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Show Wasatch Canyon Reporter IN T : E R R W ATION ee the EF. TF thou- sands of acres . Of backcoun- mintenaterenate try betwixt — and between the established FH 6 UT T H C E © .NeYT assigned to locate the best snow and keep the party avalanche-free. After politely enduring endless boasts about the untracked snow and sweet terrain from my friend Deb Lovke, one of seven guides for the tour, I finally caved in. With nothing to do last Tuesday but ski, I called Ski ereoe fe 2 late, to for the SportStalker traffic as the excuse for my ans of the tardiness, spring, met I and introduced tour they through ‘Anonymous. ae a aay Sharon’s 10) 1a BUTT. K2 Snowbird. , last 4 had company Brighton shuttle to Solitude, and back to Alta. This four-area tour, though skipping Park all Alcoholics The ‘array of | Cheeseburger The ® Saturday tour goes from . Snowbird to Alta to _ City, caters to the more intrepid USA’s, and the antediluvian Geze bindings without DIN settings were especially skier with rain. steeper backcountry ter; | Ski Utah holds a use permit allowing them to guide commercially in this inter-area terrain. The only other tour company with a similar permit is Exxum, a mountaineering because of the collective excitement of the group, and because one is so often fooled by the ridiculous equip- company from the Tetons specializing in overnight tours. The five participating ski areas don’t take a cut of Ski Utah’s revenue in exchange for ment used by phenomenal skiers. Not use of their lifts, “But they do get to mention phenomenal equipment used by ridiculous skiers. The two guides, finished with distributing Pieps to everyone and through with their paperwork, huddled us together to go over safety and protocol for the _ tour. 3 The guides were extremely competent, as you would imagine (and hope!) Rodd Keller’s last winter job, thirteen years ago, was as ski patrol director at Park West (Wolf Mountain in prior parlance). Johnny Hughes, also a twelve-year veteran of the great marketing exposure,” says Keller. The Interconnect guides often work in conjunction with the area ski patrols, helping with avalanche control work and exchanging information about snow conditions. Many Interconnect clients actually cite the inauspicious. I said nothing, however, RREWREARR radios, brings the skiers back to Park , City. The Tuesday-Thursday- administration Salomon SX-90 boots, SNOWBOARD binoculars, skins, extra binding cables. “And by .@ equipment my new companions sported did not immediately conjure visions of elite skimng: Jeff’s Carter- 0 shovels, Alta, then through the Keyhole into a day. finest resorts with some equally fine Bava probes, Snowbird, the meeting place for the four-area tour. Fallaciously citing on —_ backcountry routes. Two experienced guides accompany every tour, NOW THE Oia THING BETWEEN vree AND pound backpacks containing all the essentials for backcountry comfort and survival: food, ropes, avalanche Ridge to Brighton, then Solitude, then given Jinks four or five of the Rockies’ Wolf Y at arm the long tram lines at Snowbird, the and Ss ually marketing myself to the group. Two # of the clients were veter- Solitude & ski the jf your friends ski different areas. The Ski Utah Interconnect Adventure Tour happily answers this dilemma: it of 2 turned out to be a solo slot. I arrived Tuesday morning, habit- Utah, skier’s utopia is a given; there is something to please every serious winter enthusiast. The depths of Alta, solitude O-e Deciding where to That the Wasatch Front Range isa _ often poses a conundrum, especially Mountain, the unbridled speed attainable at Deer Valley. Not to mention RR UR far the most important items,” laughed Hughes, “coffee mugs and plenty of chocolate.” Two different tours run on alternate days. Monday- WednesdayFriday is the five-area tour, which starts at Park City, and goes across the resorts. : Too TBR ON Ne Ce Interconnect snow safety Tour, and learned avalanche about control work in his spare time while managing the Mid-Gad Restaurant at multi-area experience as motivation for skiing the tour, overshadowing even the draw of unmolested powder. The package price of a day’s tour is $110, which covers the use of a Pieps, two guides, lunch, lift tickets at each resort, and most importantly, the abil_ ity to cut lift mazes in the Ski School line. | | My biggest moment of the day happened early: utilizing our execu- Snowbird; he is one of the strongest tive telemark skiers you are likely to see this side of Norway. Similarly bedecked in subdued company uni- Snowbird Tram from the Ski School door, I actually beat a Seven Summits Member up the mountain. Our route forms, to Page6 they also both toted thirty privilege neighboring and Alta, boarding the the Baldy |