WASATCH STOKE, CONDITIONS, OBSERVATIONS and ASSORTED DRIVAL 20-21

[Benneke10]

All the real locals will stick to the Albion lift when the snow is good

[Lone Star]

So for a *hypothetical* crowded powder day that lands on a Saturday at Alta (trying not to jinx us here), I have my morning routine down for getting an early Collins chair.

The question: off that first run, is my best bet:
1) sidestepping up to yellowtail / greeley and skiing down to supreme 4 Catherine's? Assuming that sunnyside acts as a choke point splitting people between supreme and sugarloaf?
OR
2) just ski something off the traverse and head for wildcat? I do love westward ho on a powder day...
OR
3) some idea im not thinking of???

it's going to snow so much you are going to be skiing mambo for your first three laps on collins

[bennerlur]

Anyone recommend a local shop with some good deals on last years skis right now? Would love to pick up something 50% off in 105ish width. Or hit me with your used offers! ~170-183 length

[TheK12]

Anyone recommend a local shop with some good deals on last years skis right now? Would love to pick up something 50% off in 105ish width. Or hit me with your used offers! ~170-183 length

Check LevelNine.

[TheK12]

Tried searching but couldn't find anything. Looking for recs on a good touring guidebook for the Wasatch and Uintas. Thanks!

[brutah]

Anyone recommend a local shop with some good deals on last years skis right now? Would love to pick up something 50% off in 105ish width. Or hit me with your used offers! ~170-183 length

I've got just the ski for ya! A brand new pair of DPS Wailer 106 with a tour/alchemist hybrid layup for sale in 178 cm.

https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...DPS+wailer+106

[Skidog]

Tried searching but couldn't find anything. Looking for recs on a good touring guidebook for the Wasatch and Uintas. Thanks!

this should be fun...

Chuting Gallery would be a start.

[Boissal]

Chuting Gallery would be a start.

Collector's item right now I imagine.

The 3 volumes of the old Wasatch Tours books by Kelner & ?? are great. Published way BITD when touring was in its infancy and skiing Superior would have been considered "an extreme endeavor only considered by the most reckless of daredevils and other breeds of adrenaline junkies".
That being said it covers a shitload of terrain, including stuff outside of the central range that has minimal traffic, and provides many very safe ascent routes that some people in the Wasatch would benefit from reading about... And it's well written and full of funny anecdotes.
There used to be some paper maps of the range, can't remember who makes them, basically one big aerial picture with many ascent/descent routes highlighted. They were more useful than a guidebook for planning.

[snowaddict91]

^on the map front, if you aren't familiar with the "wbskiing" map, buy the app for your phone or the paper version. No beta but lots of named runs which you can generally use to find beta on the interwebs.

[TheK12]

Thanks for the suggestions! Looks like the Wasatch Touring book vol 3 could be what I'm looking for in addition to downloading the WBskiing app. Definitely looking for shallow, meadow skipping opportunities as we build up our BC skills - we're currently more about exercise and learning than skiing anything fun.

[Boissal]

Thanks for the suggestions! Looks like the Wasatch Touring book vol 3 could be what I'm looking for in addition to downloading the WBskiing app. Definitely looking for shallow, meadow skipping opportunities as we build up our BC skills - we're currently more about exercise and learning than skiing anything fun.

Not much else to do at the moment. I feel like we have access to about 20% of the terrain that was skiable the past 2 seasons right now, it's nuts. A narrow band of mid elevation terrain centered on the SW end of the compass is all you get.
Wasatch 3 is full of ideas for off the beaten paths tours. Gives you approach beta for things that are quite a bit harder to get into than the roadside Cottonwoods stuff.

[jmills]

Love these Ikon blackout weekends! Minimal lines at the Bird, even with 25 person trams it was only a one boat wait. Feels good to be riding the tram again, I’ve been avoiding it all season so far. Looks like everyone else is avoiding it, one of the benefits of being in the herd.

Damn we need snow!

It was nice at the Bird Friday and Saturday,and you’re right about the lack of lines. About the only time we stood in a line we were waiting on a sled loading on Mineral.

[brutah]

No one's gonna bring this up?

https://www.deseret.com/platform/amp...-alta-snowbird

[altacoup]

I’ve said many times that I think this is actually a done deal. They just haven’t been very public about it and are now leaking it out bit by bit. Whenever the decision on the Olympics comes odds when they’ll go full steam ahead. They might have the Udot plow drivers in on it. 2 inches of snow mid canyon turned into a disaster.

[Skidog]

I’ve said many times that I think this is actually a done deal. They just haven’t been very public about it and are now leaking it out bit by bit. Whenever the decision on the Olympics comes odds when they’ll go full steam ahead. They might have the Udot plow drivers in on it. 2 inches of snow mid canyon turned into a disaster.

agree and said it quite a long time ago. I think it could be hung low enough on the creek side and colored as not to distract too much from the views. Could implement some solar to offset power usage. Would for sure be a "tourist attraction" in all months.
The complaints about the snowshoers and other outdoor recreationists is kinda BS. On a pow day you think they wanna wait in ski traffic? This would be a godsend for them even if there was a small toll. White pine tourers on a pow day? Not having to wait for ski traffic? WIN....Also way less obtrusive than a train for sure...

[jtran10]

Seeming more and more like climate change will solve this issue for us before a decision is actually made.

[mar123]

not scale but you get the idea...



....yeay more shit.

[skifishbum]

No one's gonna bring this up?

https://www.deseret.com/platform/amp...-alta-snowbird

the penn stated dreadlocked 1/2 kiwi 1/2 bindered freak i shared my first sillytude shop season in 97 in charge of the little ganjola show?
ida never thunks

damn we done got old
cogs are cool

[Dantheman]

The complaints about the snowshoers and other outdoor recreationists is kinda BS. On a pow day you think they wanna wait in ski traffic? This would be a godsend for them even if there was a small toll. White pine tourers on a pow day? Not having to wait for ski traffic? WIN....Also way less obtrusive than a train for sure...

Go read the EIS. UDOT says the gondola will move 1,050 people per hour, while the remaining 2,250 people per hour that need to go up the canyon during peak times will have to travel in private vehicles on the road. The road will still be a clusterfuck when it's storming. Estimated travel time using the gondola is around 60 minutes, while enhanced bus service+bus lane is 36 minutes.

P&R Gondola: $546 million, 63-minute travel time, 3 transfers
https://littlecottonwoodeis.udot.uta...0_2020_FIN.pdf

La Caille Gondola: $576 million, 55-59 minute travel time, 2-3 transfers
https://littlecottonwoodeis.udot.uta...0_2020_FIN.pdf

Enhanced bus service+bus lane: $481 million, 36-minute travel time, 1 transfer
https://littlecottonwoodeis.udot.uta...0_2020_FIN.pdf


But, yes, we should totally go with the slowest, most expensive option, and the only one with viewshed impacts, because the gondola is "cool." My money says cost overruns for the gondola will be at least +25% above UDOT's estimates. The cog rail's estimated cost is over $1 billion and there's no way that shit is happening.

Here's the link to everything in case you're interested: https://littlecottonwoodeis.udot.uta...-alternatives/

[slcpunk]

You forgot the most important part: The Gondola is the only option where some private individuals are going to make a shit-ton of money by developing the base area on land they magically bought up/own!

[skifishbum]

more shitty bus service disguised as "enhanced" aint a real red snake answer
mur freeheal freakiness

yimby a ganjola under 10 minutes walk from my crib aint gonna bugs me much

[Dantheman]

You forgot the most important part: The Gondola is the only option where some private individuals are going to make a shit-ton of money by developing the base area on land they magically bought up/own!

Shady developers, the Utah legislature, and the Olympics is the ultimate trifecta for corruption and graft.

[Lone Star]

when you look at the complexity of all the options, living in a dorm with a bunch of people young enough to be your children doesn't sound so bad.

might not scale well enough to be a sustainable long term solution.

[brutah]

Haha when I read the article, my first reaction was that Cox likely got a nice campaign contribution from the proponents of the gondola.

Glad to see nothing's changed with Mormon politics

[Skidog]

Shady developers, the Utah legislature, and the Olympics is the ultimate trifecta for corruption and graft.

looks to me like any of the proposed solutions line the pockets of developers or private entities in some way. I still like the gondola solution, but am biased. Also no horse in the race anymore.