Day 1 -- 11/2/10

[season's first ascent up Sugarloaf]

EVERY JOURNEY begins with a first step.  And every backcountry ski season starts, on climbing skins, one shuffling stride at a time.  Skiing inbounds at Alta hardly fits the definition of backcountry skiing, even if it's preseason and the biggest obstacles are circumventing the concentrated blizzards of the snow machines and the frozen death cookies created by snow grooming equipment preparing the trails for opening day, still some three weeks off.

[Brad Carroll]

But my regular ski partner, Brad Carroll, and I did manage to break out the ski gear to get out on the (thin) snow cover provided by anemic first volleys of winter and climb from Albion Base to the top of Sugarloaf Peak at 11,051.  This initiates the process of building red blood cells and start working muscle groups that only function as a fluid unity by actually climbing and skiing.  A few of these shake-down days are absolutely mandatory to sort out the gear and anatomy problems that occur from a six-month hiatus in ski activity.  Here were some of the bruising discoveries of that first day:

• Ski bases, last used on spring granular, need wax.
• Ski poles are necessary (forgotten at home but the day saved by a ski mechanic at Alta).
• Feet flatten and change shape over the summer and are not immediately ready for the hell-boxes of last season's ski boot.
• Early season skiing can be warm and mushy as late season.  Note to self: next time bring skin glop.

I did a lot of mountaineering this summer, including a third ascent of Mt. Rainier, so the climb is not overly taxing and I am happily surprised by my good lungs as we reach the top of Sugarloaf lift and stop for lunch and hydration.  Then up to the top of Sugarloaf Peak, gained by bootpack over the wind-scoured summit mound.

[scoured peak of Sugarloaf]

Coming down, we found a shallow gully with sufficient wind-loaded creamcheese, good for about twenty turns before we rejoined the regular trail system for a runout of decent groomers back to the parking lot.

Day One: a pleasant success, though my feet like they have been worked over with hammers and vises.  Back at Salt Lake basecamp, first order of business is wax and a visit to the boot mechanic.

Day's Vertical: 2,500'.  Season to Date: 2,500.