2009.03.27-28 Birthday Weekend in Utah - Part I

Multiple storms tracked through the west last week providing a much welcomed change to the dry weather that had persisted for the past several weeks. With my birthday on Friday, Devon and I decided last-minute to travel to Utah where the snow totals were being measured in feet rather than inches. A snowstorm targeting the urban Denver/Boulder area arrived on Thursday morning which made travel out of the cities difficult, but allowed us to get an early start on the trip as most places of work shut down by mid-day. Devon's long-time friend, Laura, greeted us upon our arrival in Salt Lake City at 11 pm and was gracious enough to provide accomodations for the long(er than expected) weekend. Friday 3/27: Typically, I find plenty of joy and satisfaction in skiing no matter the conditions, so spending my birthday skiing powder was extra special. Devon and I traveled up Big Cottonwood Canyon to Solitude, where the gates to Honeycomb Canyon were opened for the first time after receiving 15 inches the previous day: Devon traverses into Honeycomb Canyon to reach the goods:

We did laps in this area, finding untracked powder on each occasion until we felt satisfied that we'd had enough on the day.

Celebrating my 28th birthday in the best imaginable way (Photos: Devon S):

Devon's turn below the cliffs:

Taking a lunch break on a spectacular day:

Devon is all smiles after another run through untracked powder:

I must be getting old because after dinner and ice cream cake, I wanted nothing more than to go to bed. However, Devon provided the last surprise of the day with a fantastic present: an Avalung backpack to keep me safe on my skiing adventures! (I'll have a more detailed review of the BD Anarchist Pack in coming weeks after its gets some use)

Saturday 3/28: Today was a calm between storms so the decision was made to forego skiing. While it felt like a lazy choice, the weekend trip was extended through Monday to catch another significant snow-producing storm. This worked out for the best as we enjoyed the warm weather with a short hike and rested the legs for upcoming ski days.

The Wasatch mountains overlooking the Salt Lake valley:

Stay tuned for Part II.....a whiteout at Snowbird and more powder at Solitude!