Report from November 5, 2024
The legendary Andrew McLean & his spouse Polly joined me immediately at Alta!
In the event you don’t know Andrew, right here’s a little bit about his spectacular life:
- 1st skilled ski mountaineer in North America
- Designed the “Whippet” ice axe ski pole
- Labored as a designer at Black Diamond for years
- 1st descents on all 7 continents
- Powder Journal just lately voted McLean as “One of many Best Skiers of Our Time”
- Creator of “The Chuting Gallery – A Information to Steep Snowboarding within the Wasatch Mountains” which was the primary snowboarding guidebook dedicated to steep ski mountaineering
- The Lead Information of the Ice Axe Expeditions Antarctica ski journey that I information every Fall
- Visitor on The SnowBrains Podcast
- As soon as skied 40,000-vertical-feet in 24-hours
The three of us pulled into the Alta car parking zone at 8:30am in a driving blizzard for ski day #3 of the season (and ski day #516 prior to now 2 years).
Sturdy west wind and reasonable snow charges.
These snow charges appeared to extend as we climbed up the preliminary slopes beneath blazing snow weapons.
Andrew was out entrance as a result of I can’t sustain with him.
Polly and I chatted and caught up as we sauntered uphill.
McLean stopped and waited for us at key factors of the climb and he did decelerate to speak with me for a bit midway up earlier than launching up the mountain once more.
The protection had enormously improved over the day past because of the driving snow.
The moguls down low had been stuffed in and a few of the rockiest zones up excessive had been a bit much less rocky.
General, the mountain was powdery.
Shallow powder, however powder nonetheless.
All of us 3 tucked in behind the patrol shack on the high of the Collins elevate after a 1 hour and 18 minute climb.
Within the shack’s lee we had been in a position to chat and catch up some extra as Andrew sipped his tea.
The wind was actually honking up there at this level.
We battened down the hatches, stepped into the wind, and pushed ourselves downhill.
The higher part remains to be fairly rocky so we stayed on the cat observe for the primary slope earlier than venturing off piste and into the mushy snow.
The primary Collins groom was pleasant!
I adopted Andrew and he made is trademark blocky turns proper down the intestine.
Powder snow sprayed off his skis and I couldn’t assist smiling.
I’d gone to certainly one of Andrew’s slideshows in Tahoe approach again in 2006 and dreamed of snowboarding with him for a few decade.
That dream lastly got here true in 2014 after I first guided the Antarctica journey with him and now I contemplate myself blessed to have the chance to ski and hang around with him for a pair weeks per yr.
The three of us didn’t discuss a lot because it required screamed over the wind and snow weapons however once we did it concerned easy expletives.
“It’s fairly good!”
“Rocky on this part!”
“Good snow!”
On the backside we fist bumped, gathered up our gear, and scampered throughout the car parking zone.
Boots off, fast hugs, and I did what I might to speak them into coming again on Thursday.
Thanks, Utah, and thanks Alta for being so cool and letting us ski while you’re closed.
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