Utah mountain pass openings

Evren

Evren

New member
Crews are working on East Canyon; saw the machines making their way back yesterday. This is about the same time as last year (which was the earliest by a long shot in the last 5 years). That gives me hope for Guardsman. It happened on May 4th for PC-Midway and May 15 for PC-BCC last year. The darker pavement on the Wasatch-back this year (as opposed to gravel) should also help with the melt-rate.

Not as worried about it for the first time: instead of the usual place in Solitude -- where having Guardsman open was a huge deal -- I will be in DV, maybe 100 meters off of the Deer Crest MTB trail. May can't come soon enough.
 
I am bumping up this thread due to unprecedented demand.

Also, I hiked up 90 minutes Tuesday for these pictures. For some reason I don't put in anywhere near that effort for turns :-s

Empire Pass has been clear and dry for a couple of weeks at least. Most of it on its own, though there is a portion where one of Deer Valley's runs crosses over the road and that was clearly plowed. But it has not opened... wait for it... Empire Pass PC to Midway is open as of Wednesday! Never mind that UDOT still shows it closed. This is where news (of little consequence) breaks. First tracks, indeed.

I made my way up from the gate by Montage in 70F weather. After making it over Empire and eventually heading up Guardsman to BCC, there was barely any snow and I figured Wasatch County was just being a bum, again. But somewhere between 9200 and 9400 evidence of plowing and a couple of kick-ass CATs (I am hoping that's what Caterpillars are called in the business). The range of elevation in these pictures is under 300 feet, below which there was almost no snow. Yet somehow... well, look at the pictures:
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Holy mother of god! How did that happen? Probably a combination of shade and good-for-nothing snowmobilers packing it down. Anyway, over 6 feet fer sure by that speed sign.
I will not again berate Wasatch County. They are doing a yeoman's job. And judging by the fact that the equipment is up there working (there is only .7 miles left to the top) Guardsman should open for Memorial Day.
 
Tony Crocker":2oqb8de2 said:
Evren":2oqb8de2 said:
How did that happen?
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Perhaps because the Cottonwood side of Guardsman Pass gets far more snow than the Park City side.
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Except that those pics were taken on the Park City side.

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You are... both right. The last two are just this side of the ridge, looking into BCC. I very much doubt 50 feet in either direction makes a difference in snowfall. Exposure and snowmobile traffic patterns (notice how there are merely patches of snow off the road?) must play a bigger role at that scale.
 
Evren":1jdxup97 said:
You are... both right. The last two are just this side of the ridge, looking into BCC. I very much doubt 50 feet in either direction makes a difference in snowfall. Exposure and snowmobile traffic patterns (notice how there are merely patches of snow off the road?) must play a bigger role at that scale.
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And also the fact that the road cuts across an avalanche-prone slope, thus collecting extra snow in the lee-side of the road cut.
 
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