Conditions Report
With summer just about here and the mountain bike tuned and ready for some single  track I had almost put that final coat of summer wax on the skis and called it a season………but one thing living in Utah has taught me, is never count the mighty Wasatch out and it can deliver some goods when least expected.
I made the hardest decision of my life and decided to pursue my career and thus requiring me to move to Southern California in about a week, but the Wasatch gave me one last gift for the season and with this I decided to go out with a bang. I wanted one big line to walk away from this season with and keep in my mind as I surf barrels in SoCal this next year.
I figured Main Chute of Mt Baldy at Alta would be just the ticket. It has dumped about 16-20inch in about 48hrs at Alta over the weekend and thus lots of coverage. Utah Avalanche Center issued a high danger for yesterday (5/17) via an observation from Bruce Tremper, with today being forecasted as considerable (rating when most people are caught in a slide just FYI). I waited until the danger decreased a bit and called around to a few locals that had been riding Sunday for some tips and reports of stability.
As I arrived at the Wildcat base the air was cool and the sun peaking through the clouds and it seemed like it would be blue bird soon. Skinning was a bit more challenging than normal due to the dense high moisture content snow and breaking required a bit more effort than I expected. I followed the Collins chair to the mid station then cut up through Ballroom to Baldy shoulder and up the ridge to the top Baldy and the entrance to Main Chute. Two people dropped Main when I was skinning up Ballroom, I stopped and talked with them for a moment. They reported it to be stable with some small pockets of slabs, this was reassuring.
As I neared the top of the ridge it started to snow a bit and then really picked up followed by dark clouds. What came next was a huge series of thunder claps that echoed throughout Little Cottonwood Canyon. This really scared me because at first I thought it was a slide, not sure where the source of it was I grabbed my airbag handle and looked around. Realizing it was thunder I tried to analyze the situation for safety and think back to the many courses I took and if they gave any info in regards to thunder. Feeling a bit better once I reached the entrance to Main Chute I peeled the skins did an assessment and found my line.
It was cream cheese powder but still super fun and super fast, especially for mid May. I dropped into Ballroom after exiting the chute and then cut over to Stimulation and into Collins face back to the truck.
This was a great way to leave my beloved Wasatch for the beaches of SoCal, but don’t worry I will be back soon.
It continued to snow as I reached my truck and as I made my way down the Canyon. But before I left I took a drive up to Albion Based to see how it filled in and say goodbye to the Castle Area, a place where I have hucked my meat beyond what seemed reality.
