The Tushers
So I get a private message on an internet chat room a few days ago. It's g, wanting to know if I'll join her and Mark for a trip to the Tushers.
I was undecided until I found out I could do some test drives of the new Voile Insanes. I had them a day early and took em out for a warm up tour before we left.
There was a big party celebrating the end of heli skiing for the winter so we went and stayed till 9pm, driving down, arriving at the trail head about midnight. We skinned up and started following the track across the lake. The rest of the group, knowing we were coming, met us and showed the way to the yurt.
Even though we went to bed after about two, Gambrelli gets up smiling. It was gonna be a good weekend.
After breakfast we headed out following the guide and yurt keeper, Alec. The first view of the bigger hills was soon seen.
Yeah, the run off the top of the peak, looker's left was taken on the return to camp in the afternoon.
Alec gettin after it.
Anyhow, we followed the sun, skiing a warm up off the shoulder of the first peak, then headed for Mt. Holly, the closest summit over 12'000 ft.
Tri- u flexing his new and expensive Surreals.
D.J. Barney runs out the flats, after an excellent cob of corn.
We went back up, this time going to the actual summit, where we had a view of some of the other peaks. The decision was made, there and then, where we were heading on the second day.
The second run was even better than the first, with the corn turned to butter. Eric, soon to leave for the east coast, certainly seems to be enjoying himself.
Murphy, the energetic stick chasing dog, stuck above tree line without a stick, had to make do with chasing skiers down the hill. He didn't mind and slept better than everyone.
MC starting down the second run off Holly, with the corn turned to buttah.
We marched back up, traversing over to the Lake Peak chute, viewed early in the day.
Tr-u once again getting after the damp, but very skiable snow back to camp at the yurt.
The second day, we had the goal of skiing the Heli free chute, named cuz Eric lost his hat , blown off in the light Tusher breezes of 50 mph+ at the top of it. Skied a run off the east facing shoulder of Holly and started the long traverse through the drainage on the backside. There were goats hanging out in the rocky cliffs, but we could see no rope less skiable lines.
Nearing the ridge, we decided a run down the south facing was in order, since the snow in the chute was probably not yet soft enough.
G and tri-u skipped the run seen in the background and headed up a gnarly chute to the peak. The rest of us skied, climbed to the ridge and boot hiked up the ridge, meeting them on top, fighting the breeze the whole way.
Skis back on, we had a short traverse and side slip to the entry of the chute we had out sights set on.
I managed to capture g in full tele, carving up the sun softened snow in the upper section.
And, I also got that determined look MC has when he's crankin down the fall line.
The lower run out was a little soft, we left some big ruts, but since there's no one to bitch about it, we didn't care. D J comes around the corner heading back with a nice view of the run just skied in the background.
We managed one more off the top of Holly, leaving nothing, but a long traverse down a summer road, back to the yurt.
Packed up and got the hell outta there before dark.
Hadn't been to the Tushers for many years. G and MC planned it just right and we had a great weekend of corn in an empty mountain range, three hours form the urban Wasatch. Great little reprieve.