touring with a ghost...




The other day VI's Ben Geiger and myself got the opportunity to go out with a friend of ours that is an observer from the Utah Avalanche Center.  This guy would probably rather remain nameless because that is the kind of individual he is.  He showed us some new terrain in our own backyard that we have been salivating over for years.  This guy is super secretive and he took us to a stash that he made us promise never to reveal to anyone else, ever.  He showed us around the area, how to navigate it, and how to play it safe in this super burly terrain.  He basically gave us the keys to the city on this one and I for one am very grateful.  It was a really great experience to get out with him because not only is he really knowledgeable about the terrain, but he is an extremely keen avalanche observer that I feel like I can learn a lot from.  It was interesting to tour with him because not only did he lead really good routes, but he also did it in such a way that most people would never even be able to tell that we were ever there.  It was like touring with a ghost.  He prefers it this way not only because he doesn't want to give away his stashes, but also because he doesn't want "Gomers" to follow his tracks into really hairy terrain that could get them killed.  This is often a problem in our local mountains because ignorant people will see a track and just follow it like, "hey there are some tracks out to that untouched stuff out there, lets follow them!"  and then, "crack" they get gobbled up in a huge slide and all is over but the crying.  I am very appreciative of this ghost showing us around and teaching us how to navigate these areas safely with proper backcountry etiquette.  It is guys like these that I look up to for this kind of knowledge and experience.  I feel like I have a lot to learn from this particular ghost, and I am looking forward to getting out with him more and soaking up everything he has to teach.  Thanks ghost.