TR: Uinta Mega Tour

Hey kids. Figured it's time I pony up and post a TR. Last Saturday certainly merits one.

I work with a few old, aggro, stinky, ridiculously-in-shape ski mountaineer hippy-type guys. Last week a few of us decided Saturday, one of the warmest March days in the history of Utah (errrg), would be a good day to go tour in the Uintas. We did have a good freeze the night before, so all was on.

5 of us convened at the Soapstone trailhead on Mirror Lake Highway, equipped with 2 'biles and a tow rope. After the LONGEST 'BILE RIDE EVER (approx. 20 miles), we were over Baldy Mtn Pass and a few miles down the road, parked in a roadside meadow.

Meadow, with view of Baldy Mountain over trees:
http://home.earthlink.net/~joshrhea/MeadowBaldy-sm.jpg

Getting ready to skin:
http://home.earthlink.net/~joshrhea/GearUpUintas-sm.jpg

The day began with a short skin followed by a crampon-equipped climb in punchy, rotten snow up the 'Mountaineering Couloir' to gain the ridge of Hayden Peak. You had to pretty much sidestep your way up; front-pointing quickly resulted in puching through the top couple inches of crust into waist-deep sugar. Ugh.

Alex nearing the top of the couloir:
http://home.earthlink.net/~joshrhea/AS-Mtneering-sm.jpg

View back toward Baldy Mtn:
http://home.earthlink.net/~joshrhea/...tnUinta-sm.jpg

Opposing view from Hayden looking toward Mt. Agassi. Our route would go down Hayden's SE face, across the huge basin to the FARTHEST ridge, gain the ridge, then up to the top of the tallest peak, back down the shaded West aspect you can clearly see the top of, then an hour-long traverse back to the biles:

http://home.earthlink.net/~joshrhea/AgassiCirque-sm.jpg

continued...

Here is the route drawn out:

http://home.earthlink.net/~joshrhea/UintaRoute.jpg

Spread Eagle peak from the ridge on Hayden, another peak the guys I was with like to do (along w/ everything else we were doing that day):
http://home.earthlink.net/~joshrhea/...adeagle-sm.jpg

'Backcountry' Bob and the SE face of Hayden, which we just skied. Nice corn!
http://home.earthlink.net/~joshrhea/BobHaydenski-sm.jpg

The skintrack up that FAR ridge to gain the spine up Agassi:
http://home.earthlink.net/~joshrhea/...intrack-sm.jpg

Looking at (and dreading) the spine we have to climb to gain the summit of Agassi from above skintrack:
http://home.earthlink.net/~joshrhea/AgassiRidge-sm.jpg

continued...

We gained the ridge, and traversed the south side of it, where we encounted HORRIBLY rotten snow. We were clinging to the rocks in case a wet slide should decide to start creeping away from us. Bob fell into a hole (while skinning, with skis on!) up to his armpits. Here he is about half-way out:

http://home.earthlink.net/~joshrhea/BobArmpits-sm.jpg

I don't have any pics of the ridge climb to the summit b/c I was too wasted and totally gripped. Here's Bob skiing Agassi after we gained the summit. Not too steep but fun skiing:

http://home.earthlink.net/~joshrhea/BobSkiAgassi-sm.jpg

and Alex:

http://home.earthlink.net/~joshrhea/...iAgassi-sm.jpg

Main face of Agassi, 2 guys went through the angle couloir in the middle (looker's left of the one you can visibly see all the way through):
http://home.earthlink.net/~joshrhea/AgassiView-sm.jpg

The rest of us skirted the big cliffs around to looker's left. This was after skiing the main 2 chutes from the summit...good stuff:
http://home.earthlink.net/~joshrhea/...houlder-sm.jpg

Anyway, it was a 12-hour tour from car to car. Un-freaking-believable, and one of the physically most challenging days of my life. Amazing area back in there, and you just feel so incredibly remote. Nothing like having a giant 12,000-foot summit in between you and safety; there's no negotiating, ya just gotta climb it and ski it. Won't forget this one anytime soon :D

Excellent TR Particle, thanks for sharing.

I said God Damn! My legs hurt just looking at that. Thanks for the stoke!!!

Awesome. Thanks for sharing.

Wow, that was beautiful!

neiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice!!

:) :) :)

good stuff, nice TR.

nice!

Very cool. Sounds like a long day. I'm sure you were drowsy on the 'bile ride back .

nice work mang!http://www.tetongravity.com/ubb/icons/icon14.gif

http://tetongravity.com/ubb/icons/icon14.gifhttp://tetongravity.com/ubb/icons/icon14.gif

Very cool. Nice work.

Sawweeeeeeeeeeet TR! Just wish you would've given me a call to join ya. Next time?

I'm speechless....

That is one of my favorite areas to hike in the summer! Now winter needs to be on the list.

CAW! CAW!! CAW!!!!!

stash--next time, if there ever is one, i'll be sure to give you a call. (we were just super short on biles, but i guess we could've towed one more)

I prefer those tours with a nice long climb up and a nice long ski down. None of this up-down, up-down, up-down, across business!

I've been absent from here for a while and just saw this.

I am sooooooooooooo jealous. Being a Utah ex-patriot, I have always wanted to get back there mid winter. Tried to last year over the holidays with sketch avi conditions, lack of partners, etc.

I will be back in SLC again over Turkey day and X-mas etc. I have a big-fat powerful sled that can seat two, and tow two easily.

We should hook up for some Uinta turns this upcoming season.

Nice TR and shots. They're killing me.

Nice!
So, no aftereffects from last years wreck? You gotta be feeling pretty damn good to even attempt that sh*t.

Wow. What a beautiful way to start my morning. Thank you for the write-up, and holy crap those pics are amazing.

Bump because on thursday I'll finally get some turns here.

i just looked at the dates after thinking, "damn that looks really filled in for nov 2nd". then again a lot of stuff looks filled in for november.