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

[MTT]

Sadly, it can and will go on.
As long as people climb, hike, ski in the mountains, people will continue to die. People died long before me, people will die long after I’m gone.

Rest In Powder Louis, Tom, Stephanie and Sarah.



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What I am really woried about is this new American trend of social media and peoples desire to control what other people do. We might have to buckle up for a new level of restriction / policing and general control over when and where you can access public lands. "For your own good" Right now they just dick around with trailheads and parking. Waiting for laws against Touring here and there today. Followed by drone flyovers to bust the criminal back country skiers.

And no I'm not wearing a tinfoil hat.

[Skidog]

Tonight's story is gonna be now on account of a football game.
No irreverence to the deceased or their loved ones intended here.

Christmas day '85 found us with a below average start for snow, and there was no snowmaking then. What we used to do was get on slopes above where snow was needed or a cat could access your pile with visqueen chutes 'Hoop chutes' that we would dig a fall line trough into the snow and shovel snow into. It was always facets so watering it down when applied made it last a lot longer. Overwatering had its downsides.
The Road to Provo was Christmas morning's job, the weather breezy with low clouds.
When we arrived at work there two large boxes of doughnuts from our bros up the road; the Alta ski patrol. So cool. I had two chocolate ones. Awesome gift before some cold grunt work.

Fast forward to April 1st. Me and another fella are on top of Mt. Baldy with patrolman Fog (my namesake). Fog was a stick and stuffing sort of patrolman, who would occasionally hang out where he was highly visible inside of rope lines where they were violated, just not close enough for good scrutiny. On this occasion he was adorned with ski boots and skis and a bamboo brace between the boots. Alta had a few night time poachers on Baldy that year so Fog was there to help. When the Alta Patrol were riding upper Wildcat and the old Collins after their morning meeting, I called them on the radio saying no one at dispatch is answering the phone and we just lost sight of a couple of guys going over Baldy, you might keep an eye out. Fog was on a string aimed down the chute, and I cut the string. He's a pretty light fellow, Fog is, if he'd had a couple of stone more weight his speed would have been better. After a 200' schuss, his tips which we hadn't braced started in towards each other and he made several increasingly short turns and went over the front. Silence on the Alta Radio for a bit. Eric Elison, town Marshall, was viewing from Central with a spotting scope. "They're not moving, what are you guys gonna do?" A hot Doug Christensen, patrol director, wanted to get the Sheriffs Helicopter up there.
Lou Moore chimed in that they "Ought to go the avalauncher and shoot that dummy."
We had to come clean pretty quickly.
As we were descending a very icy W Baldy, John Collins radios me "Jimmy they got us." We just did a pretty good prank, and Collins won't tell me what they did; "You'll have to see this for yourself." On Hidden Peak was a 30"x18" christmas paper wrapped board. On it were three pictures. On the left was a computer generated picture of a girl pushing a wheelbarrow full of candy, a Sweet Tooth certificate. On the right was a chalkboard that said "Merry Christmas and Happy April Fools" above and "Hope You Liked the Doughnuts" below. In the center was a picture of over half of the Alta ski patrol. Bars over the eyes had been generated like a police photo. And they all had their pants down, bent over with a doughnut in their ass.

Someone else at bird or Alta has recounted this story to me personally. Damned if I can remember who. Your stories are great.

Just to toss this out. One odd year, maybe 2010? 2011? For some odd reason snowbird had not run the rope correctly up towards sugarloaf peak. It was a beautiful day, pretty deep. Buddy and I looked at the rope, then to each other, without saying a word, skis off.

Now we knew this was likely not kosher, but hell the ropes were the ropes...probably booted half way up to sugarloaf. Beautiful untracked for maybe 600 vert. Somewhere very few have been in season. Skis on, and off we went.

Blissful untracked In a little "chute" heading into lookers left mineral basin (toward the groomer). Only maybe 10 turns, but great pitch, great snow. Well.

Hit the groomer and well patrol is standing there waiting. Thought we were cooked. In the end patrol was super cool, we came clean, but stood by the "rope line is rope line". They knew we were locals, and that we knew better, but gave us a huge pass cause I think they knew we got one over. By the time we made it back up baldy lift they were already correcting the ropes.

My buddy took some great pics of the run from the hill right below sugarloaf pass, from his angle the pics look like he was above us, like in a heli. I will see if I can dig them up. Was a great pic. I remember I was on my wood sidewall buddha gotamas.

Not quite a TFW story, but I hope it slightly entertained.

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[altacoup]

What I am really woried about is this new American trend of social media and peoples desire to control what other people do. We might have to buckle up for a new level of restriction / policing and general control over when and where you can access public lands. "For your own good" Right now they just dick around with trailheads and parking. Waiting for laws against Touring here and there today. Followed by drone flyovers to bust the criminal back country skiers.

And no I'm not wearing a tinfoil hat.

Apparently you made the tin foil hat into a crack pipe

[muted]

Apparently you made the tin foil hat into a crack pipe

More words of wisdom, thanks for this. Ha.

[snowaddict91]

Apparently you made the tin foil hat into a crack pipe

You don't think masks were just a thinly veiled attempt to start the momentum to close off the backcountry?

[TeleBlade]

Inspired April Fool prank. Planning, patience and secrecy. Thanks for the stroll down your memory lane.

[telefreewasatch]

Inspired April Fool prank. Planning, patience and secrecy. Thanks for the stroll down your memory lane.

^^^
This. The secrecy part. For how much alcohol is consumed by the two patrols between xmas and April 1st it's a miracle that the secret endured.

[telefreewasatch]

I love hearing the April fools stories, TFW. I remember reading skiing mag, or maybe it was powder, while in college in the ‘aughts. A few of those stories helped solidify my decision to come to LCC.

More to come...

[MTT]

Apparently you made the tin foil hat into a crack pipe

Man wouldn't that be nice right about now?

Sadly the 90's are gone.

Funny how quick you dismissed my prediction of the near future. Was it more about thinking taking a dig at me would get you some internet cool points.
Or
Your really that fuckin stupid?

I am deeply offended that a dick such as yourself has Alta in your screen name.

[mall walker]

^ relax bro. nobody needs it.

[telefreewasatch]

Can’t wait for the full behind the scenes story of Snowbird patrols doughnut revenge. I’ve heard so many different versions over the years.

I'll need help embedding an old 8 minute VHS for that...

[MagnificentUnicorn]

Man wouldn't that be nice right about now?

Sadly the 90's are gone.

Funny how quick you dismissed my prediction of the near future. Was it more about thinking taking a dig at me would get you some internet cool points.
Or
Your really that fuckin stupid?

I am deeply offended that a dick such as yourself has Alta in your screen name.

There have been bad years for avalanche deaths before and nothing closed. They fade from memory quickly unless the deceased are close to us. The best we can hope for is that we learn something.


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[mfcf13]

Man wouldn't that be nice right about now?

Sadly the 90's are gone.

Funny how quick you dismissed my prediction of the near future. Was it more about thinking taking a dig at me would get you some internet cool points.
Or
Your really that fuckin stupid?

I am deeply offended that a dick such as yourself has Alta in your screen name.

Have some respect and decency.

Or, hey, just go smoke some crack with Mike Lindell.

[MTT]

There have been bad years for avalanche deaths before and nothing closed. They fade from memory quickly unless the deceased are close to us. The best we can hope for is that we learn something.


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Yea that's why so many are talking about this one. After the weekly hits along comes this. And it really hasn't even started snowing yeat this year. We got a couple months to go.
Maybe it's nothing more than Noone is getting lucky this year?

[Phall]

The “entry 5” one is one that sticks in my memory


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[telefreewasatch]

Break, break, break.
I posted a funny story to shake us out of our funk.
So shake out of it already y'all.
Love your brother...

[MTT]

Break, break, break.
I posted a funny story to shake us out of our funk.
So shake out of it already y'all.
Love your brother...

It was funny. The dougnuts sticking out of asses. True story?

[mall walker]

seriously: take a keyboard break MTT.

[Benneke10]

Girlfriend was stoked to get a pic with wra this morning

we know better than to get too close

[MTT]

seriously: take a keyboard break MTT.

I did not start it. Take a lap.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

Seems like we’re back in kindergarten


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[altacoup]

I'll need help embedding an old 8 minute VHS for that...

I bet we can make that happen. TBatt is good with such things

[happytimefunbox]

Posted in the slide zone thread, but names released. I didn’t know any of them but man, I’m just having a hard time processing this one for some reason. Friends of friends, all in their 20’s. RIP.

https://www.ksl.com/article/50102621...nyon-avalanche


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I cant remember where I met Tom Steinbrecher... was it the Bird? Think it was former wasatch thread...

Young kid, skied fast, just moved out from back east, pretty sure he worked snowmaking at the bird. He wanted to tour but had no gear and didnt know anyone so I loaned him my big skis with guadians and skins and spare kit and took him for his first wasatch tour maybe his first ever around flag to toledo bowl and had a decent corn run back to the car on a warm spring morning. He had a lot of getafterit in the tank and a nice guy.

He is still in my phone as Straightline Tom cause turning wasnt his thing. RIP Straightline Tom



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[abraham]

Snowaddict said he was straightlineorbust on here.



TFW thanks for the story. I remember hearing about the donut thing from someone when I lived out there. Can't recall who it was though.

[happytimefunbox]

Yep found the pms from him. Fuck

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