Solitude - Back Tracks?

H

HuntSki16

New member
Hey all. First post, hope I do ok...

We are heading out to the Salt Lake 2/28 - 3/3. Can't wait, second year back with this group, but probably my 12th time overall!!

I know its been a phenomenal year, but that its been dry lately and looks pretty dry through our dates. That being said, we are looking to catch a little powder and looking for a little guidance as to whether the best spots to find it.

What can anyone tell me about the Back Tracks program at Solitude? Has anyone heard of this? Take you backcountry for the day, with lunch, small group. Sounds great!!

Any info on this or other powder spots would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks..

L
 
You did just fine, HuntSki16! Welcome to FTO Liftlines! Don't be so certain about your weather forecast for that time frame, though -- things should get gradually stormier again beginning this weekend.

Here you may find an earlier discussion on the program at Solitude:

http://www.firsttracksonline.com/boards ... php?t=2504

Other options include the Ski Utah Interconnect (www.skiutah.com/interconnect), Park City Powder Cats (www.pccats.com) and of course Wasatch Powderbirds (www.powderbird.com), in order of increasing cost.

If you have touring gear, you can also look into Exum Utah (www.exum.ofutah.com).

And we expect a full trip report upon your return! :wink:
 
welcome huntski,
solitude backtracks is a pretty good deal. a guide, solitude patrol will take you and a few folks to backcountry mainly between solitude, alta, brighton, silverfork. only problem being, alt snowcat, powderbirds chopper outfit and half of slc tourers hang in that area as well. the good thing is, the guides will take you to some more overlooked spots that you'll do laps on till yer good and tired. i shared canvas space a few weeks ago with a backtracks group in wolverine/figure 8 area, bluebird skies and knee deep untracked and there was room for 9 of us for 5 laps ,100+ turn shots each with no crossed tracks. i, of course broke an uptrack ahead of them with the understanding that no one was to scribble their shizzle on my dizzle (art work). it all worked out great and the guide was very nice .
interconnect is a roaming tour from resort to resort with less powder lapping/skiing and more, well, connecting. lot's of cool stuff to see and a great intro to travelling in the wasatch.
exum: anything you want. hard or soft core as you want
have fun
rog
 
icelanticskier":20g9p88j said:
interconnect is a roaming tour from resort to resort with less powder lapping/skiing and more, well, connecting.
Click to expand...

Have you gone with them? I have. Their routes contain a mix of within-resort runs and sidecountry between them. Some of those BC routes, particularly the route from Alta to Brighton and the route from PCMR to Big Cottonwood contain some long untracked stretches. The former is via Sunset Peak/Lake Catherine/Dog Lake and the latter drops off the back of Jupiter.

I personally find the tour to be a unique experience and an exceptional value.

Here's a video from PCTV:
<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MzmyAGd7T3k&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MzmyAGd7T3k&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>
 
great value no doubt especially if you can have everyone in the group the same level or to book a trip w/friends. by doing a tour like that though where it's a point to point you are sometimes limited to skiing aspects that might be either sun/wind affected or tracked out on the way to the destination as opposed to a tour where you find that protected untracked honey hole(s) and have yer way with it.

i have not done the interconnect personally but skied most areas they cover and have friends and guests of mine when i worked at solitude give me the reports. not much negative feedback, all had fun.

rog
 
things should get gradually stormier again beginning this weekend.
Click to expand...

I'm headed out there on the 28th as well, and leave the 3rd as well. I've been watching the the weather out ten days, and it seems after this next set of storms it should be drier from 26th through the 3rd. Of course things change. I too would like to get powder even if there hasn't been fresh snow for a few days. Do you need touring gear for all the backcountry terrain, or is this a matter of needing to spend on cat skiing? How is pow mow a few days after a storm hits?
 
The Interconnect is generally done on alpine gear. Skiing with Exum would require touring gear. REI and Wasatch Touring in SLC, and I believe White Pine Touring in PC will rent AT skis/boots/skins, but you're on your own for avi gear -- I don't believe that any of them rent avi gear, you'd have to check. Most importantly, though, it's not possible to rent avi sense if you don't already own it.

Pow Mow would still have untracked for days after a storm, but if it's been warm and sunny most of Powder Country (aka the "bus runs") will bake out as the sun is getting higher now. Much of Pow Mow's cat skiing faces east, and although there are a few north-facing slots they'll track out if the other stuff is baked.

Where are you staying? Give me a shout if you wish while you're out here. I've been itching to ski Lake Catherine/Dog Lake/Grizzly Gulch, but I'll only do it if the predominant avi rating is low. It would also cost you at a minimum two lift tickets (Alta and Solitude) to do the loop, preferably three with Brighton, too, although Solitude sells a point-system ticket that can be bankrolled for another visit. Now, though, you're approaching the cost of the Interconnect.
 
I'm staying in sandy. I always stay at the holiday inn there. It's really easy for me. I fly out of NYC at 6:30 and I'm skiing by 11:00. I thought the first day I would hit Pow Mow or Snowbasin. After that I was going to go to spend the rest of the trip at the cottonwood canyons resorts: Solitude, Brighton, Alta. I normally don't ski Snowbird because I prefer Alta to all other resorts in the world.
I don't have touring gear yet, I was planning on getting a touring rig at the end of this season. I don't mind renting out gear but would prefer to use my own boots. I wouldn't mind skiing that loop but I don't have an avy beacon.
 
I've got a spare beacon but would insist upon someone spending time in Snowbird's Beacon Basin or similar if they have no experience using one. After all, it's my ass they'd have to dig out when the time came to use it. :lol: Again, though, the best avalanche practice is avalanche avoidance, so I'd only go if conditions are stable.

By "first day" I trust you mean the first full day to go to the Ogden area, otherwise it makes no sense when time is limited coming from the airport.

You can simulate the hinged cuff of touring boots by opening the top two buckles on alpine boots while skinning. They are likely not willing to rent AT bindings to someone using alpine boots, however.

Again, though, the loop I've described does not require anything other than alpine gear. It's all downhill except for a couple of short relatively horizontal traverses (Lake Catherine to the top of Dog Lake Chutes, and again from the top of Solitude's Summit lift across the 500-yard Highway to Heaven traverse to get to Twin Lakes Pass).

Even in-bounds, feel free to give me a shout while you're here, especially on a weekend at Alta. I may be reached anytime via the 801 number here:

http://www.firsttracksonline.com/index. ... Q&id_cat=1
 
By "first day" I trust you mean the first full day to go to the Ogden area, otherwise it makes no sense when time is limited coming from the airport.
Click to expand...


Pow mows got night skiing! :lol:

Just joking. I only have thursday through sunday. I fly back sunday night on the red eye. So I'll have no choice but to spend only 11 through 4 in the ogden area. I'm not sure whether to try snowbasin or pow mow. As for in bounds Alta, I might just take you up on it. That is if you don't mind skiing with a talkative youngster like myself.
 
Is the only place where pow mow will be untracked be in the powder country area? Forgot to ask in my earlier post. Sorry.
 
Nah, they'd have untracked everywhere. And I'm used to chatty - after all, tirolerpeter often tags along. :wink:
 
. It would also cost you at a minimum two lift tickets (Alta and Solitude) to do the loop, preferably three with Brighton, too, although Solitude sells a point-system ticket that can be bankrolled for another visit. Now, though, you're approaching the cost of the Interconnect.[/quote]

in all of the times i've ended up at brighton they've never checked for a ticket so for a one or two time ride i've just gotten on and promised myself to someday be a better person. avoid solitude ticket by a short skin or walk up solbright from the dam to summit and highway. nice tour!
rog
 
Huntski

I have done Backtracks several times and have enjoyed it every time. Some days you get good snow some days not soo good. The last few times we hiked Fantasy Ridge to start, about 20 minutes. AT gear or a split board really helps also, but they have alternatives. I would suggest going during the week as the crowds out of bounds on the weekend move pretty fast.

YPG is also a good although more expensive option. I have been successfull only about 50% of the time, wind, weather, etc. The pilots are great and the ride is quite the experience.

Admin

I will be at Solitude and am probably going somewhere backcountry wed 2/27, splitboard.
 
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