Burke Alder Adventure and Outdoor Blogs
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In Utah, we’re lucky to ski deep and light powder often. This year (2019), it snowed almost every week for the past two months. That is why the tagline on our license plates read, “Greatest Snow On Earth.” Every skier dreams of powder skiing in deep and light snow. It feels like you are floating on clouds or the closet thing to having that experience in the real-world.
This week I write about a backcountry ski tour I did yesterday, February 23, 2019, to the summit of Days Draw located along the Reed and Benson Ridge (the ridge between Days Fork and Cardiff Fork). The view from the summit of Days Draw is amazing. You see Superior in the distance and the beautiful wide open bowls of the Cardiac ridge.
Yesterday, I went on a trail run up American Fork Canyon to an awesome lookout that showcases Mount Timpanogos. American Fork Canyon is famous for the Timpanogos Cave National Monument, which resides on its south side. The canyon is named after the American Fork River which runs through the bottom of the canyon. Running in the mountains is one of my favorite things to do.
I was 6 years old when I first saw the Karate Kid. I remember leaving the theater on a high. I wanted to sign up for karate the next day. I remember spending the next weeks doing the Krane kick off of everything. This movie taught me how excellence and greatness are created by mastering the principles of anything we do in life.
A week ago, I had the awesome privilege to attend the private screening of Chris Burkard's new documentary called "Under An Arctic Sky". Chris is known for his adventure photography that has taken him to farthest expanses of earth. I first came to know Chris through his Instagram. He inspires me and others to create a personal crusade against the mundane.
Each year, Alta Ski Resort averages over 500 inches of snowfall. That equals almost 42 feet of snow each ski season. Also, the snow is not wet and heavy, it's light and deep. This year, 2017, has been an amazing year for storm cycles and snow. It has dumped a lot of light snow. There weren't many breaks in the weather patterns. Just yesterday, April 29, Alta received over 5 feet of snow in just under 4 days. It's been an amazing year.
This year, 2017, has been an epic snow year in Utah. We have had week after week and many times days after days of light deep powder. During the 2nd week of March, there was a break in the storm cycles with warmer weather and spring skiing conditions. So we decided to summit the Primrose Cirque just to the left of Roberts Horn peak.
A few Saturdays ago, I headed up American Fork Canyon in Utah to do a ski tour with my little guy. It was a blue bird day and the sun was out. We started our approach from the Tibble Fork Reservoir parking lot. In the winter, Tibble Fork Reservoir is a popular destination for snowmobilers, snowshoers, and sledders. The parking lot was full. I knew once we found a parking spot, it was going to be a good day. The Tibble Fork parking lot tends to be crowded on the weekends. The earlier you can get there the better. The warmth of the sun on the face is one of the great joys of skiing on a blue bird day.
