Alta, UT 1/13/2008 with video & photos

[FirstTracks]

Day 24: We don't need no steenking heli

The weather forecasters were wrong. They predicted bright sunshine today. We got it, but for about an hour from 12:30 to 1:30. Otherwise we had pea soup one minute, snow squalls the next.

It was another great day of fresh snow on the hill. We lapped Wildcat until Bob Dangerous got bored, then moved on to Collins where Fred's Trees skied exceptionally well. Our last run before lunch was out the High T to Hourglass Chute, the first time that I've skied that all year, moving over to Eagle's Nest (wonderful lightly tracked loose snow) to arrive at Rustler Lodge for lunch where Skidog departed.

After lunch Collins was down momentarily, so the posse arrived atop Point Supreme via Albion, Cecret and Supreme for the adventure of the day. We climbed out to Catherine's Pass herself, stopping en route to marvel at wind sifting off a cornice and looking down to Lake Catherine, where on Sunset Peak beyond two backcountry skiers added their signatures.

We then traversed further out on Patsy Marley than I've ever been, skiing untracked heliskiing-quality goodness down to the summer road halfway between the top of Albion and Grizzly Gulch. I think that visitor John, a 21 year-old from Vermont, and Ira, an AlpineZoner from NY, will wear those smiles for a long, long time -- too bad my camera batteries had died by that point . We finished up in aspen trees between the Grizzly Gulch chalets and the Albion maintenance garage that would make Steamboat jealous.

All in all another amazing day in the Wasatch!

A brief video:

http://link.brightcove.com/services/...ctid1370889986

and some stills:

Wind sifts snow over a cornice in Catherine's Area (and no, I didn't shoot this in B&W -- that's full color!):



A backcountry skier begins his descent of Sunset Peak:



Sunset Peak:



Tele Jon in Catherine's:



Bob Dangerous in Catherine's:



Bob Dangerous in Catherine's:

[accadacca]

You ROCK! Man you guys must be in great shape.

[FirstTracks]

My exercise regimen consists of 12-oz. curls.