It just keeps snowing here in the Wasatch. Utah is having one of its best seasons in a couple of years. Over 5 feet of snow has fallen over the last week. Unfortunately with large snowfalls comes high avalanche danger. Utah had its first avalanche fatality last Friday in the Skyline area of the range. You can read the accident report by clicking here Knowing that the steep slopes were dangerous, I wanted to stay very low angle and in the trees, so I decided I would return to the Promise Land, but take a little different route in there. The hop in from the car to the first left turn on the Guardsman road was quick and full of whoop dee do's from the sleds. Once I hit the meadow the snow was deep and untracked. Breaking trail in really deep snow on the way up was a workout, but you knew the reward on the way out was gonna be worth it.
Promise Land East Report 1.20.19 from CPPhoto on Vimeo.
Promise Land 1.20.2019 from CPPhoto on Vimeo.
I managed to connect with another skin track that went a bit more east than I usually do and put me in a grove of old growth trees that were dropping pillows of snow every time the wind would blow. You could hear the big piles coming off the trees and hitting the snowpack. I eventually topped out and found a nice place out of the wind to switch things over. The ride out was really fun. A mix of tree weaving and some really deep snow was so much fun. Supportable powder with some pockets of light snow. No instability noticed in the snowpack as I descended. No cracking, collapsing, or running sluffs. All signs were good for some tree exploring and getting some soft turns. I am loving this area. The more I explore it the more amazing terrain I find. Its a safe zone for when the avalanche danger is high. Sometimes you take a chance on an area and strike gold. I am very happy to have given it a change this season. Its still snowing up there as I write this! Enjoy the pics and videos! Happy Winter!
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