Things are sketchy right now in Utah, but on super low angle slopes there are turns to be had if you do your homework. After one snowboarder was killed in a slide yesterday in BCC I thought about not going today, but we decided the least we could do was go for a look and make our own assessment of the conditions (after spending some time reading the info that the Utah Avalanche Center diligently puts together).

The intent of today was really just to get out and get familiar with our split setups while getting away from the resorts for the day. We chose a really low angle zone with heavy tree coverage, and knew that the day would mostly be about the uphill.

Without sounding too much like an old hippie, it really was nice just to be out in the backcountry and away from the hustle & bustle of the resort. As well as the peace & quiet, the thing I really enjoy about splitting at the moment is how much there is to learn. Listening to the snow, stopping to discuss the best route, reading all the terrain and taking it all in is really enjoyable. The little wins I get from things like making 3 consecutive efficient gliding steps feel like great victories when you've been climbing for an hour. I even managed one telemark-style turn downhill today, and couldn't stop grinning.

We climbed for about 1.5 hours, then stopped and picked a relatively low angle gladed pitch to ride. After digging a pit and assuring ourselves that the combo of pitch, tree density and stability were good we dropped in for some mellow turns through the aspens. I had to bash through some brush a few times, but managed to string some good turns together in fresh snow. Totally worth it.

I didn't ride knee-deep blower pow today, or rip an epic line through a hero-chute. But I got to spend an afternoon outside in some amazing terrain and not think about anything else. I wouldn't trade that for anything. Not even an X-Games gold with double-chucks and a 'perfect' 100.