The first real ski of the season was had today.  Hit Alta early in the day as the storm was letting loose its greatest precipitation.  Loads of people at the base.  Which, has given me many new rules:

1 - Never go backcountry skiing without a beacon.
2 - Never go backcountry skiing without a probe, shovel or a person who knows what they're doing.
3- If you are bootpacking, don't bootpack in the skin track.

So many people walking uphill..like strolling uphill carrying their boards.  Most were snowboarders.  One guy said he wished he had skins, but would sacrifice skins since it was "better going down on a board". Dumbass.  At least get a pack and poles to help going uphill...

Luckily for the droves of unprepared, the conditions were stable.  You really had to try to get something moving within bootpacking range of the parking lot.  That said, with skins...baldy did have a menacing look.

We moved up the lookers right shoulder to about half way up Baldy and skied the small trees on the face.  The snow was fantastic for November 3.  Admittedly, it was a bit uneven, with stout patches mixed into the powder, but all in, it was a good run, with no worries of rocks outside of what one would normally worry about on any day on the hill.  Down low was another story.  Lots of rock and stumps, so we kept to the track and took it easy, preferring a season of skiing to a season of rehab.

My turns were passable.  Not my best, but not my worst for day one of the season.  But the stoke level was high.

It's gonna be a good season.  I can feel it.

The Winter is coming...oh so soon.  I have the box on top of the car and I went for a brief tour at Alta last week.  There wasn't much snow, but there were loads of people out there...getting after it.  I saw one guy way up high.  I can't imagine it was very good.  Must've been thin.  That said, it was great to be back out on the skis and going uphill.

Let it snow!
 (too much grass)

Uinta ski tour May 25, 2013

Rob and I decided to hit the High Uinta wilderness for some corn harvest.  The road just opened yesterday, so we saddled up and got after it.  

Woke early and hit the road by 6:30am.  No reason to get there too early since the snow would be frozen.  It got cold last night - very close to freezing, so we figured the conditions could be pretty good.

I packed all my gear, trying to remember what all i needed since it has been >1mo since my last tour.  I didn't forget anything.  Good thing.  (I even got to bring an Ice Axe.  Rule #1 - whenever it might be possible that your travels require an Ice Axe, bring it.  There is little that is more manly than an ice axe.)

We hit the snow at about 8.  After looking at the conditions on Hayden Peak and Bald Mountain, we decided to hit Mt. Reid.  Good choice...

The first pitch of the day was corning right when we got there.  It turned out to be quite good.  Here's a good video from below the pass between Bald and Reid:  The first thing you see is the buttress of rock that forms the NE face of Reid.  Sick. 

After skiing this nice piece, we traversed in a westerly direction around  Reid.  I got in another 500" shot of corn along the way then dialed it in for the climb up Reid.  Though we didn't summit - there was no need since there was no contiguous run from the peak - we attained the ridge with 270 degrees of Uinta beauty.  

Pretty amazeballs.  could see Timp, Hayden, and another long drainage to ?Smith and Moorehouse?

The route up was a challenge.  Travels were seamless until about 3/4 of the way up.  

about 15-20 yards futher up the hill from the big rock in the middle of the chute was miserable.  I got waist deep in rotten snow and flailed getting out.  That was exhausting at near 11000ft.  Rob employed a crawling technique.  I could not and eventually put the skins back on.  All in, I say Reid won this fight.  I made it to the ridge, but it wasn't pretty.

Ate a little KFC up there.  Yum.  Then transitioned for the ski down.  Here are Rob's turns:

The lower apron (no video) was especially good.  But the whole thing was sweet.  38 degrees for about 1000-1100 feet.  

Then on home.  A nice rolling skin out.  Easy and fun.  Got a little soft, but nothing to complain about.  All in, twas a great day.  I wish I could get out there more.  The Uinta's are BIG...

Oh yeah...the Deschutes Mirror Pond Ale that awaited in the car was better than it sounds.