One of our readers, Dave Knoop of Park City, Utah sent us this email on
April 30, 2005. He had just done a solid backcountry workout in the high
Mountains surrounding Park City. His day included a solid hour and a half
climb from roughly 7000 feet elevation to approximately 8500-9000 feet, a
couple hours “light rolling terrain” on the high trail across the mountain
and then a decent down a alpine area that had just closed for the season
(you are not supposed to do that). Looked like a grreat day to us!
– Just didn't feel like Mtn Bike racing today, pretty interesting after 11
months of being pretty gung ho, I've got no moxie in me to race right now.
By 11:30 am I finally figured out I wanted to go ski up Guardsman Pass with
my dog. It was really good hard snow with 3 inches of new on top, perfect
for ski touring. By Guardsman Pass, I decided to ski into Big Cottonwood
Canyon then back up the ridge and over to the Canyons. Skied some really
cool backcountry just staying on top of 18 ft. of crust and light powder on
top. Thick wooded areas with meadows, climbing the ridge with some tricky
angles. Then skied into this really long bowl into the Canyons that drops
down from the radio towers on the ridgeline above Big Cottonwood Canyon,
amazing staying on top of the crust the whole way on touring skis and my dog
trying to catch up running after me.
Dropping into the Canyons above where the Mid Mountain trail in summer
peaks, I had a network of snowmobile trails and the markers of hundreds of
future luxery homes to be built in such an incredibly beautiful area. A tad
sad….
Finally down to the “Colony Luxery Village” the security guards just stared
at me and my mangy looking border collie dog, they yelled at me that I was
trespassing and where had I come from? I just smiled and said I skied from
Deer Valley they just stared at me and said nothing.
I called my son and had him come pick me up, 17 year old drivers can have
value to the family!
Next spring, it's the Skarverennert in Norway then 3 weeks off skiing the
Haute Route near Chamonix, ah that's what fantasies are made of, at least we
have the good old Wasatch and Strawberry Ridge, the snowmobilers may rule
but we're still skiing 200 inches on May 1st!
Brewski anyone?
