March-April Cover of Ski Magazine
The caption reads:
Caption:
“Caroline Gleich givin’ and taking at Alta,
Photography by Lee Cohen”
The shot was taken last April after spring showers dumped a few feet of fresh powder on the Wasatch. I woke up early and starting hiking before the sunrise with photographer Lee Cohen and snowboarder Forrest Shearer.
At 5:30 in the morning, every one is quiet and that is one of the things I enjoy most about being in the mountains. In the dark, you are forced to look only at the step in front of you instead of the big mountain you have to hike. We hiked up to the top of Silverfork, spun a few laps in there, and dropped back into Little Cottonwood in the early afternoon when this photo was taken. I must specifically thank Forrest for allowing me to have first dibs on this line because the snow was perfect!
As the winter turns to spring and the avalanche danger begins to settle, I am excited to check out some of the other peaks around the Wasatch that have always seemed so far away. I skied Coalpit last year and the Hypodermic Needle is high on my list along with some lines on the Pfeifferhorn.
Here are some of my gear picks for ski touring (click the pictures for links to Backcountry.com):
Black Diamond Ascension Nylon Custom STS Skins
I did a lot of hiking on these last year and they have held up remarkably well. The glue is still super sticky and I’ve never had any problems with them, which is what you want when you are in the backcountry.
Ortovox S1 Avalanche Transceiver
Last year, I did an avalanche refresher course with Dean Cummings at Snowbird. Anytime you go outside the resort (and I even wear mine inside the resort on a big snow day), it is 100% necessary to have an avalanche beacon, shovel, probe and the knowledge to use them. The S1 beacon has one of the longest ranges (70m) and uses a flip top screen to show you exactly where avalanche victims are.
The Marker Duke binding
For accessing the Wasatch sidecountry, I highly recommend the Marker Duke. This is the first backcountry binding I’ve skied where I didn’t notice much of a difference. It’s easy to use for touring and with a DIN that goes up to 16, it will keep you feeling secure off airs and straight lines.
Another great resource is Andrew McLean’s website. I received a copy of his book, The Chuting Gallery, when I was 16 and it is an indispensible guide to steep skiing in the Wasatch.
Happy touring!
