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Show Wasatch Canyon Reporter Alta Ski Lifts 801-742-3333 everyone he argued with outweighed him by seventy pounds. | I returned to Utah to a hundred-seventy inch base and all the amenities of home, but the conviction |. remained that the European experience is unique and should be savored by everyone. Especially if the trip is gratis SO F Brighton's Snow Report Number 801-943-8309 ofl +150" $29 $20 “The hearl al Sn iran Skin Park City 801-649- sgt Great Spring Skiing! § 120f 14 120” ull Day/Night LiftPass cic | Number of Lifts Operating Mid Mountain Benth = Full Day Lift Pass 8 Solitude’s Phone Number 801-534-1400 of 148” — «$32 Remente WE $47/$14 nec jumberofliftsOpen uniter Total 2 0 need a month to learn your way around. The most beautiful aspect of this area, besides all the natural beauty, is that ~ EVERYONE SKIS THE PISTES! It hadn’t snowed in four weeks, yet there were fresh tracks to be had everywhere. Granted, it wasn’t five percent dust, but there was plenty of untouched bowls and chutes that required little or no hiking. The terrain ranged from “just steep enough” to “holy moly,” which has a special imperative in Europe where the cliffs and crevasses are never marked. We had no official casualties, but I did nearly manage to rid the world of my college roommate by leading him into an area I’Il euphemistically describe as “bad.” European skiing is not just about the skiing. The views, the ambiance, and the food can make an average ski day exemplary, and the Arlburg is no exception. Especially the food. As our host was somewhat of a high roller, I guiltlessly tallied two hundred dollar dinners (did I mention Lech is a tad pricey?) and swore I’d died and gone to culinary heaven. Dieters should beware, however, as Austrian food is anything but light. Of several excellent Austrian breweries, we found the “Gosser” to be the best local beer, especially the initial one which occurred around ten_ thirty each day. When in Rome... Not everything was exorbitant, however. Our host Peter, never known for prudence Pa the saieak managed to blast through a speed trap in our massive rental van at one-forty, a mere fifty kilometers over the speed limit. As the Polizei approached us I had visions of Gestapo dungeons and interrogations, but we drove away only a hundred | shillings in the red. Even with a bad exchange rate that’ s ten bucks, or the cost of a large Gosser. We took our savings immediately to the-bar. | , As a veteran of French, German and Italian: liftline Bicacitc: I can resort that Austria is docile by comparison. We hardly got into any arguments or shoving matches in line, six at the most, and those were initiated by our fourteen-year-old testosterone representative who understood neither the culture, the euphase, or the fact that KE OPO _ nected lifts and almost three hundred kilometers of marked trails, let alone the immense amount of off-piste, you’d isl eam areas, the most famous being St. Anton, about a three hour drive from Zurich and an hour from Innsbruck. Even in ‘a bad snow year, of which Europe has had several recently, the Arlberg seems to have good snow through a combination of elevation, location, and luck. Our lodgings were in Lech, a posh village that rivals St. Moritz and Gstaad for glitz. Lech is the home of the Strolz ski boot, the only truly custom ski boot on our planet. ie The Arlberg is way too big to explore in the week we were allotted, unfortunately. With ninety-eight intercon- S PRU =: Neon | isey in style. Why would lywant to leave Utah to ski in eae ‘Good question, and all of the above is basically true. But as someone elgs footing the bill, I went to the etbere region of Austria in late March to try to find the answer. [Ed. Note: Qu reporters have limitless expense accounts; we will send them anywhere to get the story!] The Arlberg consists of a huge network of interconnected Brighton a 20. we Dave Peck Cost of an all area adult ticket $25 BEAVER MOUNTAIN - 801.753.0921 BRIAN HEAD RESORT - 801.677.2035 DEER VALLEY RESORT - 501.649.1000 ELK MEADOWS - 501.435.5433 NORDIC VALLEY - 801.745.3511 POWDER MOUNTAIN - 501.745.3771 SNOWBASIN - 801.399.1135 SNOWBIRD - 801.742.2222 — SUNDANCE RESORT- 801.225.4107 WOLF MOUNTAIN - 801.649.5400 Other terribly important phone numbers: Cottonwood Canyons Avalanche/Weather Info: 364.1581, Extended: 364.1591 Park City Avalanche/Weather Info: 649.2250 SKI UTAH Snow Report: 521.8102 UDOT Road Conditions: 964.6000 Weather: 575.7669 US Navy Exact Time: 1.900.410.TIME © 2 Lech Austria on Another Man’ S Dime 8 of 8 194" 7 SE breakabléviifesdukéble wind slab... heel inconsistent. However, this time: of f the year the sun 1s getting SO strong that within two days corn was beginning to develop on the east and southern aspects. Another storm system moved into the Wasatch on the afternoon of the 22nd. A destiny inversion with a slab on top provided some interesting skiing conditions last Saturday. Winds were strong and created sensitive but shallow slab. Another 8” of snow fell on the eve of the 23rd and greatly improved the backcountry conditions. Sunday’s skiing was about as good as it gets for this time of the year, with mostly stable and predictable snow pack. There was a peak of the sun from time to time and lots 0’ face shots. Fortunately this past week has remained cold and kept the conditions outstanding. _ Ten inches of fairly dense, snow fell on the night ofthe 28th, so it’s back to winter for a while. This is a good] : ons before the sun turns it to soup. time of the year to get.é While it was a quié For backcountry i in tality did occur on the afternoon of the 27th. An experienced skier/mounta was caught in a sm na 50 degree slope in the Maybird area of Little Cottonwood Canyon. The oe was caused by trauma after h: itting a tree; Werner will be missed by all. Even though this was a relatively shallow slide, the combination of a steep slope and hard bed surface created a “slide for life” situation. This time of year as the avalanche danger decreases and we go into a melt-freeze (corn cycle), keep your guard up while on steep slopes and be prepared for self-arrest. A slide down a’ “slope is one of the most terri fying backcountry experiences one can encounter and when you’re postholing. four boot tops up a slope it’s time to get off of it to reduce the chances of starting a wet slide. | Till next time....Ed. Note: Our snow reports are written by Cap’n Avalanche himself, Craig Gordon. Craig is the snow safety specialist with Wolf Mountain Helicopters. He will be hapopy to guide you to the powder even if you don’ ‘t want to getup € dy. Call him at 801 655. 7042 fOr more information. : Number of lifts operating Base Depth , |