Monday, March 31, 2014

The La Sal Grand Traverse 2014

This weekend makes the third time that I found myself in Crested Butte to race and that I left without actually racing.  Previous attempts were derailed by sickness but this one was thwarted by a last minute course change secondary to avalanche conditions.  We had intended on representing Outdoor Research in the Elk Mountain Grand Traverse from Crested Butte to Aspen, a race we have done the last two years.  But this year, when we found out it was rerouted as an out-n-back we suddenly lost interest and felt a desperate need for some adventure.  

A few years ago, Jason and I had thought about trying to traverse the La Sal mountain range and then I gave it a shot last spring with Teague and Tom coming just short as we battled horrific conditions for some 16 odd hours before bailing.  With the Elk Mountain Traverse now a "Reverse" we had a new plan.  We race to be able to have the fitness and skill with light gear to be able to attempt big adventures and nobody in our group needed to be reminded of that now.  We ran the new plan by Christian Folk, Outdoor Research Top Brass at the race.  He was nothing but encouraging and said we needed to do what inspired us.  He'd race in our place in spite of some apprehension as he felt ill prepared.  We found him a partner and he was set for an adventure too.  What an incredible company to support us like that!  He wanted us to have as much fun as possible and stepped up to suffer to maintain an OR spot in the race and allow us to feed our adventurelust.  

Jason and I were 'in' as were Tom and Lars as we all rode together from SLC.  Teague checked the weather forecast and immediately signed up with his EMGT partner Brad LaRochelle.  Good.  That put us at a party of 6 which seemed rather large but since all these guys are top tier racers and can handle themselves in the mountains it seemed like it might just work.  Getting food in Grand Junction, we realized we forgot about Durango hardman, Scott Simmons, and called him up.  I asked what he was doing this weekend and he just replied, "I guess I'm skiing the La Sal traverse."  The man has priorities!

We all caught a few hours of sleep before driving out to Lacky Basin to begin the 4x4 drive up to the start of the traverse on the far southern end of the range.  Teague was the only one with a suitable vehicle so all seven of us piled into his Tacoma and we bumped our way up to the trailhead (where the road gets too rough or we encounter snow).  

Jason and Lars getting ready for the drive to Lacky Basin

Most of us pulled on running shoes and with skis on our packs Tom and I jokingly sprinted up the road for 50 meters or so to start our long day.  Soon patches of snow began to dot the road and perhaps a little too early to warrant shoes, we switched to skinning.  The conditions were fast and smooth and we made good time to the summit of South Mountain (11,817).  With seven bobbing headlamps and the faintest hint of dawn to the east, we gang skied a couple inches of fast powder down the upper slopes and into a playful forest to the east of La Sal Pass.  Feeling like we had skied far enough toward Colorado, we transitioned and started the long skin across the basin and up Mount Peale (12,721). 

Jason skinning up Peale with South Mountain in the background
The with forest and mountains glowing red from the eastern sun, everyone was playful, shouting back and forth and skinning with good momentum onward and upward.  Gaining elevation, the light sharpened and the wind picked up to damn near gale force (39-54 mph as defined by the NWS).  Fighting to keep balance while skinning or booting, our skinny skis would catch the wind as little sails. We all summited within a minute of each other and found shelter on the lee side to transition again, our third of perhaps 100 throughout the day.  
Lars heading up Peale with Tuk and red canyonlands beyond

The conditions were appropriate for gang skiing the ridges and our approach was methodical.  Each person was a model of efficiency with race transitions, quick skiing, and continual upward movement as everyone took a turn breaking trail or putting in a booter when needed depending on who felt strong at the time.  

Jason on the summit of Mount Peale with Mount Mellenthin and the rest of the range in the distance

Next up was Mount Tukuhnikivatz (12,482) which afforded brilliant views down into the canyon lands around Moab contrasted against the snowy ridges we were climbing.  After a few pictures and a short discussion on how to approach the ridge to Mount Laurel (12271) and Mellenthin (12645), we decided to ski a fun powder shot into Gold's Basin and then climb back up rather than retrace our path.  Four inches of snow from a couple days prior proved nearly heroic as we put seven tracks down into the basin.  
Jason and Teague on the summit of Tukuhnikivatz
The crew on Tuk
Damn ,I don't want to ski last...
Back into the wind we climbed, over Laurel and Mellenthin where we paused to look down toward Gyser Pass and the North Group.  On my previous attempt to traverse this range we had battled severe weather and worse visibility to this point and had a little trouble getting off Mellenthin.  Now, with clear skies and visibility forever, this was going to be good.  The guys skied down the ridge a bit to a nice steep shot right down the North Face.  Here, we skied one at a time with Jason being unlucky number 7.  It's the price he pays to get great photos.  

Cruising along the summit ridge of Mount Mellenthin
Looking north from the summit of Mount Mellenthin to the North Group and the rest of the traverse
Tom dropping onto the North Face of Mount Mellenthin while the rest of the group vies to go next and not get sloppy seconds...or sevenths
Teague is always happy but extra so when he gets to ski which is nearly everyday but even extra happy when he's skiing thousands of feet of soft snow with his buddies in a cool setting. 
We skied and skinned our way across Gyser Pass and shortly started up Mount Tomasaki (12239) but warming temps coupled with our lower elevation wreaked havoc on our skins and nearly everyone had some issues with snow glopping.  We had wax and extra skins and the train rolled onward and upward.  

I remembered from our previous visit that the climb up Tomasaki was hard and this day was no different.  I worked hard to catch up after stopping to change skins and felt the effort.  Jason was nearly giddy on the summit cheering and shooting video while most of us glumly chewed some food and skied off without much chatter.  I guess they were feeling it too.  

With what looked like innumerable small peaks on the ridge to Castle Valley, we got to work.  First Manns (12272) then I think Green (12163) then Piolet (12200) amongst the named ones and then we could smell the barn as Lars tried to say.  He sometimes struggles with colloquial phrases much to his chagrin and our entertainment.  

On the summit of something with some of the traverse spread out behind...
A lot of the peaks on the northern end looked improbable for skiing but there was always just enough snow to skin and the descents were always better than anticipated with the lee slopes harboring some soft snow. 
We must have been getting punchy as some strange stuff started happening.  Scott climbed a pole, there was some hugging, and a lot of premature celebrating.  We tried calling Dominique, Tom's ever patient and supportive girlfriend, as she was going to pick us up at the head of Castle Valley but unfortunately the call wouldn't go through.  She was supposed to be there at 6 PM so we figured we shouldn't linger, particularly since we were just going to figure out the exit of the fly.  

I don't even know...
Smelling the barn...

Skinning up Mount Waas with just a couple more peaks to go
On the summit of Mount Waas we felt much joy
Jason skiing from the summit of Castle Mountain with Castle Valley below
Summit of La Sal Peak
Mount Waas (12331), Castle Mountain (12044) and then La Sal Peak (12001) ensued and we were now truly psyched.  It looked like we'd be able to easily ski directly to the north and finish our traverse in good style.  I commented that it was amazing that we had all independently moved across such significant terrain yet stayed as a group.  No one fell behind.  No one broke gear.  No one crashed severely or was injured.  

30 seconds later I was blind sided by Lars (who claims I turned into him!)  and we both went down.  

3 seconds later we realized nothing was broken and we all were laughing at our foolishness and on we went with gravity.  We were having a good time working our way towards the drainage and eventually a road where Dominique was waiting.  

Teague on the last descent of the day on the aptly named La Sal Peak
Unfortunately, our progress became labored as the snow went to crap and we began fighting through the most unhealthy of forests with downed trees and limbs so dense an exit began to feel improbable.  

We skinned up one last time to gain a sub ridge that offered slightly less annoying travel and then I heard a shout, "I found a house!"

One of the guys had broken through to civilization.  A dirt road took us a couple miles directly to the parking area where Dominique had been patiently waiting for hours, just in case we finished early.  

Most of us brought shoes but Teague doesn't care and just went Teton style for miles...

I sat down for a bit while we regrouped and it felt so good to stop moving finally.  We played a bit more Tetris putting seven stinky guys into a Landcrusier with all our gear and bags for the weekend, drove to Moab, ate some food, and slept.

Seven happy stinky dudes

Back to where they started!

Thanks to all the guys for working hard together to have our own Grand Traverse!

I think the total stats ended up somewhere in the 19,000 vertical gained range with mileage being around 30 miles in 14 and a half hours.  All our watches died so no one captured it in it's entirety.  

That was a damn fine day. 

Jason traced a rough map of our route
Gear list:

SCARPA Alien 1.0
Ski Trab Gara World Cup skis
Coltex/Trab race skins
Ski Trab Vertical Race poles
CAMP XC 600 pack
SCARPA speed suit
Ski Trab wind pants
Outdoor Research Helium jacket
Outdoor Research Radient Hybrid Hoody
Outdoor Research Lodestar gloves
Julbo Trail glasses
























































Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Little Canada (Broad's Fork and the Twins)

Went up Broad's again with Lars yesterday.  It seemed he had two goals this winter and they were to ski Lone and the Twins since he looks at them everyday on his drive home from work.  Since I had such a fun morning with T-Dawg (he calls it little Canada) the other day I figured we should do it all again but this time I planned on skiing directly from the summit...rocks and crappy snow be damned.  

We started hiking Teton style and were shortly skinning on a firm spring-like snow pack into the upper drainage.  I felt like garbage and after confiding this to Lars he said that he was enjoying the pace and that it was easy.  Screw him.  

We must not have been going that slow cause we managed to summit in just over two hours and topped out with local Salomon man, Brody Leven and superb photog Adam Clark.  We shot the breeze with those guys for a bit and then dropped into the NE "Couloir" from the summit and found an incredible mix of dry powder on the skier's right and perfect corn on the left side of the chute.  Spring skiing is probably my favorite.  But then again, powder skiing, steep skiing, and ski racing are also my favorites.  

After a lot of smiling and laughing, we found our selves walking in our boots down the last stretches of pine needle trails back to the truck.  That fine morning was topped off with a nice Chinese lunch and a nap before strolling into work quite happy with the world.  

Also, I think I've now skied the F1 Evo to do a proper review so when I get some time I'll put down a few thoughts and detailed pictures...

It's T-Shirt weather heading up into "Little Canada" as Tom Diegle likes to call this place. (photo by Lars)
Time to do some scramblin (photo by Lars Kjerengtroen)
Testing out the blue boots on some rock while taking a crotch shot of Lars who is about to ski the Twins for the first time.
Hiking the East Ridge to the East Summit of the Salt Lake Twins (Photo by Adam Clark)

We were running to try and catch up to Brody and Adam and didn't know that Adam was shooting some pretty cool photos of us on the ridge. (Adam Clark)
Pretty happy to be on another summit. (photo by Brody Leven)
Adam Clark got a few pretty shots of us making ugly turns off the summit



Big Lars hopping his way down a nice mix of cold pow on the skier's right and nice corn on the skier's left side of the chute.
Corn skiing at 10:15 AM on March 25th.  It's too hot in Salt Lake. 
 
Pretty scenic backdrop for a little skiing
 Thanks to Brody and Adam for the pictures!

Monday, March 24, 2014

Lone Peak NE Couloir


Saturday was about as bad as it gets around here.  Lars and I met before any sane person should be awake and started hiking with skis and boots on our backs up Bell's Canyon in the dark.  I had forgotten my head lamp and when the wet snow/rain started, I considered heading back to bed.  Slipping on the icy trail, stubbing our toes, and getting generally soaked was not our idea of a nice tour. Plus, looking up at the high peaks we couldn't see a damn thing as they were all shrouded in clouds.   

Then the snow stopped.  

We changed to skis.

We climbed through the lower elevations and the clouds began to clear.

It was cold and still and new snow coated the world. 

Now we realized it was about to be about as good as it ever gets around here.  A self imposed turn around time of 9 AM (family responsibilities) was looming and I started to urge Lars to get his ass in gear.  Normally he is stronger than I am but today he was dragging a bit from poor sleep.  My prodding proved needless as we approached the NE face of Lone Peak, his excitement mounted and we exchanged turns putting in the skin track and eventually booter up the couloir.

Partway up the chute, the clouds lifted and it was obvious we were about to have a blessed morning.  New safe snow in arguably the prettiest and most wild spot in the Wasatch is pretty special.  

About 10 minutes from the summit I told Lars we had to turn around since it was now 9 AM.  He seemed crushed and said he would beg forgiveness from my wife if I was late.  We weren't ever going to turn around.  

On top it was still with sharp morning light but we couldn't linger.  There was skiing to be done and kids to wrestle.  We down climbed the rocky summit block, donned little skis, and did what we love.  

Back at our shoes and thoroughly happy, we jogged down the trail dodging hikers while wearing wide grins and trying not to fall on the icy trail.  While we jogged, I looked at my watch and realized that we would likely make it back to the car in less than 5 hours.  This is not that fast but as far as I know, Jared Inouye has the fastest recorded ski time on Lone, starting up Big Willow and exiting Bell's before riding a bike back to his car in 5 hrs and 11 mins.  It's not a direct comparison but we were a little extra motivated to get back to the car which we did in 4:53.  

Our intent wasn't to go super fast today, only to have fun and make the summit in the time we had available.  I'd like to see Jason, Tom, Lars, Teague, Jared, or any of you other fast people put on some spandex and use true race gear to see what kind of a time could be done.  My guess is that sub 4 hours shouldn't be too hard.  

Starting to look like it's going to be a nice day

It's definitely going to be a nice day

Above the clouds and psyched (photo by Lars Kjerengtroen)


Summit (photo by Lars)
From the summit looking south

I forgot to bring any food or water so on the summit we shared this diet Mountain Dew that Lars carried

Lars

It's kinda steep in places but with the soft snow it was pretty nice


Photo by Lars

We're wimps so we avoided the small cliff at the bottom by skirting skier's right.  Photo by Lars
I have been trying out the new F1 Evo and have paired it with the Trab Magico or Free Rando Light skis to try and find a nice steep skiing/mountaineering set up.  So far so good as the F1 walks well, climbs well, and skis better than a race boot.  It might prove to be a little soft since I'm used to a carbon cuff now but maybe I'll just have to get over my preference to ski in the back seat...

In other news, while I was at work probably eating fried chicken fingers and cookies, Jason and Tom put in a huge day on the Timpanogos Massiff, skiing the best lines of the three major summits.  Total vert was > 15000 feet and they started and ended from my parent's house in Pleasant Grove doing the whole thing entirely on foot or ski.  Details here.

Other knick knacks used:
Trab Race Helmet
BD Whippet
Julbo Googles/glasses
Outdoor Research Ferossi Jacket
Outdoor Research Transcendent Puffy
Outdoor Research Luminary Gloves and Stormtracker Gloves






Friday, March 21, 2014

Salt Lake Twins NE Face

Yesterday I had one of the more enjoyable days of the season thus far skiing the Salt Lake Twins with Tom Diegle.  We made good time to the summit following old steep Wasatch style skin tracks, making it up in around two and a half hours. We debated our options since everything looked pretty filled in and great but I had never made my way down the NE face so that settled it.

Skiing in a goofy pink Korean ladies hat, Scarpa Aliens paired with Black Diamond skis, and just having celebrated his 49th birthday, Tom made skiing some steep variable snow look damn good.  I was in matching Outdoor Research gear with the new F1 Evo boots and Magico skis and made everything look pretty ugly.  Oh well, it was a great time down a new to me descent with perfect splitter weather and mostly soft snow.

Down in the drainage Tom suggested we go back up the the Drom shoulder and exit past Lake Blanche which was also new to me and proved to be quite an improvement over the standard exit.

Passing under the ice fall and some mighty big glide cracks and crowns

Tom just after gaining the saddle at the base of the saddle between the Twins and O'Sullivan

I love this route for the little bit of scrambling in ski boots.  Here, Tom shows how to get it done with his little pink hat that he bought in Korea to fit in with the ladies hiking around in a national park outside of Seoul.  I think he brought it along to fit in with the Korean who was hiking around the Broad Fork drainage with him. 

From the Summit!

This is how Tom does it...ski from the top!


Big cracks and big crowns

Tom Diegle showing how to ski big lines in good style. 

The snow was a bit variable but no one complained too much 
Nice view of our descent with a couple of little ants hiking up to make some squiggles. 

We decided to exit from the Drom shoulder as it's cleaner than the Broad's exit.