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

[headrush]

Park City and Vail Resorts are completely worthless. I hadn't skied PC for the previous 5 years and foolishly decide to buy an Epic pass this year. They didn't make much snow during late Nov and early Dec when it was cold, so until mid Jan there was one run open per lift, which resulted in extremely crowded madness. Now that PC has some snow, they only groom the same one run per lift! Not completely true - they groom 3 runs off Silverlode and 2 runs on King Kon, but by in large this is their strategy. I skied at a non-Vail resort this weekend and now I remember what skiing is. I don't think they have groomed any run of Condor except Boa this year. And of course what little grooming they do is focused on the tourists so very flat runs. Did they simply give up due to Covid or has this become the norm? Only fools buy Epic passes, and unfortunately I am one of those fools.

[jtran10]

Park City and Vail Resorts are completely worthless. I hadn't skied PC for the previous 5 years and foolishly decide to buy an Epic pass this year. They didn't make much snow during late Nov and early Dec when it was cold, so until mid Jan there was one run open per lift, which resulted in extremely crowded madness. Now that PC has some snow, they only groom the same one run per lift! Not completely true - they groom 3 runs off Silverlode and 2 runs on King Kon, but by in large this is their strategy. I skied at a non-Vail resort this weekend and now I remember what skiing is. I don't think they have groomed any run of Condor except Boa this year. And of course what little grooming they do is focused on the tourists so very flat runs. Did they simply give up due to Covid or has this become the norm? Only fools buy Epic passes, and unfortunately I am one of those fools.

So are you lookin for more groomed runs, or less? I can't tell.

[DLD in UT]

Park City and Vail Resorts are completely worthless. I hadn't skied PC for the previous 5 years and foolishly decide to buy an Epic pass this year. They didn't make much snow during late Nov and early Dec when it was cold, so until mid Jan there was one run open per lift, which resulted in extremely crowded madness. Now that PC has some snow, they only groom the same one run per lift! Not completely true - they groom 3 runs off Silverlode and 2 runs on King Kon, but by in large this is their strategy. I skied at a non-Vail resort this weekend and now I remember what skiing is. I don't think they have groomed any run of Condor except Boa this year. And of course what little grooming they do is focused on the tourists so very flat runs. Did they simply give up due to Covid or has this become the norm? Only fools buy Epic passes, and unfortunately I am one of those fools.

It finally snows and the mountain is skiing soft for a change and you want snowmaking and groomers?! Can I suggest the "east coast roll call" thread and a move back to CT so you can ski Mount Snow and Okemo again.

[schindlerpiste]

I think that we all know that Vail does not give one hoot about locals. After 17 years with a canyons/epic pass, I’m done. Next year I will buy a Deer Valley pass if it also comes with an icon

As an aside, props to Whyturn for going above and beyond yesterday at PowMow. Much appreciated. Also, props to Dibbs for his internal radar and ski finding abilities

[TheK12]

Park City and Vail Resorts are completely worthless. I hadn't skied PC for the previous 5 years and foolishly decide to buy an Epic pass this year. They didn't make much snow during late Nov and early Dec when it was cold, so until mid Jan there was one run open per lift, which resulted in extremely crowded madness. Now that PC has some snow, they only groom the same one run per lift! Not completely true - they groom 3 runs off Silverlode and 2 runs on King Kon, but by in large this is their strategy. I skied at a non-Vail resort this weekend and now I remember what skiing is. I don't think they have groomed any run of Condor except Boa this year. And of course what little grooming they do is focused on the tourists so very flat runs. Did they simply give up due to Covid or has this become the norm? Only fools buy Epic passes, and unfortunately I am one of those fools.

Honestly, I think from a snowmaking perspective, Park City did as well as they could with the sh*t sandwich that was Nov, Dec, and early Jan snowpack. They don't have unlimited water for unlimited snowmaking....

[TheK12]

I think that we all know that Vail does not give one hoot about locals. After 17 years with a canyons/epic pass, I’m done. Next year I will buy a Deer Valley pass if it also comes with an icon

As an aside, props to Whyturn for going above and beyond yesterday at PowMow. Much appreciated. Also, props to Dibbs for his internal radar and ski finding abilities

Deer Valley has been kind of awesome this year. We got both the Ikon and Epic this year and on powder days, we've been going to Deer Valley and have been pretty happy with the experience overall.

[skiATL]

Park City and Vail Resorts are completely worthless. I hadn't skied PC for the previous 5 years and foolishly decide to buy an Epic pass this year. They didn't make much snow during late Nov and early Dec when it was cold, so until mid Jan there was one run open per lift, which resulted in extremely crowded madness. Now that PC has some snow, they only groom the same one run per lift! Not completely true - they groom 3 runs off Silverlode and 2 runs on King Kon, but by in large this is their strategy. I skied at a non-Vail resort this weekend and now I remember what skiing is. I don't think they have groomed any run of Condor except Boa this year. And of course what little grooming they do is focused on the tourists so very flat runs. Did they simply give up due to Covid or has this become the norm? Only fools buy Epic passes, and unfortunately I am one of those fools.

With a low snow year like this, a lot of typically groomed trails are not groomed because of thin spots and bare spots that will be a bigger issue through the year if groomed. I haven't been after the last 2 storms but before that solitude had about 1 groomed run off summit, about 4-5 between apex/moonbeam, and only about 1 or 2 off eagle. Usually lower eagle is groomer central.

My advice: learn to love some bumps. They've been fun this year and I've been pretty happy with the lack of grooming at soli.

[michaelstl]

If the runs are open, with the low % of snowpack we’ve had, I find it hard to be upset with any groom vs non groomed status

[wra]

Hey Everyone,

I want to say thank you for the support and positive vibes, its been a weird mix of emotion over the last 24 hrs. Thank you for not passing judgement and offering support. I am extremely lucky and thankful for all involved. I am going to be recalling the events and talking with UAC to give them an accurate depiction of the day. Aside from a battered / torqued up left knee (able to walk around) - I am fine. I just got back from my partners house and he is doing well all things considered.

Once i have had a chance to put everything together I will happily put together a trip report and what have you. Also, if you care to discuss with me one on one, please DM me and I can give you my number and will openly discuss. For those that know me, I am very experienced and a very active backcountry traveler, been doing this a while despite only being 35, but sometimes the coin flips the other way and when that happens, I feel its important to share and not lose the lesson. I will be open about this experience.

This is one of those hard lessons

I've been skiing on Gobblers for 35+ years including a ride in a slide that left me crippled 11 years ago so...went for a look and see.

First run?


Entry on the second run?


Looking down from above the crown.


and the big view.


I skied beside the slide path to get info on the snowpack. Hollow with mid pack layering holding it together.
"Extremely lucky".

[snowaddict91]

Park City and Vail Resorts are completely worthless. I hadn't skied PC for the previous 5 years and foolishly decide to buy an Epic pass this year. They didn't make much snow during late Nov and early Dec when it was cold, so until mid Jan there was one run open per lift, which resulted in extremely crowded madness. Now that PC has some snow, they only groom the same one run per lift! Not completely true - they groom 3 runs off Silverlode and 2 runs on King Kon, but by in large this is their strategy. I skied at a non-Vail resort this weekend and now I remember what skiing is. I don't think they have groomed any run of Condor except Boa this year. And of course what little grooming they do is focused on the tourists so very flat runs. Did they simply give up due to Covid or has this become the norm? Only fools buy Epic passes, and unfortunately I am one of those fools.

Hot tip- TGR probably isn't the place to complain about lack of grooming (resorts or people).

[Lone Star]

^^^ where else am i supposed to post when alpinezone is down?

[Benneke10]

I have many complaints about how PCMR is operating this year but lack of grooming is not one of them lol

[schindlerpiste]

Deer Valley has been kind of awesome this year. We got both the Ikon and Epic this year and on powder days, we've been going to Deer Valley and have been pretty happy with the experience overall.

This is What I did too. Next year full DV pass with ikon
Skied Alta today. Man, it got pounded over the weekend

[muted]

DV is great when it's low snow as the groomers are good, or when it has a storm total similar to Alta. But it's a let down when you are skiing 5" on hardpack while people are waist deep in LCC same day a very short distance away. Sounds like the last storm was on par with Alta, I bet it was amazing, that ain't always happening though.

[schindlerpiste]

This is why ikon works with DV pass especially for people who live near DV. DV world class groomers and trees. Solitude unlimited option. Weekday pow days at Alta/Bird.

[Orthoski]

Hot tip- TGR probably isn't the place to complain about lack of grooming (resorts or people).

To his credit, if you ride a groomer for long enough doesn't it eventually become a snowcat?

[gimpy]

When I think world class grooming....... the wasatch is the gold standard

Amazing how benign the slide prone terrain looks around there

[jtran10]

are DV trees filled in enough now to not hit all the blowdown from september? I think I have a free day there with my pass. Never done anything but groomers.

[Shaaarrrp]

This is What I did too. Next year full DV pass with ikon
Skied Alta today. Man, it got pounded over the weekend

How were the crowds at Alta? Another good day at Solitude here....little more crowded than last week but not bad at all.

[schindlerpiste]

No crowds today.

Don’t know about contractual obligation’s but I would like to see the Little Cottonwood Canyon resorts limit icon usage to weekdays. Alta and Snowbird should let their season pass holders in the past purchasers control the weekends. This would be good for traffic also.

Midday today

[Shaaarrrp]

Nice! That's good to hear. Guess we only get 7 days total btw AltaBird with my ikonic pass so they'll definitely be weekdays. I was a little disappointed in my one day at Deer Valley last year because visibility was awful but sounds like I should make an effort to use those days as well if they get some snow? Love some glades if its soft.

[east or bust]

damn, thankful to hear that you came out ok D-roc


By chance are any mags in the SLC area heading up north to Big Sky or Jackson in the next few weeks that could help me out with a ski pickup? Pickup would be from a local mag in SLC and drop off could either be with me in Idaho Falls or over in Jackson.

[D-Roc]

Hey Guys,

So I have had time to assess and reflect on the Gobbler's avalanche accident. Here it goes:
My partner and I left the Porter Fork trailhead around 830 AM the goal was to check out the Gobblers Knob lines etc. Between the two of us we had been up there several times in the previous weeks skiing the lookers right flank of Main. My partner had been skiing Davis Gulch, etc. a couple days before. In our discussion the night before we hemmed and hawed about where to go and avoid canyon traffic, etc. decided since we had been on the terrain prior, that was where we decided to go.

We broke trail the entire way up and to the ridgeline and stopped on the lookers right flank of main gobblers and thought this would be a great warm up for the day and we could get back to our skin track pretty quickly. It was a great line down and had a great time. We decided on another lap.

On the second lap there was a party ahead of us. We went up to where we originally had been and continued a little further, this was an effort to avoid some steeper roll overs and cornices. The goal was to ski down, and head left to align with our first set of tracks and end at the same point. We got to the top as per our plan and transitioned.
(Also, there were no visible / auditory indicators from a red flag perspective – collapsing, cracking, etc.; not that we let our guard down, but just wanted to address that point).

Given the nature of the terrain and the groups of trees at our location, we discussed leap frogging so that once one of us was out of sight, the other would yelp once clear, etc. and we could keep an eye / track of each other. I went first skiing a low angle alley to just before a group of trees and stopped. Gave a yell.

My partner came down the opposite alley way of me and that was when everything broke. It was like watching glass shatter in all directions around me. I realized what had happened and quickly started polling towards the nearest trees. As I reached out to grab the tree, I got swept, I was so fucking close – inches.

I threw my poles, and then began tumbling. One ski ripped off and then the other. It was like washing out from being in the ocean or being in a washing machine. Everything went black, then white, then black, then white – every time I saw white I reached for it, swimming, fighting, screaming. I came to the top – somehow, then BAM, another section of hang-fire snow hit me (assuming) and shot me down further, but I sort of skidded – like sliding into a base.

Once I stopped, I knew I was fucked, my left knee was jacked and my right hand throbbing. I just let out a visceral scream. I started yelling for my partner – nothing. I picked up my left leg and moved it around – snap crackle pop, but realized I had function. My right hand I pulled on the fingers and relocated them.

I got up on my knees and looked around to see if there was any indication of him, a ski, pole, limb, sticking out – nothing.

I ripped open my jacket while screaming my partner’s name and flipped my beacon into search – nothing. I kept screaming his name. I looked up behind me and saw my ski sticking out of the debris and scrambled through the facets, dirt, etc. to the ski because I knew that was my only chance of being faster. I got the ski and sat on It and sledded down with my beacon in one hand and arresting with my legs / arm to go slower.

Then I heard him.

As I sledded down towards his voice I found him at the bottom of the debris pile there, shivering… We did a quick assessment and there were potential broken bones, but he was completely cognitive. We needed to take advantage of the adrenaline window and got moving downhill towards our skin track. (no cell phone service). I started breaking trail and making a trench as he followed.

Then we heard the helicopter. It turns out the other party who was heading towards Cabin Run / Davis Gulch had seen the slide and called it in since they were on the ridgeline. We attempted to flag the helicopter but did not have any luck.

The party who saw the avalanche had skied over to us eventually since we had made it to the drainage of Davis Gulch, we discussed with them that we just needed to get down, there wasn’t much we could do until we got emergency services. We asked them to help pack down the snow so we could get to the skin track faster. They did.
We made further progress and came upon another skier coming up the skin track, he was great (Andy?) he helped us immensely, we each got onto a ski (one legged) and managed to side hill our way into the tree line and onto the path.

We made our way down and found SAR / EMS team coming up and they quickly got onto treating my partner, secured the litter and got him down trail (thanks to all of you). Nikki from UAC was in the vicinity and came over and I gave her the brief on the situation.

I continued after everyone skiing one legged down the trail with 2 other SAR folks (thanks to the two of you). Once we were at the trailhead (where the porter fork trail starts / road meet) I got onto the snowmobile with the litter and took the ride down. Once at the end EMS got my partner into ambulance.

Then I broke down. The emotion finally caught up. I answered the questions to the officers and whomever asked. A man forced a blue Gatorade into my hand and I cried again (thank you). I said to everyone I needed a minute and walked up to my truck and threw everything down, put my head on the door and sobbed. I grabbed the hidden key fob opened the truck and started taking off my gear. I was in incredible pain and had to sit down to take off my left boot and choked down advil with the remainder of my morning coffee. I walked back down, to check on my partner (the ambulance hadn’t left yet). The officials told me where he was going and I answered a couple more questions. I stopped and thanked everyone again, cried again, and walked back to my truck.

I drove out of Millcreek and called everyone to let them know.

I pulled over to get control of myself. Then I drove straight to the hospital and made contact with family there. Once I knew he was going to be ok. I went home.

That’s my story. Im sure there are some details I am missing, but sometimes it is a blur and in more time maybe some more clarity will come.

I write this with my leg in the air in ice. I am awaiting tomorrow’s MRI, its looking like an ACL tear, I tell myself im okay with that, but I know its going to be fucking hard. Ive been mourning the loss of this year, my Alaska plans, my Ecuador plans, but they are just plans. I have a pregnant wife at home and the thought of not being able to meet my son just absolutely crushes me that I could have missed the opportunity to be a Dad, be the Dad that I wanted.
For those of you that know me, I am one determined motherfucker. I have a drive for adventure, experience, and exploration; this will not define me, but will let it teach me. This is not defeat, it is delay.
I look forward to meeting many of you and hope that my story helps some other’s learn.

-Zac

[new yabyum]

Thanks for the update. Glad you're both well.

[mall walker]

thanks for sharing that man. super happy you’re ok. you’ll be back out there in no time, meantime don’t beat yourself up about it. I saw that crown up in west porter on the uac site and thought shit, hey it coulda been me if I wasn’t working 60hours a week this month. it happens. you’ll come back stronger and wiser.