Snowbird/Alta April 23-26, 2022

JTG · Apr 23, 2022

19 inches in the past 24 hours, currently snowing hard at the base, with the satisfying sound of explosions.

Seems like nobody’s here.

At the base the powder feels a lot ‘east coast’. Look at me, I sound like someone who’d ‘complain’ about what trails Gore opened on a surprise Friday after a midweek storm!

I’ll take the cream cheese down low, I’m sure there will be plenty of fluff higher up.

MarzNC · Apr 23, 2022

All parking at Alta filled up by midday April 23. Only the High T is open when it comes to gated terrain, which is a factor for when locals bother to make the drive.

Still snowing on the upper mountain as of 11am MT

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JTG · Apr 23, 2022

It’s not typical Utah fluff…but it’s lighter than eastern pow…..and it’s DEEP! Wow.

The video I took may be entirely obscured by the face shot. High Baldy hike was the call ‘o the day!

JTG · Apr 23, 2022

MarzNC…..you are STILL here?

MarzNC · Apr 23, 2022

JTG said:
MarzNC…..you are STILL here?

JTG · Apr 24, 2022

Not what I intended with my first High Baldy hike, but I popped over to Alta for a few runs. Coming into Alta through the Arm Pit gate netted some nice untracked turns on the Baldy Shoulder above the Shoulder Traverse. All the people on the traverse could do was watch and drool. A run out the Shoulder Traverse to Tombstone, followed by the High T for a little East Greeley action.

From there it was Keyhole or Shot (honestly, not sure which one) back to Snowbird.

A little Mount Superior obscured by clouds porn…

The scenery out here never disappoints, there’s still untracked to be found, and even the cut up powder is great. Time for another High Baldy lap…..

JTG · Apr 24, 2022

Here’s a little better shot of Superior. That view never gets old.

Here’s what little video I have so far, a little Baldy Shoulder pow.

I have to learn how to do better with the GoPro, try and get wider angle video….but I don’t use it much.

tirolski · Apr 24, 2022

Ya only hear the wind or yer right turns,
Sounds like quiet snow.

JTG · Apr 26, 2022

Where to start. After the weekend it’s hard to believe a day could get better. But it did.

This would be an ok place. I figured out SuperWide on the GoPro!

Not a bad first run of the day. Hopefully I’ll have more/better video, but I need to get it downloaded and cleaned up. The Knucklehead Traverse and gate out to Bonar Pass opened today, and that was some “slack country” in the closed Gad Valley.

Then there is this.

And Gary.

That’s Gary on the boot pack out the Knucklehead gate.

Here’s a better picture of Gary, after I caught up with him on the boot pack and before we dropped into a killer side country run in No Name Bowl on the back side of the Gad Valley.

Gary is a 62 year old Snowbird local/character. Ended up hanging out and having beers on the Plaza Deck with him and a bunch of other long time locals/characters for a few hours after we were done skiing. Anyway, here are a few pictures of the in between.

This was the direction we were headed….

…..and this is where we ended up. Hopefully I’ll have some good video later.

We avoided steeper, more open slopes as it was late in the day and temps were pushing mid-40s

Here are some random other shots from the adventure.

Oh, in between those runs I had a few good runs out in Mineral Basin, including a largely untracked run far out the High Bookend gate.

Here are some other random shots from throughout the day. The spectacular scenery all melds together after a while!

We’ll see what tomorrow brings, skiing-wise. Would love to get over to Alta (closed) and Main Baldy. We’ll see…

Didn’t leave Snowbird until around 7:00. That left me a little daylight for bouldering around the Little Cottonwood Creek, which runs right past the AirBnB I’m staying at, as far up LCC as you can stay (unless you are staying at Snowbird/Alta).

At this point I never pass up the opportunity to scout out locations to fish for trout. Rumor has it there’s brookies in there. I didn’t spy any.

I also did a short hike around the Gate Buttress, a renowned SLC climbing spot that happens to be owned by….