The snow was so deep that you would lose visibility for long enough you feared hitting a tree. So you just had to do your best to memorize where they were before you went in for your next submersion. By far the deepest powder of my life and a good introduction to Utah powder snow. The Powderwhores got the whole day on film and said it was the deepest powder they had ever filmed, and I think that is saying something. Here is a little teaser from their site of the day:
I spent just over a week in Utah, during which time two avalanche deaths occured. Multiple patrollers were buried and others were buried in the backcountry. When a sketchy thin depth hoar snowpack got crushed by 80 inches of snow in 7 days, shit went down. Still it was a good trip, first time I had been to Utah since first being taken there by the Kennedy’s in about 8th grade. There were tons of great days but I found the weekend lift lines and traffic a bit agitating. I got a taste of a weekend powder day at Snowbird, powder at Alta, an average day at Alta, both big and little Cottonwood low angle touring zones and even a groomer day at Deer Valley. We got a little touring in everyday and what amounted to tons of good skiing, although we did not get onto anything too steep due to the dangerous conditions.
Avalanche Path, this was triggered by helicopter deployed bombs.
Touring through the debris
Jonah and Jay doing work - these guys are pure awesome
Paige Brady - also pure awesome!
EPIC!
On one of the last days of the trip we headed up to the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon to get some shots in the evening light. We were at first taken back when we got up there and it was all cloudy but a hole opened and we booked it up the short skinner. Then we realized that the clouds had been the low ones seen in the picture above, it made for a great backdrop for the huck session.
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fredskiyak
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epic