It feels like we haven't seen sunshine in quite a while. The mountains have been socked in with fog and snow since we've been here. We didn't get to ski half the mountain, the wind exposed side: Paradise and The Coolers. We wanted to check out Mt Roberts too, but the harsh winds kept us from exploring there.
Today we had fantastic fresh snow in the morning. Poor visibility at the summit forced us right to the trees. The Powderfields delivered the goods in the morning. We explored the Needles and other shots off Buffalo Ridge.
Rochester Mark got me cliffed out. I don't really know where we were, but he kept going down and slipped through the cliff somewhere and said it was bad and to keep heading left. So left I went until I got to a bigger cliff. I kicked turned and headed back and got funneled down to the original cliff ledge. Going up was hardly an option at that point with all that snow. I found a place where I could slip my skis through two trees and hang down over the rock and drop myself below the cliff. It was very sketchy, but I got through it unscathed. It wasn't pretty.
None of the cliffs or hazards are marked and they are everywhere. You have to use all your senses when skiing in foggy conditions in less familiar terrain without a guide. We were on our own and we got into a little trouble. This wasn't the first cliff we encountered either. The terrain is very steep and in some places the trees are tight. Where they open up it is pure heaven. The adrenaline flowed with each turn.
Red Mountain is truly a skiers mountain. It is a gem and the people who live here know they have something special and those who visit also learn that this place has a mystique and vibe all its own.
The terrain reminds me of Snowbird in terms of steeps, trees, and cliffs, only all packed onto one big mountain with a smaller mountain beside it, with no crowds. The tree skiing is far superior to that of anything I have skied in Utah. The snow quality may not be thigh deep blower, but it constantly was refreshing throughout our stay and was thoroughly enjoyable powder skiing.
We have skied 3 days on a 3000' vertical mountain of steep powder-filled trees. We are feelin it today. Tomorrow we will head over to Whitewater. Word is that they got even more snow than at Red. What are we going to do?
For those who are interested, my pix can be found here
https://picasaweb.google.com/sharon.heller/RedMtnMarch22011?authkey=Gv1sRgCNvy3P27t-zvTQ#
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