On the 18th of February I woke up at 4:30 in the morning eager to get out and ski and try to take some pictures. I probably sped on the way up to the Alta parking lot (well, as much as a 1995 Geo Prizm allows). When I got up to the Alta parking lot around 5:30 it was blowing like crazy. I was guessing 30-40 mph winds. I ended up just sitting in my car until 6:00 just hoping the winds would die down. They didn't... it was the most powerful wind I have ever experienced.
I decided to try to go up to Patsy Marley, the ridge just to the east of Alta. Here is a long exposure picture from the top of Grizzly Gulch just before the sun came up.
It was so windy and cold on the ridge up to Patsy Marley that my eyelashes kept freezing together. I estimated that the winds were 60mph or so. The gusts were so strong on that ridge that I literally got blown over 7 times. One of those times after I fell the wind kept pushing me on the wind crust towards the cornices on the leeward side of the ridge. I finally got so fed up with the wind that I took off my skis and hiked to the big white cell phone reflector (or whatever that thing is) on that ridge and hunkered down behind the pillar for a half hour or so hoping that the wind would die down.
When the wind died down a little I hurried up to the top and then back to my skis. I was ready to get back to a warm car. On my way down the ridge I saw a huge bus size cornice that I just had to try to kick down. There was a large tree just above it that I could hold on to, so it wasn't dangerous. To my surprise, it broke.
I couldn't believe how big it was so I took a few pictures. Some of those chunks down the hill were the size of a Smart car.
One more picture from the bottom
It was fun to feel a little eXtreme (with a capital X) and then still be able to make it back to a warm comfy house by a little after 9:00.
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