Category Archives: My thoughts

Adam Yauch (1964-2012)

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Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys Dies – NY Times

Adam Yauch, one of the founders of the seminal hip-hop groupthe Beastie Boys, has died of cancer at the age of 47, his mother, Frances Yauch, said in a phone conversation.

Mr. Yauch, who went by the moniker MCA, had been battling cancer since 2009, when a tumor was discovered in his salivary gland. He did not come to the Beastie Boys induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April and his treatments for the illness forced the group to delay the release of their last album “Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2.”

I was shocked to learn that Adam Yauch had died. The Beastie Boys introduced me, my friends, and millions of others to hip hop. I own every album, even the punk rock ones. Their cd’s still make up the first three pages of my now dusty cd binder.

Adam Yauch, aka MCA, was my favorite Beastie Boy. I’m not sure what it was. It probably started with the fact we share the same name (Adam Horowitz too). I remember hearing that he was the most laid back of the three, which I kind of saw in myself too. He also had the least annoying voice of the three. Plus, he played bass, which seemed bad ass when I was in middle school. The Free Tibet movement is cool, but I was a little young to appreciate his cause to the fullest extent.

I guess what I liked most about Adam Yauch was the fact that he was an awesome snowboarder. I didn’t snowboard much growing up. I skied. But in a time when skiers and snowboarders were so divided, Adam Yauch made me want to learn to board. I never really took to boarding too much, but I loved the fact that one of my heroes enjoyed the snow and the mountains as much as I did.

I had other heroes growing up, but I couldn’t imagine Ken Griffey Jr. or Shawn Kemp heli-skiing in Alaska. Adam Yauch did though. He was probably the first only childhood hero I could imagine hanging out with.

I don’t doubt that he lived more in his 47 years that most do in a lifetime, but it’s a shame he passed away so young.

I Just Won The Trip Of A Lifetime!!!! Thanks Ski Utah and Ski LaParva! (LaParva Trip Day #1)

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Holy Shit!

Three and a half weeks ago while compulsively scanning my Facebook news Feed, I noticed a link from the Ski Utah Yeti regarding some sort of “Endless Winter Sweepstakes.” A sucker for anything related to skiing, I clicked on the link and entered myself in a drawing for a jacket, some skis, and the grand prize, a trip to LaParva, Chile for a week of skiing in the middle of summer (winter there, because the hemisphere thing, or planets, or science or something).

I entered the contest, shared the link on my wall, and continued on checking Facebook, Twitter, Freeskier.com, EarlyUps.com, and other sites for the latest news and stuff. I probably wouldn’t have thought twice about the contest had Ski Utah not posted the contest on their website… which doubles as my browser’s homepage. I entered the contest every time I checked the snow report (read: everyday).

I did.

I knew the contest was ending and tried to enter one last time this afternoon. The contest had closed, but I saw a post saying a winner would be announced this afternoon. I “liked it” and joked to myself (which makes me sound like a crazy person) about updating my Facebook status saying I was holding my breath and not leaving my computer until I was notified that I had won. My buddy Matt (who works for Ski Utah and thus is completely ineligible) even commented that he was definitely going to win.

Good call, Matt

A few minutes later I checked my gmail and opened something titled “Endless Winter Sweepstakes: CONGRATULATIONS.” My advanced internal spam filter told me to disregard the subject line, and honestly, I’m surprised I even opened the email (thanks a lot Nigerean Princes and Viagra scientists). It wasn’t until I was halfway through the email when it dawned on me that I had actually won. I re-read the email looking for the following key phrases: “sorry”, “thanks for entering”, “second prize”, “second chance drawing”, “better luck next season”… nothing. I got instantly lightheaded as my brain figured out that I had one the grand prize. I knew it was good, but honestly, I hadn’t even read the fine print. Needless to say, I was pretty happy when I re-read the fine print:

One GRAND PRIZE (1) winner will receive 2 roundtrip airline tickets to/from any major international airport within the lower 48 United States to Santiago International Airport, 6 nights lodging at La Parva, Chile, lift tickets for two for 6 days, ski/snowboard rentals for two for 6 days, airport transfer (from Santiago to La Parva).  Approximate Retail Value (“ARV”): Eight thousand, five hundred dollars ($8,500).  Grand Prize can only be redeemed for La Parva’s 2012 season which runs from June 1, 2012 – September 10th, 2012.  Grand Prize cannot be redeemed for cash.

I called the contact person at Ski Utah and spent the next ten minutes struggling to find words to express my excitement. Holy shit! was used several times though.

After the call, I immediately hun up and called my girlfriend and asked if she had any interest in skiing in Chile this summer. I wish I would have thought of something clever. But I didn’t. As I write this, I’m still not convinced that she’s convinced I’m not messing with her.

Time to go update Twitter and Facebook.

Happy Opening Day!

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Why do I root for the Seattle Mariners again?

I check the Seattle Times every day for the latest stories, I subscribe to MLB.TV to watch their games. I read Mariner fan blogs, USS Mariner and Lookout Landing, several times a day. On Twitter, I follow the M’s major and minor league players, their alter-ego’s, major and even minor league announcers, and every beat writer or national columnist that has ever broken a trade rumor or free agent signing regarding the Mariners. I can effortlessly name all 25 guys on the team. I can get pretty close on the 40-man roster too.

I’ve been to less than a dozen games in the 12 years since I moved to Utah. None of the players/managers/gm’s are the same. Dave Niehaus passed away. My childhood (and teenage) hero, Ken Griffey Jr., was forced into retirement.

Oh, and the M’s haven’t been to the playoffs since 2001. They haven’t been nationally relevant since 2003.

And now they’re publicly against a nearby NBA/NHL arena because it might cause traffic problems around their publicly financed stadium.

Good timing by the ballclub. Way to completely kill the any opening day excitement that was in the air. I guess we’ll just have to revel in the shrewd cost-saving movies made this offseason. I can’t wait to see our newest free agents take the field tomorrow: Carlos Guillen (retired), Shawn Camp (released), Aaron Heilman (released, now with Rangers), Hong Chih Kuo (released)… at least we still have Felix for a couple more years.

Mariners might rue the day they interfered with proposed Sodo arena : Jerry Brewer – Seattle Times

“The Mariners say they are all for the NBA and NHL coming to Seattle, but not in their ‘hood. They don’t want the congested Sodo area to become unbearable. They’re worried about hindering their “fan experience,” and because they haven’t been to the playoffs since 2001, they know a lot about hindering a fan experience. They’re using words such as “ingress” and “egress” to give their argument some sophistication.

Look at it objectively. They have a point. Problem is, it’s a molehill issue that isn’t worth it for them. The Mariners sound like stingy, grumpy old men yelling for Hansen to get off their lawn. Even worse, they risk alienating far more fans than they already have during this decadelong dry spell.

Because of traffic.”

Ski Day #64

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Gold I and packed up and drove the ten minutes from the hotel in Tahoe City to Squaw Valley. Over a foot of new snow blanketed the top 2/3 of the hill had been sitting untouched due to wind holds the previous day. We waited in line for the Funi and started our day with a run on Siberia Express. We looked on in awe as skiers everywhere got first tracks on Headwall and Siberia. They didn’t even really seem to sink in, barely leaving noticeable tracks on the way down. Weird.

Gold and I started down Siberia. We jumped a 15 footer next to the lift, made some pow-ish turns, and skied the flats back to the lift. The snow in no way resembled powder. It wasn’t heavy powder, it wasn’t blower, it wasn’t cham… Steamboat powder, it wasn’t crust, it was some weird, dense, extremely fast, creamy, buttery, chalky type of snow. We later found out the substance is referred to as “wind buff.” And we ripped it all the way down to the lift.

We started our second run with a ten to fifteen minute hike up Palisades. The wind was blowing insanely hard, almost ripping my skis off my shoulder and off the ridge. There were patches covered in frozen rocks where snow had been torn away by the 75+ mph winds. I’ve never seen wind that strong. I would have turned around, but it was easier to just keep going. At some point the wind gusted hard enough to rip my helmet cam, mount, and adhesive completely off my helmet, never to be seen again. I didn’t discover that it was gone until the top of the hike. There was no way I was going to click out of my skis and fight the winds to look for it. A donation to the Palisades.

Due to the constant wind, unfamiliarity with the terrain (aside from what I’ve seen on GNAR and other ski movies), and somewhat of an adrenaline letdown from the loss of my helmet cam, we bypassed some of the crazier lines on Palisades and found a fun line down National. A couple soft turns, an icy turn, and a straightline on the wind buff through a debris field and we were down. I don’t get too many opportunities to ski something steep, so I had a blast.

We then made our way over to Granite Chief. Smooth, high speed turns on wind buff in the Shirley Lake bowl on the way. I remember skiing Squaw four years ago on a 6″-of-new-snow day and I’ve been raving about Granite Chief since. As we rode up, I was reminded why; There are cliffs everywhere! Big ones. Small ones. Easy ones. Scary ones… Lacking much originality, we spent our first lap jumping every cliff directly under the lift. We each hit five or six 10-15 footers, stomped every one, and got ourselves and a bunch of people on the lift fired up. The wind buff snow might not be powdery, but it sure is easy to land on. So much fun!

We lapped Granite Chief a few more times then headed back over to the other side of the hill. Feeling a little tired from the whole trip, I perked up a little after an iced quad espresso from the world’s only ski-thru Starbucks (what a fabulous idea. Look for a ski-thru Park City Bread and Bagel within the next few years).

We skied a few more runs on Headwall before calling it a day and skiing the long way back to the village. I can’t remember skiing as fast on a non-groomed run as we did on those laps. It’s not my favorite snow, but you can definitely rip some big ass GS turns on wind buff.

We packed up the car listening to locals talking about the day being one of the best of the season. We forgot to buy souvenirs and started the 8-9 hour drive back to Park City.

Great trip. I probably wouldn’t do it again for the type of storm that we chased, but I had a great time. I wouldn’t hesitate to plan a three day midweek trip to Squaw next season. We’d start the drive a little earlier, stay in in Tahoe City for $85 a night, get some more 2-for-1 lift tickets at a gas station, and plan on skiing some steep terrain for three hard days once we’d purchased a copy of Squallywood and done our research. I’d safely secure my helmet cam on the Palisades hike and get some footage of some of the crazier lines on Chimney or Extra Chute. Maybe even a catch a colder storm and drop a cliff on Fingers. There are a ton of possibilities. I see why someone would choose to live in Tahoe and ski bum it at Squaw. I see why so many locals rip and why so many pros come out of Squaw. I feel like a better skier after just two days at Squallywood.

I’m really happy I got the chance to storm chase this season. All winter long I’d been watching forecasts all over the West, passing on other last-second brainstormed trips to Silverton, Jackson, Montana, Southern Utah, and Idaho. We kind of panicked and pulled the trigger on this one, missing out on the ideal storm, but it feels good to read the locals perspective online and see it mentioned as a “top three powder day” of Squaw’s season. If nothing else, it’ll make me appreciate the typical Utah winter that much more. We have it pretty good here.

SKI DAY #50

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Following back to back best-day-of-the-years, it snowed another foot in the Wasatch Wednesday night. Although worn out from two straight days of hard skiing, I could barely sleep that night, imagining what the next day would have in store for us. We showed up at the hill around 8:30 and skied a great cliff, powder, and jump run from Eagle to Powderhorn. Then things took a turn for the worse.

Powderhorn stopped running due to mechanical issues. We skied away from the lift to Sunrise. Rode the lift for 15 minutes. Then skied a fun, but low-angle pow run back to Apex, where we discovered Powderhorn was running again.

We skied down and waited in a line. A LINE! At SOLITUDE!?! I looked around and started noticing an unusual amount of helmets with Snowbirds and Alta Flakes.

On the ride up Powderhorn I noticed the entire bowl was filled with skiers and boarders. Not typical Solitude skiers, but skiers that rode pretty well. People were dropping all the cliffs that usually stay untouched. I even saw a guy throw a backflip! The guy next to me on the lift started complaining about Solitude’s lack of vert…

Suddenly it hit me, our worst nightmares had come to life: Little Cottonwood had been closed longer than expected, and LCC’ers were finding their way to Solitude!

Powderhorn bowl was tracked out by the time we reached the top. Fortunately, the rope to Milk Run had dropped and we filmed some amazingly deep first tracks on Parachute as we got yelled at for holding up the traverse.

After a five minute wait for the Summit Lift, we made our way to the top. The runs were a little tracked, but we had some fun under the lift and through Headwall Forest. We jumped some cliffs and found plenty of good snow. Then waited in line for a few minutes and did it all again.

Thinking back on it, if things had stayed the same the rest of the day, it still would have been one of the best powder days of the season. Maybe not what I had stayed up the night before dreaming about, but definitely top 10, maybe even top 5.

And then it happened: the patrol dropped the rope to the Black Forest side of Honeycomb. We sidestep-and-traverse sprinted to the top of Black Forest (or Buckeye Junior, I don’t know the difference), watched the majority of skiers get antsy and drop in one area too early, and eventually skied some amazing turns through the woods and lower bowl.

We rode Honeycomb Return to Powderhorn and skied Black Forest through the gate at the top. Then a lap on Here Be Dragons. Then a lap on Cathedral Bowl. And a final lap in our secret spot of Black Forest.

The crowds had disappeared, we never waited in another line, and the last four runs were some of the best I have ever skied. We called it a day around 3pm, due to dehydration, cramping and exhaustion. The parking lot was almost empty. The cars with the Alta Flakes and Snowbirds must have gone back to home to their canyon.

As we left the parking lot I couldn’t help but think how close of a call today had been. The LCC’ers had ventured up to Solitude with 30″ of new snow and saw a bunch of tracked out lines on Powderhorn, got cliffed out on Milk Run, waited in lines for a slow chair to the summit with no vert and long skates out of the flats, and took a pain in the ass traverse that they had to drop out on early because it probably didn’t go anywhere good anyway. They left around 1pm to save their legs, thinking how good their canyon will be tomorrow… if the road opens.

It could have been more, but definitely a top five powder day this season. Great snow. A great crew. And we survived another LCC invasion for the time being. If anything, it makes you appreciate the first two best-day-of-the-years that much more.

2011-2012 Ski Days: 50

Brighton: 4
Canyons (+sidecountry): 32
PCMR: 1
Solitude: 13

Timothy Baker Died In An Avalanche Near Canyons

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Usually I’d just rewrite a news story headline about an avalanche death, then copy and paste a few paragraphs from the article that explains what happened. Unfortunately, this story hits pretty close to home.

Liz and I skied Canyons yesterday.

It snowed a few inches overnight. A few inches of weird, graupel snow. The winds have been blowing like crazy for three days. Liz and I woke up, checked the storm totals and the avalanche report, which were “3 inches” and “High” respectively. I fell back asleep and we made it to the mountain a little after 10 am. We left our avalanche gear in the car.

There was still some pretty good snow higher on the hill. We looked around at the surrounding sidecountry terrain and admire the new snow and complete absence of tracks. For a split second I even considered hiking out past Squaretop to Corn Bowl, but upon remembering we had no gear, decided against it. Instead, Liz and I spent the next couple hours playing around on the in-bounds cornice and open snowfield above 9990 Lift and Red Pine Chutes below. We had a blast.

We noticed a handful of tourist-looking skiers without avi gear heading out of bounds towards Dutch Draw. I remember pausing a handful of times to watch them traverse the open bowl, somewhat expecting to see the whole bowl slide.

Right before 3pm, we called it a day and made our way back to the car. On our way out of Canyons we stopped to let five Summit County Sheriff vehicles make their way through the light. In Park City it seems that five cop cars respond to every traffic stop, so we didn’t think much of it.

It wasn’t until a half hour or so later that I received a call at the bagel shop. The person on the other end of the line never introduced themselves aside from mentioning ABC 4 News, but asked if I was the same Adam Fehr that regularly skis Canyons backcountry. He said they had seen on Twitter that I skied regularly in the backcountry. I said I was and that I hadn’t gone out of bounds today. He then asked if I was aware of an avalanche that occurred at Canyons. I said I was not, but that everyone I skied with that day was accounted for.

Then I was asked why we didn’t go into the backcountry Thursday and I responded with something about the the high avalanche danger mention in the avalanche report. He asked if he could transfer my call to someone and have me repeat what I had just said. I agreed and repeated my story to someone named Brent Hunsaker. He asked if I was “relieved it wasn’t us that got caught in the avalanches?”. I responded with “I guess, but I’m more concerned with the person being okay.”

I immediately checked the internet and found that a skier or snowboarder had been caught in a slide in Dutch Draw, just outside the 9990 gate. The 20-25 year old male had been airlifted in extremely critical condition.

At 4pm, I was watching the news for an update on the avalanche when I saw my name appear on the screen followed by my voice recorded from that random phone call. My voice said “we would normally go into the Canyons sidecountry on a day like today, but decided against it due to the high danger mentioned in the avalanche report.”

They didn’t even ask for permission to put me on the news.

They changed stories and I started following updates on Twitter.  A little while later it was reported that the victim had not survived. I felt sad that the person had died, but stored the whole thing away assuming that it had been one of the faceless tourists we saw traversing out of bounds, somehow oblivious to the very real threat of death.

I checked the news at 5 pm and online, but my broadcasted phone call had been replaced by an on the scene reporter.

Around 10pm, Liz and I were leaving the Banff Film Festival at the University of Utah when we received a text saying that our friend, Timothy Baker, was the person caught in the slide. I have known Timmy for over a year and a half. He worked with some of my good friends at Legend’s Bar at PCMR. He was always around for our group dinners, Catch Phrase games, and nights out on Main Street. I spent a good number of nights drinking with Timmy. We skied a couple runs together at Canyons in December. Which I think was the last time I saw him.

Timmy Baker, via Facebook: "REMEMBER THIS FACE!!!"If you die you're completely happy and your soul somewhere lives on. I'm not afraid of dying. Total peace after death".. WE LOVE YOU ALWAYS!!

I try to post something about every avalanche fatality that occurs in Utah and surrounding states. It seems like a good way to spread the message about avalanche danger. It’s weird to post a report or news article about the death of a friend. Timmy was a really good kid. A great snowboarder. And he probably should have known better, but I understand why he took the risk.

from Tim's Facebook page

He was well known and well liked. He will be missed greatly. Hopefully everyone that knew Timmy will take something from his death, learn about avalanches and have a better understanding of what really is at risk.

"Rest In Paradise" - A mural for Timmy in SLC. 830 S 700w.

The official Utah Avalanche Center accident report was posted yesterday. It’s kind of tough to read. The investigators aren’t sure if he died from asphyxiation or trauma. I hope he hit something on the way down and didn’t feel a thing. Either way, it’s something I would like to keep from happening to myself or anyone else I know.

from Utah Avalanche Center

I got a call at the shop Friday morning from an ABC 4 News crew. They wanted to film me talking about backcountry skiing and our decision to stay in bounds Thursday afternoon. I told them that I didn’t fell comfortable talking about the incident knowing now that a friend was involved. I’m not sure if it was the right call, but I figured there are more experienced skiers to quote and better friends of Timmy to interview for the story.

Friday night, I found a video on the ABC 4 News website that used my phone call and some of my ski videos. It was from their lead-in story on the 10 o’clock news. I don’t know if they need permission to use my voice or my ski edits, but it feels weird to be bragging about making a good decision, when a friend didn’t make the same decision and died. My comments were made before I knew it was Tim that had passed away. I would have probably said a couple things differently.

Avalanche kills man near Canyons Resort – ABC4.com

Ski Day #10

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We need some snow! I skied park today by myself for an hour or so. PARK! I hit some boxes. I never do that. I don’t even really like doing it that much. I ski powder and jump off rocks. You can’t do that without snow. There’s not even any snow in the forecast. None. It’s December. Last year we were skiing powder non-stop. We even had a blizzard warning a year ago last week. I had two days off this week and I didn’t even ski. I went to the gym and cleaned the house. (On a side note: I now have an empty guest room that I’m planning on keeping empty through ski season for anyone interested in visiting this winter). Normally I’d be a little relieved that the forecast is dry while I’m in Mexico next week, but I’m not relieved. I would like to ski a little powder on my birthday week. Last year on my birthday, I tried a front flip off a cornice on Jupiter Peak. I landed on my back and it didn’t hurt one bit. If I try that this year I will die. This is bullshit. Snow!

The forecast at a glance:

OMG. SNOW!!!

Upon further review:

WTF! START SNOWING!!!

Local Deals: Powder Mountain Mid-Week

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I always forget to take advantage of this one, but Powder Mountain (aka Pow Mow) offers a pretty good deal to Utah locals.

That’s right. Show a Utah driver’s license Monday thru Friday and get a pass for $47, a saving of $13. There are a few blackout dates, but who wants to ski at a resort during Christmas Week, MLK day, or President’s Weekend anyway?

Throw in a Lightning Ridge ride and an awesome day of pow skiing will run you $47+$15= $62. $30-40 less than a day skiing groomers at Deer Valley or PCMR.

Or use the saving and pick up a couple Star Burger’s at the Shooting Star Saloon on the way home.

Stretching Before Exercising Is Bad

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“Why should I stretch? Does a cheetah stretch before it chases its prey?” – Ken Griffey Jr.

Ken Griffey, Jr. is my favorite baseball player of all time. I grew up in Seattle while he played for the Mariners and to say I was a fan is an understatement. I owned every baseball card, wrote him letters, invited him to my birthday party, and had every poster ever made of Junior hanging in my bedroom until I was 16 years old. Griffey was one of the most amazing athletes I have ever seen and I wanted to be just like him.

After first reading Jr’s response to pre-game stretching, I have never stretched before any sport again. It went against everything my coaches and parents had taught me about athletics. But in the end, who do you listen to, a middle school baseball coach/woodshop teacher  or the greatest baseball player that ever lived?

Finally, some studies have been released that support our argument:

via Unofficial Networks – “Stretching Is Bad For You”

We all grew up being told to stretch before being active.  Specifically, we were told to do static stretches, where you stretch and hold a position for 30 seconds or more.  All that stretching was making you suck.

Static stretching before exercise has been credited with less responsive and weakened muscles for 30 minutes after stretching.  A University of Nevada study in 2008 has showed that pre-exercise static stretching caused athletes to have less force in their legs than athletes who didn’t stretch at all.  Other studies have shown this kinda stretching can create a 30% decrease in muscle strength.

“The basic science and clinical evidence today suggests that stretching before exercise is more likely to cause injury than to prevent it.” - Ian Shrier, M.D., former president of the Canadian Society of Sports Medicine.

Now I need to get my roommate and Solitude pow day ski buddy, Chris Gold, to read this. Currently oblivious to these studies and having grown up skiing bumps and doing ski-acro competitively, Gold still stops at the top of every run to stretch. I now have scientific evidence to prove that he is not only wasting my time, but also hindering his skiing ability by doing so.

Now if I can just figure out a way to get him to put his boots on quicker.

Solitude Season Pass Info

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I’ll probably end up getting the Mid-Week pass for $499. Thankfully, Solitude didn’t raise the price again. I was a little annoyed to dish out an extra $100 when they increased the Mid-Week from $399 to $499 following the 2009-2010 season. But $499 is still pretty reasonable, especially if it helps keep Solitude less busy than Bird or Alta.

Solitude also dropped the price of their full season pass by $100, now just $999. I don’t see myself skiing Soli enough on the weekends to justify the extra $500 though.

I already have a Monday only pass to Brighton. I guess I could do a Tuesday-Wednesday pass for $368, or even a Tues-Thur pass for $457. Hmm…

Utah Avalanche Center Done For The Season

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Salt Lake Avalanche Advisory – Sunday April 3rd, 2011

We have ended our avalanche advisories for the season.

This does not mean the end of avalanches, nor the possibility of more avalanche incidents. But the piggy bank has run dry.

For the next couple weeks, we will continue to accept and publish observations from backcountry users who submit them, including our own when we are out on our days off. You can submit observations by clicking on the Submit Observation link on our home page and you can read the observations from others in the Current Conditionsoff the main menu.

…

Each spring, avalanche conditions generally become more predictable and our avalanche advisories end up repeating themselves like a broken record. So here is the usual spiel:

As my 94-year-old Czech mother-in-law reminds me, “Spring is always a fight between winter and summer.” We have alternating, cold, dry powder storms followed by warm, sunny weather that quickly turns the snowpack soggy.

First for storm snow: we have to worry about the usual round of avalanche activity that occurs during storms, namely instabilities within the new snow and wind slabs. Luckily, in spring, the new snow usually falls on a very stable pre-existing snowpack, so all the monkey business is near the surface. Be sure to use your usual round of tricks like jumping on small test slopes to see how they respond and dig down with your hand to see how well the snow is bonded. Also, you should never commit yourself to a slope without first putting a good slope cut across the slope to test it. If the slope fractures, hopefully, your momentum will take you off the moving slab. And as always, avoid steep slopes with recent wind deposits.

It’s a shame the UAC is done with still a couple weeks left in the season. I check this site multiple times a day during ski season. They do a great job informing locals when it’s safe to enter the backcountry. The daily reports are a great way to explain the conditions you encounter while skiing backcountry or even just within resort boundaries. The “Mountain Weather” section is often the most reliable source to check as you figure out which jacket what layers to wear each day.

It was weird skiing backcountry today without the today’s report. It really makes you appreciate all the months of hard work the UAC puts in each winter.

Cottonwoods to PC Ski Day Food Gauntlet

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The Food Gauntlet on Google Maps

My top ten, in order of likeliness that I stop:

  1. Park City Bread and Bagel – I’m a little biased because I own the place, but it’s a 50-50 chance I just drive to the shop and make myself a Turkey-Bacon sandwich on a bagel or a Sunrise breakfast sandwich.
  2. Molcasalsa – I used to eat here 3-4 times a week in college. I also used to weigh 275 lbs. In moderation, this place is one of my favorites in Salt Lake. Get the Carne Asada Fries or a breakfast burrito.
  3. Five Guys Burgers and Fries: 3300 S. – They just recently opened a Five Guys on 33rd, so recently they aren’t even on Google Maps. I get a hamburger with grilled mushrooms, jalapenos, and green peppers and split fries with whoever I’m with.
  4. Barbacoa – The local version of Chipotle. Great burritos and burrito salads.
  5. Cafe Rio - The sweet pork is addicting.
  6. Lone Star Taqueria – Good Mexican food. Awesome fish tacos and seating outside for spring days.
  7. Porcupine Pub & Grille – Awesome ahi salad and pretty good ribs. Good place to grab a beer.
  8. Wing Coop – Great wing place in Olympus Cove. Sixty cent wings on Monday and Thursday. Get the Honey Habanero sauce. Don’t try the “11 Sauce”; It’s the hottest thing I have ever eaten.
  9. Ahh Sushi – Pretty good sushi that’s close to home. Half price sushi happy hour everyday from 5-6pm.
  10. Cotton Bottom Inn - Really good garlic burgers. Good place to grab a beer.
  • Honorable Mention: Bout Time Pub & Grub – Cheap beer and fried foods. Try the Scotch Eggs: A hardboiled egg rolled in sausage and deep fried. Or don’t try it and extend your life six months. They have deep fried olives too.