Negative Space

Crack climbing is an inherently strange idea, unlike face climbing where everything is positive (in one manner or another...excluding I'm sure some crazy 5.14's) you are climbing through negative space. Your path to the endpoint (chains, the top, whatever) is through something that doesn't even exist. Now I'm sure that's part of the appeal for some people, but regardless of who you are you must admit it is a bit bizarre. 

This weekend Chesy and I got the chance to catch a glimpse of what Indian Creek's negative space was all about. Unfortunately, with the qualms of life it was that, just a glimpse. Nonetheless, we will return.

The day started with a run up Mt. Olympus (we couldn't leave after work that morning because Chesy had an event at 6) 

 Endless opportunity

 A sampling of Indian Creek's finest negative space

Plaque #1 Hand Solo 5.9

 My Beautiful Girlfriend

Rambling 

On 

Cactus

Another sampling Blue Sun (5.10)

Splitter hands 

 Chesy on TR

No hands rest 

Pictographs 

No matter where you go in the world you're likely to encounter at least one douchebag

The 16 gauge version (Hypodermic Needle)

Once I embarked away from the snowshoe tracks I was well on my way to the top of Maybird...on another note those snowshoer's have some balls walking almost to Maybird proper before descending (and they have to walk all the way back down not exactly my cup of tea on 5 star powder days.) Nearing the ridgeline I almost turned around as the boiler plate slide for life sections over cliffs didn't take to my liking or maybe I'm just a girl. I got to the ridgeline on Maybird in around 1:50 not bad for a fat kid.

One set of tracks greeted me into Hogum, I wondered to myself, who was as crazy as me to be skiing this kind of terrain alone?

Tracks down Hogum 200-600

As I began to follow the lonely skin track up the needle a lone skier began his descent, as he came into view he gave a friendly wave and then an acknowledgement as if we were friends. Pending a few seconds of dumbassery I realized it was Chris Cawley and we were in fact friends!

He mentioned some business about breaking trail and a heavy bag, and I replied something about being a fat kid and out of shape and so we took off on the skin track together. Little did I know Chris is as expert as they come and I found myself way behind, hands on my knees tired, as he slipped out of my sight. He did place like top 20 at the Speedgoat...me on the other hand, I was like top last.

Looking up the needle...if you look closely you can see a black dot...that's how far behind I had drifted. 

Looking back to Hogum 200 

It was deep 

The Pfeiff

Needless to say I was out of shape, tired, and a pretty big pussy, see look:

So I descended alone, weak, and unable to make the ridgeline...nonetheless, it was one of the best ski days of the year. Super stable with blower pow on top...amazing.

The Needle proper (taken from a few weeks earlier)

The red dot is where I pussed out. Got tired.

Needless to say  I found my way out, almost lost a ski, and hitched a ride back to my car at white pine.

Being Late

It seems as though I'm late for a number of things; I'm late for my doing proposal defense (grad school stuff), I was late to the Chemistry poster session last night, Chesy and I couldn't climb Lone in a day because we arrived too late, and usually any storm that strikes during the week I'm late in tracking things out, simply because I don't have the easiest schedule out there (yeah I know bitch bitch bitch).

So as I headed up white pine yesterday I figured I'd be late for finding any good snow. Crossing over to Maybird gulch...in boiler plate conditions I figured I was for once too early to take advantage of any sun effects on snow. This time however it was not a good thing as conditions were relatively crappy. After several missteps I placed my skis in my pack and booted to Maybird ridge only to find perfect corn/powder the whole way to LCC road. Yes!! perfectly timed not too hard not too soft.

The might Pfeiff 

I should've kept going but being partnerless I couldn't convince myself it was a good idea to mess around in Hogum.

I skied this, one of the many chutes off of Maybird ridge/peak 

Exit turns

Skiing Superior

Waking up on Sunday to several inches of snow at my house I figured it was best that I try to get up in the mountains and play around. Making good time up to Cardiff Summit I made my way up the Superior ridgeline. Partnerless, I couldn't convince myself to ski from the summit so I took some north facing shots followed by an exit out two trees.

Warning: The photos are pretty doctored

Since everyone else is ragging on the theme: A very crowded Wasangeles Indeed

Exit

Zion Splitters

Lately the weather in Salt Lake has been smoggy with a chance of unhappiness. In light of this, it was time we headed south in search of better weather or least more lung friendly air. The forecast for Zion National Park read "Sunny with a high of 60", much better than SLC! 

We could only make a day trip out of it, but it was well worth the 9 hours of driving, especially with the price of gas these past couple of weeks.

My beautiful girlfriend with a beautiful background

Leading my first 10..it's not the size that matters it's how you use it

Chesy on TR

Wigged OUT

Splitter 5.9 "Cherry Crack"

 

City Living...City Skiing

When I used to live at Foothill Place Apartments I always had this lingering question as to how far I’d have to walk to ski reasonable powder. Originally, my assumption was Granduer, which I skied in fat powder conditions from summit to parking lot on Presidents Day 2011 and in springy conditions back in April of 2010 when I first came to Salt Lake.  Well, now that I’ve moved to Midvale I guess it would be a direct line to Broads Fork Twin Peaks but that’s beyond the point. I’ve always been curious if any of the foothills directly north of I-80 skied well…

Well after school was cancelled on Friday, (well normal school…graduate school [slavery] was not cancelled but to avoid getting stuck I assumed one shortened day wouldn’t hurt) I was more concerned with getting home safely than the conditions of the foothills. Besides they never skied, at least as far as I know.  So Chesy and I woke up on Saturday, skinned to the ridge on Flagstaff, and descended in reasonable conditions (8-12 inches of Powder on top of a stout crust). Well a short trip to work on Saturday revealed a plethora of already skied lines; ones which I thought never existed.

Chesy skinning up Flagstaff 

On the untracked descent 

So I hustled through my reactions and sped home with excitement and the intent to go as early as possible on Sunday but I couldn’t resist testing the water that day so Nak and I skied directly above the ridge by H-rock.

H-rock 

The other girl I bring along 

Tracked out

On Sunday as I was driving to the Mt. Wire Red Butte Gardens areas I spotted a line right at the Junction of I-80 and 215. I couldn’t resist…how cool would it be to lay down tracks that everyone on the highways could see? Not to mention ski something that rarely, if ever, has been skied. 

Putting in the skin track right next to I-80 

My morning accompaniment  notice the pointy eared coyote? in the middle right

Nice skinner guys 

Tracks 

My afternoon accompaniment 

Who say's dogs can't smile? 

Chesy giving it her best shot to not hit any rocks 

 The exit both for the skin track and the highway

Mush!