I was able to get out on on the splitboard for Thursday of this week, which just happened to be PI Day. 3.14 for folks who love math. Little Cottonwood Canyon received 34" in 48 hours! They are over 500" of the season in that canyon and some spots are sitting on a 170" base! Unbelievable snowfall we have had this year! It was my day off so I packed it all in the Jeep and headed up. A little traffic in the canyon, with all this snow I wasn't surprised, but it only probably added 10 minutes to my drive up there. Found a spot right by the winter gate. Put on the boots, and headed up there road. When I got to the groomer for the summer road, the signs still said closed. I had to back track and take another route in there. It was a longer walk, but there was no one out and I knew that I was in no hurry. That is the beauty of splitboarding, you can take your time walking into an area. Gives you pause to observe, listen, and learn. I broke trail most of the way to the first meadow where the normal trail meets in a meadow. A quick up into the main meadow in Grizzly, then I looked up at my line. I realized I was going to be breaking trail all the way to the spot I was looking at stopping at. It gave me a good feel for the snow on the way up, a few hand pits, some slope angle measurements, and some slope testing. Nothing set off the alarm for me. All signs were good, and my angles were between 15 degrees and 25 degrees.
Grizzly Gulch 3.14.2019 Report from CPPhoto on Vimeo.
It set a nice track in there, and eventually topped out to where I was going to make the drop. Its probably one of my favorite places in the Wasatch to make the switchover from tour mode to ride mode. It is this little cubby hole of trees with a ridge to keep you out of the wind, but a nice view down canyon and a safe line to ride. Took a bit of time up there just soaking it all in. Eventually I put on the helmet and gloves and made the drop. Deep would be an understatement on the ride out! This was by far the deepest day of the entire season! Knee to thigh deep was the average off track and on the way out the shallowest it got was boot deep. The first set of tracks I put in that hill were the best all year! Such a fun ride out to the base. All I could think when I arrived at my Jeep was "More Please!" I'll take that any day of the week! This has been an incredible season. Redemption for last years worst winter on record. Looks like we have full on spring temps and a dry spell on tap for at least the next 5 days until any storm is in the forecast. Time to get the garden ready and to send some more prayers to Ullr for this mega spring cycle to continue! Enjoy the pics, videos from up top, and the ride home! More adventures to come!
Grizzly Gulch 3.14.2019 from CPPhoto on Vimeo.
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