Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Little Cottonwood Canyon

This last Saturday I decided to get out of dodge and head for the high country. When most people think of skiing in Utah they think of one place. Alta. Well, I've yet to ski in Utah, and I'd never been up to Alta, or famous Little Cottonwood Canyon, where the resort resides. So, I figured I'd take the drive south and head for some good quality solo time in the mountains. Googlemaps said that it should be about an hour and 35 minutes from my house to Alta, but it only took 65 minutes, which was a nice surprise. I wasn't really sure where I was going to go, since I didn't know the area, but after running into a friendly guy in the parking lot, he suggested I head towards Twin Lakes Pass to start. My route ended up taking me through beautiful fall foliage on my way up to the pass. I then headed up climbing up to the top of Mt. Wolverine. Mt. Wolverine is an uber classic peak in the Wasatch with a gorgeous alpine cirque that has lots of famous couliors, or chutes, that have been in a lot of ski movies. Mt. Wolverine is 10, 795 feet tall and gives a great view of both Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons, as well as Alta ski resort. All in all a lovely day, with nice cool temps and beautiful views. I can see why this place is so popular. Everywhere you look there is a line I'd like to ski. I'm glad that fall has arrived up in the high country.

A map of my route.



Ah the fall.



Alta.









Looking down Little Cottonwood Canyon.



Mt. Wolverine and part of the Wolverine Cirque.



Big Mt. Superior. You bet your biscuits they do avalanche control on that sucker to keep the road clear. When conditions are stable, it's one of the proudest lines to ski in the Wasatch. Big, steep, and committing.



A fun looking chute in Wolverine Cirque.




Snow! Some still hanging around.



A gnarly coulior. Would love to watch someone ski this guy. That top bit is steeep!



Yours truly on top of Mt. Wolverine.



More fall colors.





And a little video.

No comments: