill B South a few times but only in the summer. Possibly my favorite area in the Wasatch due to the lack of people. Did you come down from Superior or up from BCC?

Most sane way is probably across Cardiac...or the least amount of work.

I never get a decent ski out of Mill B South....probably never what's called, "good".

Awesome shots! Wow wow wow.

Pink Pine tonight for me, post work.

Honestly, in the 27 years I've skied the backcountry here, by far the worst snow pack/conditions I've ever seen. Crazy.

[powderhound]

Been to upper Mill B South a few times but only in the summer. Possibly my favorite area in the Wasatch due to the lack of people. Did you come down from Superior or up from BCC?

I've only come up from BCC, S curve TH. It's a slog, especially if the goal is the higher stuff. Pretty, though.