Morning Skin up Baldy

Sarah, Nik and I decided it would be fun if we got up at 5:30 in the morning to skin up Baldy (Sun Valley Resorts main mountain.) Sarah had to get to work at a decent hour, so 6:30 seemed like an appropriate time to start. Overnight it snowed about 5 inches and was continuing to snow as we arrived at the mountain. Turning my headlamp on before the hike began I thought to myself, "Now who in the heck would get up at 5:30, skin up a huge mountain in the dark just to get first tracks." Then, I smiled big and thought, "WE WOULD!"

We skinned from about 6:20 to 8:40 and about 2200 vertical feet or about 2/3 the way up the mountain. By the time we got to the top the clouds had broken a little and you could see how far we had come, with the valley and our climbing tracks in the background below us. It was a great feeling of accomplishment to be there. We were so drenched in sweat that we did not have much time to spare otherwise our body temps would drop quickly and we would become very cold very quickly. So, we added a layer, de-skinned our skis, got our bindings ready and pointed our ski tips down the hill. Yes, I was on skis again and this time I proved to be much better. The first half of the hill was untouched, so we had first tracks in the powder. The second half had been groomed, so we got to enjoy the nice corduroy. The ride down was worth every step up.  I truly understand the term, Earn your Turns.

Thank you Sarah and Zach once again for your exceptional hospitality. You guys really know how to show your guests a great time. I had a blast like I always do and I am pretty sure Nik did as well.

Thanks for everything!!!