Alta ... from the High Meadow
Out of mild frustration at the Bird yesterday, I went up to Alta this morning for at the very least some exercise.
Hardcore called last night and said that the touring sucked - and he was serious. I asked, "no wind buff luv?" He said, nope - sun came out to hard, for the brief time that it did, and crusted everything - and I mean everything - up. I think that can't possibly right.
So, I head up this a.m. for a morning tour. I'll be damned if Hardcore wasn't right. All elevations and all aspects had a death crust on them. Oh well, at least I got some exercise.
Plus, I went to look at a line Harpo and I have been eyeing for two years now (I'm going to dub "High Meadow Straighline"). You can't ski the line when the resort is open cause Patrol are the only ones allowed up to the High Meadow. For the Alta jongs out there, the High Meadow is the top of the cliffs above the Backside - you can see them from both Sugarloaf and Germ. There is only one way up there. You go to Eddies and then turn right, grab rope and do about 30-40' of easy 5th class mixed climbing. When you are up there you feel like you are in a special place. It is where patrol bombs the Backside from and there is patrol rope everywhere up there.
I walked over to the line that Harpo and I want to do. I got puckered just looking at it and thinking about it. You might be able to make 1 maybe 2 turns at the top of it to regulate your speed and from there it is a full on 45 deg straightline into the top of the "normal" Backside. When we straightline or 2 to 3 turn the Backside during the season we are easily going close to 60 at the bottom and that is from a dead start - now add a 60' 45 deg straightline to that. I think I could coast all the way back to the base of Wildcat - and that includes going up the hill at the bottom of it. :D The line made the "normal" Backside look flat as hell.
http://www.biglines.com/photos/blpic22492.jpg
Definitley not do-able today with the deathiest of death crusts out there - but maybe, just maybe when things corn up. Hopefully we'll get sum vid of it - it will be SICK!!!! Plus, we are both thinking of doing it in AT gear - I might be re-thinking that after what I saw today though ;) .
The sketchiest part of being up there was coming back down. Nothing like "ski-rapping" down over near vert rock knowing that if you slip you're a rag doll. :D
Anyways, on the way down West facing slopes were just starting to soften and were very supportable thanks to being buffed and scoured smooth. Wish I would've waited to go this afternoon; would've been careeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeamy!!!
