Mineral Fork

Wow it felt great to get up above the smog or as the news calls it "the worst air in the nation." Four of us toured up Mineral Fork in Big Cottonwood Canyon. It was so warm that we were in shirts half-way up. The sun felt amazing hitting my face and the air was pure and clean.

It couldn't have been a better day at a better time. We began at 6,000-ish feet at the street and toured up to the ridge at 9,000 feet overlookoing Lake Blanche in Mill B. Starting at 8 am was a little late, but we summited, ate food, relaxed and began the descent around 12:30.

The snow was crisp on the hike up and we didn't know the pitch or angle to take for the best snow. It was a strange feeling having toured many different aspects and not finding a pitch that the snow felt best. However, when we dropped in and made a couple ski cuts, the snow felt great. It was like nothing I'd had experienced.

We called it Corn Flake snow. Each turn cut through this thin layer of sun crust with a foot or so of pow underneath. There was no grab. Turns weren't effortless, but there was no struggle either.

At one spot we all stopped and looked around in awe of the environment around us. The snow at the bottom apron was glistening in the sun and it looked like water. You could see reflection on the top crust layer, but the skiing was perfect. Definitely different and worth noting in my eyes. Here are some pics of the day: