Report from November 14, 2023

Yesterday, I got up and into Alta’s crevasses for the 5th time this month.

What I mean to say is, I skied Main Chute again for the 5th time.

The last time I skied it, November 11, the entrance was about as spicy as it gets.

Yesterday was ski day #282 of my “300” project.

Main Chute – 11,000′ Mt. Baldy – Alta, UT

• 2,500-vertical-feet
• 4-miles round trip
• 1 hour & 47 mins car to summit
• 2 hours & 20 mins car to car
• Ski day #282

Icy, rocky, earthy, steep, and loud.

Yesterday the entrance was much improved.

A wind storm must have blown the previous night because billions of small snow crystals had coated the chute base.

That same wind had completely erased the bootpack and covered it in an obnoxious, hollow windboard. 

I didn’t see a single other person on the entire Mt. Baldy zone but someone had booted up and skied the chute before me this same day.

Thank goodness…

Putting in that bootpack in that hollow windboard would have been heinous.

Thanks, human!

I actually felt pretty good yesterday.

I’ve been overtired for the past couple of weeks but yesterday I was OK.

Maybe because I’d rested a lot the previous day, only skied a half lap, eaten so much food I didn’t feel good, then passed out at 9pm and slept 10 hours…

I made it to the top in 1 hour and 47 minutes – my second-best time of November.

After crunching, sliding, hop-turning, and side-stepping down the entrance, I was ready to ski.

The wind really had added some quality coverage in the chute but the “new” snow was packed down firm.

My skis wobbled and torqued my knees as I tried to keep my speed up and control them.

One ski got completely ripped out from under me in the most critical part of the chute and I was just able to complete the turn I was in, throw the ski back to snow, and get my speed back under control.

The wind-deposited chalk exploded up into my face on more than one occasion.

The lower chute was especially well-covered and grabby as hell.

It was all I could do to ski the chute top to bottom without stopping especially because the lower chute’s snow was so bizarre.

At the bottom of the chute, I pulled over and gasped for air.

It had taken about all I had.

From there, I had zero pride in my skiing.

I loosened my boots and skied overly safe down to the angle station of the Collins Chair.

The coverage below the angle station was solid and there were people around so I tried to ski well down there.

I was very stoked when I hit the parking lot.

I’d had quite a bit of trepidation rolling into the day due to how treacherous the entrance to Main Chute had been a few days ago.

I was happy that I’d forged on, gone for the chute again, and was rewarded with slightly improved conditions.

Thanks, Utah!

Photos