Official Unemployed Notice

The big trip just went from 9 days to 14 days,  Everyone at work is freaking out, but its just another notch on the unemployment belt for me. Yay, I've claimed benefits from 8% of the states.  I'm glad my hand got forced.  Too much time in a building.  Its time to open some schussing runs.

I've missed you all terribly, my darlings.  The Skier Boyz mission statement has always been about opening new terrain, and I am glad to see you all fulfilling that mission.  Cascade.  Nebo. Wheeler.  All worthy.  Congratulations for getting out of your comfort zone.  I hope you all continue to explore the world around you.  You all have broken free of the terrible boundaries of the printed guidebooks.  That is so tubular.  We've come so far.  Use your trips to expand your horizons.  Each trip should spawn two more.

The big trip awaits.  This will be the biggest statement the Boyz have ever made.  One dark night the moon will be out.  We will look up at it and I will say, " You see that moon?"  You will see that moon and reply, "yes".   I will say "more people have walked on that moon than have skied in this valley"  

That is my hope for this organization

Thank you Mr. President, for Great Basin National Park

Adam and I went on a trip to Great Basin National Park on the spur of the moment. He said it was going to be sunny at the Park tomorrow and we needed to go. We left SLC at 9pm, arrived at the park at 1:30am, and woke up at 5:45 to realize I forgot the white gas. No breakfast and coffee. Arg.

With views to the east across the Great Basin to the House Range I came across this dead Bristlecone that looks like Jar Jar Binks from the new Star Wars. What does it look like to you?

After several miles of skiing 15 degree slopes and flats we got to the buisness. Just below the tree line we skinned by some 4,000 to 5,000 year old Bristlecone Pines, the oldest known living organism in the world. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristlecone_pine ) I found it amazing that Bristlecones are found below massive slide paths that run frequently and are still standing for thousands of years.

When we got up to the Glacier Basin we saw some nice ski trails. Due to very high winds we couldn’t ski it and decided to keep heading up.

This is the only Glacier in Nevada and the states highest peak. It is a very small glacier below the north face of Wheeler at 13,065 feet.

We kept heading west and acscended to the south up a ramp to a ridge and up the shoulder to the top of Wheeler. There were 100 mph winds on the summit ridgeline so we decided to ditch our skis and hike the last 500 vertical feet to the top. We skied down some nice Sastrugi and windboard on a north facing 30 degree ramp, then traversed back east, the way we acscended. When we left the alpine we got into the trees and found some 30-35 degree powder tree skiing!

After a 20 mile round trip and 11 hour of touring we called it a day and drove back to the SLC in an empty desert with an empty stomach. I would reccomend this place to ya’ll if you enjoy skiing where no one else goes in the winter. Or you can wait till they plow the road to the upper lot and go ski some coliours if theres still snow and cut off miles of approach.

.

PBR anyone?

So it wasn't the biggest shot out there but the snow was still really good despite the two weeks of high pressure. Jake and I head out for the Suicide Chute Sunday morning getting out of the car at 8:15 and back sitting on my tailgate drinkin coffee by 9:45. A new shot for me, just another day in the wasatch for the old buffulo. One guy skied it before us, he was on a solo mission hangin out on the top drinkin a pbr and smokin a butt before his descent a good way to start your sunday mornin.

Ive also added a quick skierboyz trailer for the 09 season. You can find it on vimeo. Search for skierboyz09 trailer and let me what you think.

-Liam

Nebo ( www.wasatchwiggler.com)

March 1, 2009 ·
Xan, Christian, Ansel, and I went up to ski the highest peak in the Wasatch, Mt Nebo 11,928. We drove to the town of Mona and headed up Pole Canyon. Due to packed powder driving conditions Christians Subaru made it up quite a ways until we were shut down by an overgrown Christmas tree covering the road.

NW Cols off Nebo Summit
We skinned for about 500 vert from the car to the base of a slide path heading up Pole Canyon to the summit of Mt Nebo. For those of you familar with Wasatch skiing, it is like skinning up Argenta. We got to the top of the slide path on got on a ridge heading to the top of Nebo. You can see the ridge in the picture above and below this text.

Highest summit on Nebo 11,928.
We hiked up the ridge to the summit which is not as steep as it looks.

Summit Step. Look closely on the ridge and make out some mountain hikers with Timp and Central Wasatch in the distance.
After about 4 hours of hiking, route finding, and luncheon we got to the top and politely signed the summit register. (Sorry Uncle Keith)

Xan East side
Pictured above is the east facing cornish run we skied from the summit which was somewhere between 2,500 and 3,000 vert. Sorry no altimiters here. Xan (the guy in the picture above) lives Gloucester Mass, sits on his sailboat year round eating Fenway Franks and drinking Harpoon IPA, then comes out to Utah for a week and slays it (not dragons, skiing).
Pictured below is the majority of the cirque we skied. What a massive slide path! We werent even half way down and had to turn around because we thought it was getting kind of warm and we had to hurry on up. 2,500 to 3,000 vert no big deal (sarcasm). But it wasn’t getting too wet and heavy and we should have gone further. Next time.

East side from the bottom...well almost

Christian on the NW col
We got back up to the top and skied the lookers left col off the NW face of Nebo. This thing was huge in vert and width. About 2,700 according to google earth. YIKES! Then the Argenta-esque slidepath to finish off a 5,500 vert ski trail. No big deal, I once met a man who told me that he skis 7,000 foot runs in the Selkirks all the time. I think his name is spraylord. Well hope you enjoy the trip report.- The Wiggler ( Guest Blog Skier Boy Todd Glew, from http://www.wasatchwiggler.com/)