off-season motivation...

In the off-season I need to stay motivated in order to keep working out and eating better. All of that stuff that can get left behind in the everyday of working and living in the regular world. The winter has kind of become the irregular world, but in order to kill it in that world I have to keep my shit together in the regular world. All the while still taking care of regular responsibilities. I have a lot of balls in the air to balance this lifestyle. Motivation is key to keeping them all in the air. A key motivator for the irregular world, which is what we all like to hear about anyways, is terrain scouting. It is a good hike for a workout, and it is essential in getting the lay of the land that you'll be skiing in a few months.

^A good breakfast helps too.

^This is a real nice view of a little piece of Ogden canyon that my tour partner Ben, and I enjoyed with our dogs on the way up. We decided to hook up on Friday evening, and scout an area that we ski every so often in the Ogden backcountry called Coldwater Canyon.

^On a different scout that Christine and I did on our bikes a few weeks back, I snapped off this photo of the area from a more Northerly perspective.  You can see the slide paths in the trees. There are some monster slide paths in there that scare the shit out of the most experienced backcountry travelers I know. Including myself. All the paths are big and long, and all convolute in a river bottom.

^This is another angle of the zone. It is a tricky little canyon with some sub-ridges and things that can trip up travels. That is why it is essential to do as much homework as you can before you start getting into areas like these.  I try to do everything I can to prepare, and I still mess up all the time. It is a big scary world out here that carries high risk/reward function factors. Like most Ogden backcountry, it is not traveled very heavily. This means fresh tracks, but more importantly it means very little skier compaction. The Ogden backcountry is relatively dangerous and slippery because it does not see the kind of traffic or control work that the Cottonwoods do. There are no helicopter guide services or UDOT control in this zone. It is solely up to the travelers to mitigate their own safety. Hard to do in the grey world of backcountry travel and avalanche mitigation. 

^After another great scout trip, Murphy is motivated. She is sporting her ski bum pride while thriving off the adrenaline buzz from hiking a lot of vertical, and talking skiing for a few hours. Murphy will never get to ski that zone, but she is an essential summer scout partner. Murphy only meadow skips in the low lands and trees where the avalanche dragons tend to avoid. However, the scout trips help keep both of us in good shape for taking care of our business when the snow does fly. Soon.

more here and nows...

Finding a home for all my tools after finishing the bathroom. Required a little construction and some clever storage ideas.  We actually got it all in there though. Accessible still too, which was the whole idea. It really feels good to have that all organized and settled in. Now to finish up the sauna and trim. Then we are all caught up for a little bit.  Next may be the countertops or the bathroom upstairs. No rush though. That is the nice thing about living in the project. No hurries, no worries.  

^The closet/workshop at about the half way point. I am not a good carpenter by any means, but I try hard and this was a first for hanging a door. Let's just say I learned a lot for the next time I hang a door.  Thankfully this is just an outdoor closet so there is a little margin for acceptable error.  It is gonna save our lives though with all my tools in one accessible place.   

^Starting to get settled in at this point. A little peek at the key to the whole system. Getting everything out of buckets and tools bags and onto the wall. Layered storage on peg board going the distance.  The workshop area will spill out onto the back patio. All the saws and power tools can easily be pulled out and set up on saw horses on the patio. Unroll, work, roll up and lock up every day. Perfect. 

^Larry is his name. Larry works for ARUP on the hill near the University of Utah. Larry is always trying to get coworkers and friends to hike the "Living Room" trail with him on lunch break. Christine audits ARUP and Larry issued the challenge to her and a coworker, Matt Klein. Christine invited me to join them one evening after their work was done.  Matt, Larry, and another coworker, Ethan, met Christine, Murphy and I in the parking lot at ARUP. Immediately Larry starting giving us the back story on this whole tradition. The word on the street is that Larry makes a mean carrot cake. The word on the street is also that Larry is in mean shape. Larry has seen his sixtieth birthday, but he can run this route in something like 33 minutes, and then still have time to eat his lunch on his lunch hour. Larry has issued a challenge to fellow employees and friends to beat his best time and he will bake you a carrot cake.  On this particular 100 degree Utah evening we were not going for any records. We casually made our way up to the overlook chatting and taking breaks all the way up. However, Larry called out that he thought that you really had to jog down. We all jumped on board and got out of our rock built chairs and started downhill. Larry took off quick and I decided I wanted to get a photo of him for the site.  I got out my camera phone and took off after him.  He felt me coming up hot and though he'd have some fun with this  youngster and picked up the pace. Next thing I knew Larry and I were in a full out sprint down the path weaving through sharp turns and leaps.  I found myself hooting and hollering through a few sketchy spots and I could hear Larry laughing at my thrills from just up ahead. I managed to snap off this one good photo of Larry running into the Salt Lake City sunset. I had a blast chasing Larry down the trail and I will have to admit that I was a bit soar for the next few days. I think that Larry's best time is quite a lofty goal that maybe I should work into my comeback training this fall. From what I hear the carrot cake might be worth the effort.

summer scouting...

I always like to scout areas that I am trying to ski the upcoming season. Every summer I try to use hiking and biking journeys to scout terrain for skiing as well. Now that I am getting back into game shape I have doubled up on the scouting to catch up as well. Murphy and I have been doing a lot of line hunting and route finding excursions in Baer Creek Canyon and Farmington Canyon. There is a lot of great skiing up there. The access is difficult, but the rewards are plentiful. Mostly snowmobile traffic, which can go either way in my opinion.  I am all for it, because of access and rescue. There are very few skiers up in these zones though. Very few.

  

^A little while ago, Christine, Murphy and I did a route finding and orientation scout into Malan's Basin in Ogden.  I have skied the upper sections of this area many times and I was looking for a route for Ogden City skinning access.  I have done some ski work for the landowner in the past and the terrain is really diverse.  The lower section is all North/Northwest pine tree glades.  There are two nice rocky bowls descending from the ridge that also range mostly North/Northwest. There really is a lot of skiing in the zone that is just one canyon off of the Ogden range.  The backcountry skiing off the Ogden range is vast, I mean vast.  The terrain is deceptive and dangerous, which is a good quality for locals to keep their gems hidden and feared.  However, when one spends the proper time to become more familiar with the range the world begins to open up vast as the Great Salt Lake view.  

^ This is just a little peak at a new section I found in one of the Ogden ranges little gems. I can't tell you everything. Some locals would have me killed for what I've said already. However, I am sure they would agree in offering up this disclaimer on the areas in the range. This backcountry terrain has claimed many lives and egos in the past, and probably will in the future.  The area is becoming more popular, and with traffic comes crash and burns. I have had plenty of my own in this range, plenty.  More then I ever bargained for, which has motivated me to pursue focused avalanche training and guidance. As well as, rescue training, route finding, and the myriad of other skills one acquires in ten years of pushing the boundaries.

^The sunset on our way back down from Malan's Peak was a plentiful reward for our hard work in our ascent. Christine and Murphy are soaking up the magic vibes. We had a long way to go to get out, but the scene was so good that we couldn't resist taking some time to watch this big finish.

  

^It was a steep hike and Murphy was getting pretty gassed.  Usually we would just stop and take a break, but with the dark setting in we had to hurry out.  From time to time on scouting endeavors we often require some off trail travel.  Murphy and I can get into hairy situations that require some minor climbing and gnarly scrambling. So, as a result, we have developed a handy little piggy back trick that we use in those situations. In this case we employed the skill to give her a break while Christine and I pushed on to get out before it got too late.  It was pretty hilarious running down a trail with the dog on my back. She was getting so chill back there that she was barely even hanging on anymore. Also, I was getting more then enough strength training running down hill with an extra 60 lbs. on my back. That is when I decided she must be rested enough to finish the rest on her own. 

The scout was valuable, but the evening was more so. The three of us had a good time, and got some great views.  A lot of laughs, mostly while Murphy was piggy backing down.  The terrain was gorgeous and the north facing ascent was nice, cool, and comfortable. An all around good hike that tuckered us all out plenty.....

   

      

continuous process of improvement...

I have been working on this shower for long time. It has been my nemesis in the past. However, I have finally finished it up. Just a little cleaning and sealing and it is ready to rock and roll. I went so far over the top on this shower this time around.  If it doesn't hold water, then there is not a product on earth that can stop this thing.  I built the shower as if it was a hot tub on its side. All the materials are that of a tub that is built to be full of water 24/7. It was a bit spendy, but leaks are even more expensive.  

^Here it is. It is down in the basement next to a sauna. So, dampness and heat are all around this thing which can be a recipe for disaster when it comes to home maintenance. If this thing ever leaks again I am just gonna blow up the whole room and turn it into a closet. 

^A top and bottom view to try to get a look at the whole thing from top to bottom.

^This is a close-up of the valve wall and the top corner. You can get a good look at the broken tile mosaic work I did to save some money on material and add an artistic touch. I am pumped at how well it turned out. As well as how much money we saved over store-bought border tiles. I also like the idea of using some of the waste product for another value adding use. I am excited for my first long hot shower in this bad boy.  Now I just have to rebuild the sauna and we will be back in action. First things first, though, I have to cut a whole and hang a double door for a closet out on the patio for tool storage. Now that I have moved the workshop out of the basement I have to find a new home for it all.