Terra Incognita Tours

Tours on the west side of Lone Peak were referred to by Dave Hanscom and Alexis Kelner in their classic Wasatch Tours book as "Terra Incognita Tours."  

It may be hard to believe today, but much of the southeast Salt Lake Valley was undeveloped back in the day.  Trophy homes didn't dot the east bench.  Even when I moved here in 1995, there wasn't much in the Draper area and Suncrest did not exist.

Even today, the canyons that drop westward down from the Lone Peak massif are largely unexplored and inaccessible, although there are a few with trails, albeit trails that are quite steep and often difficult for ski access.

In the last big season, 2010/11, I toured a couple of times in Big Willow Canyon, which is the first major canyon to the north of Lone Peak.  It can be accessed by a narrow hiking trail, known as the Sawmill Trail, from Hidden Valley Park in south Sandy.  

I finally returned yesterday. It was a much harder tour than I remembered!  The Sawmill Trail climbs steeply, with limited snow cover, as you ascend through the lower elevations.  

I was able to skin up the entire thing, but my partners occasionally booted.  On the exit, we walked the the last 1000 vertical feet down.  

Mid elevations were choked more with trees than I remembered.  Eventually, one breaks out (thankfully!) into open terrain, although it takes about 2500 vertical feet of climbing to get there.

At this point, the spirits are lifted as you climb farther and farther above the Salt Lake Valley.  

There are many options in the upper canyon, nearly all with serious avalanche potential and in some cases serious exposure.  This is not a tour for anything but the safest days.  Below is a photo looking south toward Lone Peak, the Big Willow Aprons, and Upper Bells Canyon.  

And westward to Wasangeles.

I wish I could say we found deep, untracked powder, but we didn't.  Big Willow faces west and thus aspects with a slight south exposure were crusted and those with a slight north exposure were mainly wind jacked.  Still, this is a remarkable place to ski.  

However, a tax must be paid for admission and exit.  

I debated whether or not to do this post about Big Willow, but most sane people will not do such ski tours.  The ratio of effort to skiing is high and this part of the Wasatch gets less snow and more wind than the Cottonwoods, so there are also good reasons to stay away.