Wasatch Wussies - Someone Call the Wambulance

The level of apathy for skiing is at an all time high in Utah. Yea, I know, cry me a river. A ski touring buddy called today and said that after an hour of skinning to a destination that he knew had "powder" he just turned around, skied down the crust laden skin track and went home. "I couldn't muster the desire" he said. This coming from a guy that will skin 6,000 vert in a day and say it was a "moderate day".

Lee Cohen was interviewed by AltaCam.com recently and after recalling the 240" snowfall of December 1983 he calls those of us who've all but given up hope a "bunch of Wasatch Wussies".

AltaCam.com podcast - Lee Cohen part II

What are current conditions in Utah? From the Utah Avalanche Center report today:

Current Conditions

31" for January. Less than 3'’ of snow came this month, a month that averages nearly 100"”. The "'100" in a hundred hours storm'’ from November of 2001, the 125" before November two years ago, all the storms, all the powder!…!… seems like a distant memory.

Skies above the soup are clear with mountain temperatures in the teens and low twenties. The westerly winds picked up overnight along the highest ridgelines blowing 20-25mph, and they should calm down by about midday. One observer described the backcountry as "depth hoar to the ground, surface hoar glinting like diamonds, breakable crust, corn, rocks, bushes, and some petrified turns left by the milkman. Oh yeah, and some decent recrystallized snow on top of a crust." Nicely done.

Well, look on the bright side. Flip Flops are on sale at Backcountry.com. The glass is half full.

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