Sunday, March 6, 2011

Update!

Not much to report on this end; I'm here at the shop on a rainy day in the valley--it's dumping in the mountains as we speak, though!  This week was more of the same--days upon days of skiing--though it's been about a week since our last real storm, so rather than ski the high Wasatch, we've been focusing more on the tighter, steeper lines of the mid-elevation.  Sometimes it's nice to switch it up a bit, and this week, we got to explore more of the complex terrain of Upper Neff's canyon, overlooking the Salt Lake valley. 
Neff's is where, during my first season ski touring the Wasatch, Tyler and I spent much of our time--in a place called Thomas Fork, more specifically.  But this week, we really got motivated and we pushed further up the canyon, seeking out lines we had seen years ago, yet--at the time--lacked the experience, perhaps, to safely navigate.  It was sort of a home-coming:  to look upon all that familiar terrain with a new eye for lines reminded me of my first love, seeking out and climbing new routes, first ascents--what occupies the bulk of my time and energy through the other 3/4 of the year.  Indeed, it's getting harder these days to remain sufficiently psyched to ski; touring is a lot of work and as the days get longer and the temps continue to rise, the notion of a sunny day of rock climbing in shorts and a t-shirt become more and more appealing.  I have in mind, however, to fulfill a big goal this season--to ski the Grand Teton--and so I'm just hoping I can sustain the psyche for just a few more weeks, until the middle of April when ski conditions on the Grand are in their prime.  Meanwhile, it's days like yesterday--big link-ups with good friends and partners--that keep me optimistic.  Here are just a few images, shot on my buddy Ari's iPhone, from yesterday's chuting spree! 
 Ari snapped this photo of me rappelling the short section of cliff-band on my old nemesis, the NW Couloir of the Pfeifferhorn.  Finally, the conditions were right and we got it! 
 Another shot of the rap:  the NW Couloir can be seen in one of my older posts--it was the line Tyler and I tried to ski about a week and a half ago, and is pictured in one of the photos I took from within the Hypodermic Needle.  This is the middle section of the line--the top bit is a ~15' wide ramp that reaches 50 degrees, then doglegs to the skier's right to reach this rappel.  It's usually about a 50' drop, but with all the snow this year, it's very filled in.  Below the rappel is a beautiful apron shot with a small cliff that one can avoid on either side, then into the huge expanse of Hogum's Fork.
 Here I am, following Ari's boot-track, perhaps a bit less than halfway up the Sliver, one of a trio of steep chutes that start from the top of the Thunder Ridge.  In an older post, Tyler and Andrea and I skied the Hypodermic Needle, the Sliver's big brother--it should be visible to the looker's left of the Needle in one of the images from that tour.  Thanks for breaking trail, Ari!
This is me booting the final ten or so feet to the top of the Sliver and the top of the Thunder Ridge.  The chute section of the Sliver is 1,700 vertical feet in relief, plus the huge apron below--there's a bit of bend below me that obscures the line, so from this vantage, it's difficult to get a sense of just how big it is.  I was a bit knackered after a full week of skiing and had planned to take the day off, so by the time this shot was taken, I was dragging.  Ari was good enough to break for most of the way up.  The ski out of Hogum's Fork--sure enough--lived up to its reputation as a face-slapping, bush-whacking, hateful waddle through terrain-traps with minimal coverage.  It was, however, better than the last time we skied it out!