Andy Sherpa

Last week, while at work, I checked the weather for Mount Rainier, looked over at Jason and suggested a climb and ski of the classic Liberty Ridge.  He immediately said, "sure" and we went back...

http://slcsherpa.blogspot.com/2017/05/liberty-ridge-speed-attempt-707-car-to.html

Looking down some of the Shafer switchbacks Since I hung up the skis in April (earliest ever) I have been dutifully training on the bike for a smattering of races, both road and mountain.  ...

http://slcsherpa.blogspot.com/2016/11/white-rim-time-trial-559.html

My last ski day of the 2015/16 season was spectacular, albeit humbling.  Jason and I had plans to climb and ski Mount Owen via the Koven Couloir.  The day started somber for no reason in parti...

http://slcsherpa.blogspot.com/2016/11/mount-owen-april-18-2016.html

After the incredible day on Temple Crag, we knew we weren't going to top that with the two days remaining on the trip.  Zoomed in photos of the majority of our objectives revealed that the snow...

http://slcsherpa.blogspot.com/2016/11/last-spring-in-sierra.html

Just one week after skiing in the Palisades, we packed up again and made the drive across Nevada to the ski mountaineering mecca of the Sierra.  On our previous trip, we had spied this stunning...

http://slcsherpa.blogspot.com/2016/05/temple-crag-north-couloir.html

It seems the weather has been plotting against us lately by dumping snow during our time off when we want to be skiing bigger lines.  Conversely, during our work weeks when we’d appreciate fr...

http://slcsherpa.blogspot.com/2016/04/the-palisades.html

The hanging ramp on the north face of White Baldy has always interested me but I have always been en route to other objectives when in the area.  Last week, I had a short window before work and...

http://slcsherpa.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-white-baldy-ramp.html

There's a gorgeous ramp down into Big Provo Cirque that we've been eyeing for years.  It's hard to get to and is really short so I guess we never really thought it was worth the effort.  Well,...

http://slcsherpa.blogspot.com/2016/03/big-provo-ramps.html

Jason and I both had the week off but weather and plans never materialized.  We were itching for some adventure and at the last minute, I hatched the idea of obtaining a snow mobile to go check...

http://slcsherpa.blogspot.com/2016/03/red-castle-peak-uintas.html

We spent a few days last week on the north end of Timp, playing around in some no name couloirs and tagging the Grunge a couple times.  The first outing was in our typical weekend style - early,...

http://slcsherpa.blogspot.com/2016/03/some-grunge-parties.html

I'm off Nebo and back on Timp.   Matt Galland near the North Summit Closer to the summit Lars on the summit 6000 feet to go

http://slcsherpa.blogspot.com/2016/02/north-timp.html

Noah, Jason and I went up to climb the North Ridge of the Pfeiff again in an attempt to escape the heat and the funky snow down low.  We thought about skiing the NE or NW or some of the other a...

http://slcsherpa.blogspot.com/2016/02/pfeifferhorn-north-ridge-to-east-ridge.html

Last week I mentioned on Instagram that Mount Nebo might be my new favorite peak in the Wasatch.  The prolific Derek Weiss commented, "Nebo is the new Timp.  Timp is pissed!"  Trying to keep ...

http://slcsherpa.blogspot.com/2016/02/timp-photos.html

They say emulation is the highest form of flattery.  Well, last Saturday, Bart, Lars, Jason and I decided to follow in the ski tracks of Noah, Ben and Matt to see if their new line on Storm Mou...

http://slcsherpa.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-storm-drain-wasatch-classic.html

Last week Noah was on a kick to ski something new to him every day.  With a pretty open schedule mid week, I joined for a couple adventures to the Mount Nebo area.  He'd had his eye on a dense...

http://slcsherpa.blogspot.com/2016/02/exploring-nebo.html

With Jason's coccyx still being somewhat painful, we bailed on plans to traverse the Oquirrhs again and succumbed to the allure of exploring new terrain and skiing in the desert.  Unfortunately...

http://slcsherpa.blogspot.com/2016/02/wheeler-and-jeff-davis-peaks.html

Wednesday was so good that we had to go back for seconds.  We traded out Sam and brought Tom but otherwise, it was deja vu.  Friday, we took a trip to the "ot...

http://slcsherpa.blogspot.com/2016/02/spanish-ii.html

Sam Todd is new to backcountry skiing but he's a quick study and hard worker.  To test his preparation, we took him to the promised land with only moderate expectations of both.   Not only did...

http://slcsherpa.blogspot.com/2016/02/spanish-snow.html

This winter has seen a return to normal in the Wasatch but it feels like we've won the lottery.  Last week, I got out for some great tours with a lot of the usual crew.    Heading up a rid...

http://slcsherpa.blogspot.com/2016/02/some-good-days.html

My ski plans for last Monday were derailed by a sick kid and I spent most of the day watching the movies with a feverish boy.  The movie Frozen was actually the closest I got to experiencing win...

http://slcsherpa.blogspot.com/2016/02/midnight-mount-olympus.html

This season more than any previous, I've felt a desire to explore away from the Cottonwoods.  Mostly, I've been drawn to Utah County for the big relief and trail breaking duties.  Not to menti...

http://slcsherpa.blogspot.com/2016/01/some-less-traveled-paths.html

The last time I skied Lisa Falls, it was in the worst possible conditions imaginable.  Almost the entire 5000 foot line was filled with frozen watermelon sized chunks of debris.  I still remem...

http://slcsherpa.blogspot.com/2016/01/east-fork-and-lisa-falls-link-up.html

I've climbed the Grr Couloir once when it was filled wall to wall with frozen avy debris.  Having spied it from across the drainage two days ago, it looked to be in reasonable condition.   ...

http://slcsherpa.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-grr-couloir.html

The wind event on New Year's day led to some of the most reactive slabs I've ever seen or stepped on.  We kept to mellow ridges but found naturals and likely remotely triggered slides on both s...

http://slcsherpa.blogspot.com/2016/01/new-years-day-wind.html

Every New Year's for the past few years, we've been getting together with a group of friends to stand on a summit.  The same characters keep coming and I rather like the tradition.  Fortunately...

http://slcsherpa.blogspot.com/2016/01/new-years-eve-tradition.html