Vamoose Utah January 2020

VOL.6 NO.1 • JANUARY 2020

FREE COPY

GET OUT | GET GOING | JUST GO

VIEWS & BREWS

UTAH RESORTS HAVE SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

JULIAN CARR

AN ATTITUDE FOR

ALTITUDE

SKYDIVING IN UTAH JUMP FOR JOY

January 2020 • Vamoose Utah | 1

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Is Hiring

AN ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Responsibilities include: Selling print and digital advertising to local and some regional businesses.

Email your resume to sales@cityweekly.net

January 2020 • Vamoose Utah | 3

INSIDE EXPERIENCE ALTITUDE 8 HIGH HOPES

There’s a winter resort for everyone in your crew

BY MEGAN WAGSTAFF

14 DIGS WE DUG

Cougar Ridge near Torrey offers a luxury ranch experience

BY KATHLEEN CURRY & GEOFF GRIFFIN

18 DEFYING GRAVITY

Skier Julian Carr’s record-breaking cliff jumps have led him a larger life

BY KATHLEEN CURRY & GEOFF GRIFFIN

20 ROAM WITH A VIEW

How to reserve coveted campsites for the coming year

BY REBECCA CHAVEZ-HOUCK

22 BACKCOUNTRY CHEF

Grapefruit juice and vodka make a great Mountain Martini. But add mint if you want the magic

BY ARI LEVAUX

24 OUT OF TRAGEDY, AWARENESS

Utah Avalanche Center’s ‘Know Before You Go’ is a must for backcountry adventurers

BY ANDREW NASSETTA

28 JUMP FOR JOY

Take in a bird’s eye view of Utah while dangling under a chute

Skier Julian Carr cliff jumping in Monashees, B.C., Canada

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BRUNO LONG

BY JARED BLACKLEY

LIVE MUSIC • FRESH FOOD • FREE GAMES

BIG SUE BURGER ALMOST ACTUAL SIZE

EAT AT SUE’S! 3928 HIGHLAND DR 801-274-5578

@ ABARNAMEDSUE / ABARNAMEDSUE

8136 SO. STATE ST 801-566-3222

ABARNAMEDSUESTATE /ABARNAMEDSUESTATE

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK  11AM-1AM

January 2020 • Vamoose Utah | 5

VOL.5 NO.10 • DECEMBER 2019

CONTRIBUTORS

GET OUT | GET GOING | JUST GO

STAFF

PUBLISHER DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

EDITORIAL

EDITOR PROOFREADERS CONTRIBUTORS

PRODUCTION ART DIRECTOR GRAPHIC ARTIST

BUSINESS/OFFICE

ASSOCIATE BUSINESS MANAGER OFFICE ADMINISTRATORS TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

CIRCULATION

CIRCULATION MANAGER

SALES

DIGITAL OPERATIONS MANAGER SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES RETAIL ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

John Saltas Pete Saltas

Jerre Wroble Lance Gudmundsen, Megan Wagstaff Jared Blackley, Rebecca Chavez-Houck, Kathleen Curry, Geoff Griffin, Ari LeVaux, Andrew Nassetta, Megan Wagstaff

When Jared Blackley is not fulfilling the tasks of a loving husband and father, you can find him with his dog on a trail a number of miles from the nearest road. He is also involved in long-distance love affair with France. You can follow his exploits on Instagram @jredwblack

Chelsea Neider Sofia Cifuentes, Jennifer Terry

Paula Saltas David Adamson, Samantha Herzog Bryan Mannos

Eric Granato

Anna Papadakis Doug Kruithof, Kathy Mueller Kelly Boyce, Michelle Engstrand

Geoff Griffin and Kathleen Curry are the ultimate weekend warriors in pursuit of Utah-based adventures for Vamoose Utah.

On the cover: Snowbasin Resort, photo by Jeremiah Watt courtesy of Utah Office of Tourism Distributed free of charge throughout the Wasatch Front while supplies last.

Additional copies of Vamoose Utah are available at the Vamoose offices: 175 W. 200 South, Ste. 100, Salt Lake City, UT 84101 801-716-1777 VamooseUtah.com

Editorial contact: Editor@vamooseutah.com Advertising contact: Sales@vamooseutah.com COPPERFIELD PUBLISHING, INC • COPYRIGHT 2020• ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

@vamooseutah

6 | Vamoose Utah • January 2020

@vamooseutah

@vamooseutah

Rebecca Chavez-Houck is a former Utah representative now serving as executive director of Better Boundaries. That still leaves her time to go “glamping” with family and friends and discover new places to visit.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

© RE WIKSTROM PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF UTAH OFFICE OF TOURISM

Beaver Mountain

How do you like to go up in a swing, Up in the air so blue?

Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall, Till I can see so wide, River and trees and cattle and all Over the countryside — Till I look down on the garden green, Down on the roof so brown — Up in the air I go flying again, Up in the air and down!—

EXPERIENCE ALTITUDE

R

emember the child’s verse “The Swing,” by Robert Louis Stevenson?

For the Scottish poet and author—who incidentally is considered the father of modern travel writing, and who lived and wrote his adventurous tales (among them Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) in the mid- to late 1800s—a swing may have been one of few ways for a child (or adult) to glimpse the surrounding countryside.

Airplanes weren’t around until after the Wright brothers took their historic flight on Dec. 17, 1903. As such, skydiving as a sport did not take off, so to speak, until the 1950s.

And while humans may have donned skis some 22,000 years ago, it wasn’t until the early 1900s that Europe’s first ski village (France’s La Clusaz, near Geneva, Switzerland) began drawing recreational skiers to its mountain slopes where dramatic views took breaths away and caused adrenalin to surge.

Even locally, resorts such as Alta and Brighton along with many others perched high atop the Rocky Mountains only came into being in the 1930s.

The point is: Gaining elevation for a spectacular view, one from way up there, did not come easy in days of yore. For those willing to climb—human-powered—there have always been mountain tops. But such efforts were often seen as risky and pointless.

So, in the year 2020, you might say life is good. In Utah, we can

feast our eyes on unique vistas at more than a dozen ski resorts, as Megan Wagstaff writes about in Weekend Warrior. Then, there’s sky diving, a sport covered by Jared Blackley through the eyes of local starwatcher Patrick Wiggins in “Jump for Joy.” There’s even the heart-pounding intensity of ski “cliff jumping,” something extreme skier Julian Carr excels at, which Geoff Griffin and Kathleen Curry highlight in “Defying Gravity.”

Want a room with a red-rock view? Check out our new feature, Digs We Dug, which this month features a high-flying lodging experience at Cougar Ridge near Torrey.

For adventures and outings to have a good chance of success, planning is essential, says Rebecca Chavez-Houck, who shares tips for reserving coveted campground spots at national parks.

After you’ve taken in all the adventure you can handle, you’ve earned a Mountain Martini, which food columnist Ari LeVaux has graciously provided a thirst-quenching recipe for.

And, please, please, don’t go on your backcountry mountain adventure without first checking in at the Utah Avalanche Center.

Andrew Nassetta’s feature on avalanche safety is a crucial reminder on the importance of snow safety in the mountains.

To end this on a high note, we’ll let Mr. Stevenson explain his bent for the life nomadic: I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.

—Jerre Wroble January 2020 • Vamoose Utah | 7

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Snowbasin Resort ridgetop view

WEEKEND

WA

HIGH HOPES There’s a winter resort for everyone in your crew

S

omewhere along the line, word got out that Utah’s Wasatch Front was God’s own ski country. Maybe it was Utah’s humble “Greatest Snow on Earth” license plate. Utah powder is no longer a best-kept secret, and it follows that more and more skiers congregate in our canyons and at our go-to resorts. Nowadays, for locals wanting to escape to their favorite high-altitude haunt, it can seem downright daunting. But perhaps you haven’t explored all the options. We’re launching a new type of Weekend Warrior in this issue, one that offers four weekend getaways for a variety of winter personalities.

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JEREMIAH WATT COURTESY OF UTAH OFFICE OF TOURISM

BY MEGAN WAGSTAFF

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Sundance Resort’s Spirit of the Mountains hydration treatment

WEEKEND

WA

Stay

A fireplace is essential for chasing away the chill, so book a romantic studio at Sundance Resort (8841 N. Alpine Loop Road, Sundance, 800-892-1600, SundanceResort.com). A mix of rustic and modern, each room also features Sundance Farms’ handmade soaps and handblown, recycled glass.

Enjoy complimentary yoga and meditation daily while your better half hits the slopes—each night of lodging includes free ski passes as well.

Next, take your pick of art studio classes for pottery, jewelry making, painting or drawing.

Transportation around the resort is complimentary, too, so you don’t even have to pack snow boots.

Need to unwind a little more? Book an appointment at the Sundance spa. Winter-haters will love the Spirit of the Mountains hydration treatment, a moisturizing and warming body wrap with honey and organic shea butter, plus a touch of vanilla and cardamom. Book an appointment: 801-223-4270

If one of you is not a snow bunny, how about ... Sundance Resort?

COURTESY SUNDANCE RESORT

Play

Aprés

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

You don’t have to play in the snow all day to enjoy aprés at Owl Bar, a restored 1890s bar originally located in Wyoming. It’s the perfect spot to meet back up with your SO over a plate of Owl Bar Nachos and a custom cocktail, and live music plays every weekend.

If you hate the cold, why get out of bed? Stay toasty under the sheets and order room service. With all-day delivery from The Deli and Foundry Grill, you can dig in to anything from breakfast burritos to braised short ribs, all in your PJs. Room Delivery: 801-223-4211

When you think of ski-lodge food, spaghetti might not be the first thing that comes to mind. Which is why you need to head to Foundry Grill and try theirs, an elevated version with roasted mushrooms, creamy burrata cheese and baby kale.

Reservations:866-932-2295

You can’t do Sundance without indulging in dinner at Tree Room.

Earning multiple dining awards and the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, it’s hard to go wrong with any of the dishes on the rotating seasonal menu, but saving room for dessert among the art pieces from Robert Redford’s private collection is a must. Reservations: 866-627-8313 January 2020 • Vamoose Utah | 9

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Beaver Mountain

WEEKEND

WA

STAY

It’s hard to beat a hot tub after a day of winter adventures, so book a room at Best Western Plus Weston Inn (250 N. Main, Logan, 435-752-5700, BestWestern.com).

You’ll also enjoy complimentary breakfast, WiFi, an indoor pool and a gym at an affordable rate.

If you’re looking for skiing, snowboarding and then some, you’ve come to the right resort town. Get your powder turns in (without breaking the bank) at Beaver Mountain (40000 East Highway 89, Garden City, 435-946-3610, SkiTheBeav.com), where an adult lift ticket will only run you $50, or head to Cherry Peak (3200 E. 11000 North, Richmond, 435-200-5050, SkiCherryPeak.com), with more than 1,200 vertical feet of night skiing. If you prefer your downhill in a sitting position, Cherry Peak also offers tubing from $11 per person (family discounts available).

The adventure doesn’t end there. Kick up your boots and enjoy a sleigh ride at Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area (Blacksmith Fork Canyon Road, Hyrum, 435-753-6168, Wildlife.utah.gov), a wintertime feeding ground for up to 600 Rocky Mountain elk. There are also plenty of surrounding areas for ice fishing and snowmobiling.

If one of you loves adventure — how about ... Logan?

© RE WIKSTROM PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF UTAH OFFICE OF TOURISM

Play

Aprés

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Outdoorsy types will find The White Owl (36 W. Center St., Logan, 435-753-9165) checks all the necessary aprés boxes: pool tables, darts, sports TV and beer. This no-frills Logan staple is cash only, so tuck a $20 into the pocket of your Carhartts before you go.

In the early 1900s, Herm’s Inn (1435 Canyon Road, Logan, 435792-4321, HermsInn.com) was the last place to fill your gas tank before you headed up Logan Canyon. Today, it’s the last place to fill up in another sense: with build-your-own omelets and burritos, hearty breakfast skillets and their famous cinnamon rolls only available on Saturday and Sunday.

Is there a better fuel than a burger? If your answer is no, head to Morty’s Cafe (780 E. 700 North, Logan, 435-535-3276, MortysCafe.com) and order one of six 100% Angus beef renditions like the Iconic, Hawaiian or Sunny Side. Vegetarians can take their pick of three housemade veggie patties. Aw, hell … throw in a salted peanut-butter shake while you’re at it.

At the end of a long day of burning serious calories, it can be hard to decide what to eat for dinner because everything sounds good.

The Beehive Pub & Grill (255 S. Main, Logan, 435-753-2600, TheBeehiveGrill.com) fits the bill with a little bit of everything. We’re talkin’ wings, nachos, tacos, steaks and fish and chips, plus a great selection of microbrews from Moab Brewery to wash it all down.

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If you’re bringing the kids — how about ... Beaver?

WEEKEND

WA

Stay

Anyone traveling with kids knows that a hotel with a pool goes a long way toward keeping them entertained, and free breakfast is even better on the budget, so book at Best Western Paradise Inn (1451 N. 300 West, Beaver, 435-438-2455, BestWestern.com). The indoor pool will be a hit with the littles, and free WiFi means they can have all the tablet time they want.

Kids will love the terrain park and all the blue and green runs found in the upper half of Eagle Point Resort (150 SW Village Circle, Beaver, 435-438-3700, EaglePointResort. com), while parents hit black diamonds in the lower half. Lift lines are seldom long, plus weekend lift tickets are as low as $35. Kids under 6 ski free.

Back down the canyon in Beaver, it’s a short drive north to Cove Fort Historic Site (Highway 161 SE, 435-438-5547, CoveFort.com), a pioneer fort built in 1867. Unlike most others of its time, Cove Fort is constructed with volcanic rock instead of wood. Kids can explore the telegraph office, barn, bunkhouse, icehouse and cabin daily, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

© 2016 MARC PISCOTTY COURTESY UTAH OFFICE OF TOURISM

Play

Sundance Ski Resort

Aprés

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Canyonside Bar & Grill (150 SW Village Circle, Beaver, 435438-3700, EaglePointResort. com) is the perfect spot for an adult beverage after a family day on the mountain—foosball, chess and shuffleboard await the kiddos in the adjoining game room. If a snack is in order, loaded potato skins and beer battered onion rings keep everyone happy.

If continental at the hotel isn’t going to cut it, head across the parking lot to the Crazy Cow Cafe (1451 N. 300 West, Beaver, 435438-6208, CrazyCowCafe. net) for the Tractor Driver Sandwich. It’s a beast of a breaky—two eggs, ham, bacon or sausage stuffed between two pieces of French toast.

Grilled cheese, mac ’n’ cheese, pizza … you’ll find gourmet versions of kids’ favorites at The Creamery (165 S. 500 West, Beaver, 833796-4551, TheCreameryUtah. com). It’s also Beaver’s favorite spot for ice cream, with flavors like cotton candy and Superman for younger taste buds, and Jolted Cow—sweet cream ice cream with espresso, caramel and brownie— for you.

At the end of the day, tired kids can mean cranky kids, so keep dinner easy with local-favorite Beaver Taco (1451 S. Main, Beaver, 435438-0912), which has a drive-thru option in case someone’s already fallen asleep in their car seat. Every kid’s meal comes with choice of french fries or a churro.

January 2020 • Vamoose Utah | 11

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Tona Sushi’s beet and arugula salad

WEEKEND

WA

Stay

Part coffee shop, part lunar observatory and part industrial farmhouse, Compass Rose Lodge (198 S. 7400 East, Huntsville, 385-279-4460, CompassRoseLodge.com), located in Huntsville Square, is the perfect base camp for the weekend. Rooms include complimentary breakfast, Beekman 1802 bath products, and free WiFi. In addition to offering 3,000 skiable acres and 3,000 vertical feet (plenty to work up an appetite) Snowbasin Resort (3925 E. Snowbasin Road, Huntsville, 888-4375488, Snowbasin.com) hosts foodie events throughout the year. Check the events tab on their webpage for details. Non-sporty types can take a gondola or lift ride to Needles and John Paul Lodges for impressive views, gourmet eats and a variety of beer options.

A trip to Ogden Valley isn’t complete without a tour of New World Distillery (4795 E. 2600 North, Eden, 385-244-0144, NewWorldDistillery.com), the only place where you can try Ogden Valley Vodka, uniquely distilled with blue agave. Tours are $20 and include tastings, offered Friday and Saturday at noon, 2 and 5 p.m. Private tours are also available.

If one of you is in it for the food — how about ...Ogden Valley?

COURTESY TONA SUSHI

Play

Aprés

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

The only place at Snowbasin with a full liquor and wine menu, Cinnabar (3925 E. Snowbasin Road, Huntsville, 888-437-5488, Snowbasin. com) can get quite busy on the weekends. Consider popping in well before the lifts close to score a table by the oversized fireplace, under the impressive red glass chandelier.

First Lift Coffee (198 S. 7400 East, Huntsville, 385279-4460), located in the Compass Rose Lodge, offers roasts from Australia’s Campos, as well as a tasty selection of muffins, cinnamon rolls and other treats.

If you’re a foodie looking to add to your Instagram feed, you won’t be disappointed.

Warm up with a sizzling plate of fajitas at Carlos & Harley’s (5510 E. 2200 North, Eden, 801745-8226, CarlosAndHarleys. com), Eden’s former general store turned restaurant. Homemade roasted salsa and chips start off your meal, unless your margarita hits the table first.

Fancy it is not, but it’s hard to argue against Tex-Mex and tequila.

Head down the canyon and treat yourself to Tona Sushi (210 25th St., Ogden, 801-6228662, TonaRestaurant.com), for unique rolls you won’t find anywhere else in Utah, like the Black Jack: tempura shrimp, torched black cod, and black tobiko caviar with avocado, snow crab, unagi sauce and sriracha mayo.

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Mon- Sat 8-6:45 Sunday 10-5 9275 S 1300 W 801-562-5496 glovernursery.com

STORE ★★★★★

580 E 300 S SLC 801-363-0565 www.theartfloral.com

GIFT CERTIFICATES TO UTAH’S FINEST DEVOURUTAHSTORE.COM January 2020 • Vamoose Utah | 13

DIGS WE DUG Cougar Ridge near Torrey offers a luxury ranch experience

BY GEOFF GRIFFIN AND KATHLEEN CURRY

T

he connection between Cougar Ridge (650 E. Cougar Ridge Road, Torrey, 435-979-7824, CougarRidge.com) and the family that runs it, goes back generations. The connection between the main lodge and the local land goes back millions of years.

Keith McKay, a stone mason who will turn 90 this year, first began going to Torrey decades ago to get sandstone from a local quarry. His children, who lived in Salt Lake, began taking their children, McKay’s grandchildren, to the spot for family vacations and fell in love with the place.

Ali Bagley, one of those grandchildren who helps run Cougar Ridge, says, “My parents just saw a piece of property, and they loved it, so they bought it. It had a bunch of old sheds on it. We pulled them down and had big bonfires.”

Once an area was cleared, “We built a cabin, then we wanted to build a barn with space for some bunkbeds,” Bagley says. How-

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ever, plans kept changing and expanding. When they were done, they had a lodge big enough to sleep multiple people, “which is definitely not a barn with some bunkbeds.”

As the lodge was rising, the family kept the connection to McKay by decorating the exterior from ground floor to top floor with sandstone taken from the nearby quarry. McKay even did carvings on the exterior stone.

While the lodge has its own history, Bagley says its real goal is to be a home base for an adventurous stay. “We want people to go out there and have an experience,” she says.

To that end, the property is stocked with oak casks for beer brewing classes, wood-working facilities, a bowling alley, a golf simulator and even a wine cellar for those who want to try their hand at making wine. “We keep attempting to grow grapes,” Bagley says. “We do what we can, and we do make wine.”

While You’re There

COURTESY COUGAR RIDGE

Cougar Ridge at the Lodge

Cougar Ridge Adventure

COURTESY COUGAR RIDGE

Groups often book the property to hold photo and arts classes and get inspiration from the surrounding beauty. Guests can also find horses, alpacas, and a dozen Texas longhorns wandering the 42-acre grounds.

The lodge, which features a mesquite wood interior, has four master suites, each with its own bathroom and king-size bed, and two have a hot tub on a private deck. Additional people can sleep in bunkbeds on the third floor, which also has a game room.

In addition to the lodge, there are also seven “casitas” on the property, each its own house unto itself. Each has a suite with a king bed, a suite with two queen beds and a combination of fold-out couches and extra bunk beds that let a party sleep up to eight people. The casitas also come with televisions, kitchenettes and back decks stocked with Traeger grills. Casitas are currently priced at $385 per night for up to six guests.

Cougar Ridge sits just outside of the central Utah town of Torrey. The entrance to Capitol Reef National Park (NPS.gov/ care) is just minutes away. Within the park, Cathedral Valley is a favorite for jeep tours, and can be reached in about 90 minutes by heading northwest out of Torrey and passing through Lyman, Loa and Fremont before heading east back into the park.

Heading east out of town on Highway 24, visitors can drive to Hanksville and then head north to reach Goblin Valley State Park (StateParks.utah.gov/parks/ goblin-valley) or south to get to Leprechaun Canyon. Both drives take about 90 minutes.

Ali Bagley recommends hiking Calf Creek Falls, about an hour’s drive south of Torrey near the town of Boulder, and on the way back, stopping off at Hell’s Backbone Grill & Farm (20 N. Highway 12, Boulder, 435-335-7464, HellsBackboneGrill.com), a restaurant selected as a James Beard Award-semifinalist, which grows most of its produce on-site.

While in the area, Bagley also suggests Burr Trail Grill (10 Highway 12, Boulder, 435-335-7511, BurrTrailGrill.menu) for dishes such as fried green tomatoes and grilled trout.

Back in Torrey, Bagley notes that Rim Rock Restaurant (2523 Highway 24, 435-425-3388, TheRimRock.net) has “got the best view and some great filets,” in reference to the steak selections on the menu.

January 2020 • Vamoose Utah | 15

TRAILBLAZER

DEFYING GRAVITY Extreme skier Julian Carr’s record-breaking cliff jumps have led him to a larger life

BY GEOFF GRIFFIN AND KATHLEEN CURRY

S

etting world records for flying high on nothing but skis requires a love of altitude. For Julian Carr, altitude is a place and state of mind where he’s always felt at home.

“Ever since I was a little kid, I always had a trampoline I was jumping around on,” Carr says. “And for some reason, every time I went to get off of the trampoline, I had to do a front flip.”

He started taking gymnastics classes at age 4 but paid little attention to the instruction. “I was always messing around in the foam pit,” he says, because he could drop into it from various heights and thrill to the feeling of flight. “I would climb up into the rafters and drop 40 feet into the foam pit. Those things are just built into me.”

Fast forward a few years to the time when Carr, who calls Salt Lake City home on his website JulianCarr.

SquareSpace.com, was getting onto skis for the first time as an eighth-grader.

“It just clicked,” he says. “Right from the first day. As soon as I tried skiing powder, I instantly saw that a mountain is just a ridiculously sized version of the foam pit.”

From there, Carr skied his way to the top—literally and figuratively. He holds two world records for getting big air on skis. He set the World Record Invert by doing a front flip off a 210-foot cliff in Engleberg, Switzerland. Back in Utah at Snowbird, he did a front flip off a 140-foot cliff to claim World Record Cliff in a Competition. He refers to those numbers as his “baseball cards stats,” and emphasizes that there’s something deeper at work than digits.

“What drew me to both of those situations was how much I loved those mountains,” he says. “You fall in love

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ADAM CLARK

Julian Carr catches air at Las Lenas, Argentina

January 2020 • Vamoose Utah | 17

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Julian Carr below the Matterhorn at Zermatt, Switzerland

JANA ROGERS

with the cliffs and the byproduct of that is a world record.”

As for facing those dizzying heights on nothing but skis, “When I see pictures of those jumps,” he says, “I admit it seems ridiculous.” However, he notes that beyond the adrenaline rush is a calm sense of “meditation and hypersensitivity” as he soars through the air.

The accomplishments in Carr’s ski career also include appearing in more than a dozen films, including five Warren Miller productions and numerous television appearances, competitions, photo shoots for ski magazines and even stints writing stories and columns in various industry publications.

All the flying around on the slopes became a base from which he launched himself into other areas. He’s now a businessman and a public speaker. He’s spoken at the University of Utah Business School and given a TEDx talk. Carr approaches his off-mountain pursuits with the same mindset that took him off cliffs. “I think, like anybody, I’m just a curious person,” he says. “I like to be engaged with something.”

His desire to feel engaged has led to his successful business ventures. Discrete Clothing (DiscreteClothing.com) is a brand focused on clothing and accessories to keep skiers comfortable and stylish. The Discrete Cirque Series (CircqueSeries.com) is a summer mountain running series with a 2020 schedule that includes local races at Brighton, Alta and Snowbird, but also will travel to Arapahoe Basin, Colo., Grand Targhee, Wyo., and Alyeska, Alaska.

For the Cirque Series, Carr says, “I wanted to lend my skill and expertise of being in the high alpine country. It lets me use my skill and knowledge of where to go in those areas and tell other people about it.” It also doesn’t hurt that running a high-altitude running series, “has me in the mountains year-round,” he says.

As someone who cares about those mountains, Carr wants to make sure there will be plenty of snow to ski in years to come. To that end, he has become an advocate for addressing climate change. “I want to be educated about it at a minimum,” he says, and he looks to “align myself with organizations” that educate others about climate change.

Whether it’s advocating for the environment, public speaking, running a business or doing front flips off a cliff, Carr is guided by a quote from motivational speaker Zig Ziglar that he can reel off without a hitch and which he has posted on his website: “Your attitude, not your aptitude, determines your altitude.”

January 2020 • Vamoose Utah | 19

PLANNING

MAKES THE DIFFERENCE

How to reserve coveted campsites for the coming year

BY REBECCA CHAVEZ-HOUCK

S

ome folks “glamp” year around, but our season usually starts in March and ends in October. Although we’ve winterized our RV, and it’s safely stored for the next few months, we aren’t sitting idle in the winter when it comes to our love of camping in our RV. Starting in September (if not sooner), we begin mapping out where we want to travel in the following year. There are campers who don’t mind “boondocking” (finding a place that works based on how far they travel in a given day—and there’s always the local Walmart if you can’t find a place on public lands that works), but that is not our cup of tea.

For campgrounds operated by the National Parks Service (as well as many U.S. Forest Service and state park managed campgrounds), “rolling” reservations open up four to six months (again, depending on the location) prior to the date you plan to book. You can see why we start so early lining up our “glamping” venues for the upcoming year. For some places we visit on the Pacific Coast, the campsites are booked nine months ahead of time.

A couple of years ago, we decided to visit to Yosemite National Park. Prior to the reservation window opening, we researched the park’s campgrounds and picked a few that we liked. Then, at exactly 7 a.m. six months out to the day, my husband, Martin, and I both logged in to Reservation.gov and began trying to book the sites. We watched them disappear as quickly as we tried to book them, but kept refreshing our screens and trying again.

Luckily, we reserved ours. But within a matter of minutes, all the sites were spoken for.

This has been our experience with more popular national and 20 | Vamoose Utah • January 2020

state park campgrounds, especially during peak season. Commercial campgrounds might be more readily available, but, if they’re close to popular tourist spots, they can fill up as soon as they start taking reservations for the coming year.

Helpful websites include ReserveAmerica.com, Campendium.com and CampsitePhotos.com (which we use to get a feel for what campgrounds and their sites look like and what amenities are provided). These websites can help you locate other options when your first choice is not available. There are many things to keep in mind when scoping out camping sites for your RV. For example, road conditions and limitations on vehicle weight, length or width may limit accessibility to a particular campsite.

The sites themselves could have limitations on length. While we don’t mind boondocking, I do prefer to have access to full or partial hook-ups whenever possible.

For ideas about where to travel, we look at blogs, YouTube videos, miscellaneous Facebook groups geared toward Winnebago View RVers, and, of course, other writers here at Vamoose!

Making Public Lands Accessible Speaking of planning, that topic was a key focus at the Utah Outdoor Recreation Summit, held in St. George last fall. Sponsored by the Governor’s Office of Outdoor Recreation, summit topics ranged from how to meet the needs and interests of the public— from kids to millennials to boomers—to ardent dialogues about how all users should cultivate a sense of responsibility to protect outdoor resources.

Attendees also learned about state grants ranging from $1,000

EVAN-SANCHEZ

Capitol Reef National Park

to $150,000 to help nonprofit groups and businesses maintain and protect trails, marinas, parks and other outdoor facilities.

The 2020 Utah Outdoor Recreation Grant cycle is open from Jan. 15 to March 20, 2020. If you’re part of a group that may be interested in applying for a grant, office staff can help you. For more information, visit Business.Utah.gov/outdoor/uorg.

I enjoyed leading and participating in a couple of panel discussions on making outdoor exploration more inclusive to visitors who may not have felt welcome in the past due to systemic, economic or physical barriers. It was encouraging to learn how

public lands managers and rangers are incorporating new and innovative programming to increase accessibility in our parks, forests and other outdoor assets in Utah.

Adventure in the outdoors always has a component of serendipity. That’s what makes such treks memorable: dealing with the unexpected. But, when we know where we’ll be setting up camp, it’s easier to be open to new experiences and unexpected encounters. Planning ahead for our journey—and for the future of Utah’s open spaces—is vital for an optimal outdoor experience.

See you at the campground!

January 2020 • Vamoose Utah | 21

BACKCOUNTRY

Mountain Martini

It’s grapefruit and vodka’s season.

But add some mint if you want the magic

F

BY ARI LEVAUX

ew methods of coping with winter are superior to sipping a grapefruit martini. Composed of grapefruit, mint, vodka and sugar, it isn’t your typical martini. In fact, by most martini standards, this drink would be disqualified on multiple counts.

I didn’t create or name it, but I am enthused by it. The combination packs a bright pizzazz that’s in short supply these days; if flavors were colors, this would be neon. The grapefruit’s bitterness softens the vodka flavor, while the mint sprinkles the experience with a diverse bouquet of aromatic components, adding a feeling of lightness. Some of the minty aromas and flavors combine with those of the grapefruit and vodka, creating altogether new ones.

In different ways, grapefruit and vodka are both in season in wintertime: grapefruit because it’s ripe and fresh, vodka because it is a known remedy for the winter blues. The other key ingredient is mint, which can be a wildcard in winter. Fresh is preferable, but dried will do, providing it’s dried on the stem with leaves intact.

I learned of the grapefruit martini at a local farm where I play hockey. There, the drink is as holy as hockey itself in the pantheon of winter delights. But alas, the vodka martini has also become a source of tension on the farm, thanks to that elusive mint.

The farm had a stash of properly dried mint, demand for which spiked with the rise in popularity of the grapefruit martini, pitting the martini drinkers against the tea drinkers. One enterprising farmhand tackled the shortage by purchasing several living mint plants from the supermarket—in the produce section, they come with their attached roots immersed in a plug of soil—and potting them on a window sill. But the harvesting

22 | Vamoose Utah • January 2020

pressure on those freshly potted sprigs was too much. Leaves were picked as soon as they appeared, leaving a denuded miniature forest of skinny green trunks.

On the Caribbean coast of Colombia, mint is called hierbabuena, which translates into “good herb.” The name is a nod to its many culinary and medicinal uses, which include antiseptic and antibiotic properties, as well as being generally good for the tummy.

On a visit there recently, I sipped a local drink called limonada de hierbabuena—or mint lemonade—and was hit with a spray of deja vu that took me back to my refreshing grapefruit martinis I drink at home.

Like the grapefruit martini, mint lemonade is citrus-based, with mint dominating the flavor. It’s a powerful combination.

In Columbia, lemonade (limonada) is used as a base for an entire category of cold drinks, including limonadas made with mango, passion fruit, pineapple and other fruits, as well as coconut milk. I bought a bottle of vodka and began playing around with blended versions of the grapefruit martini, Colombian-style.

Consider the Colombian version to be an extreme variation of a shaken martini, one that’s vigorously shaken and chopped with whirling blades.

The blended version is mintier than the classic Lifeline Farm Grapefruit Martini, which is shaken or stirred, because the blender atomizes the herb, releasing more mint aroma and flavor. Thus, it requires less mint than the classic version. (Back on the farm, this could be a game-changer.)

I have a hunch that my blended grapefruit martini will be as satisfying during a Rocky Mountain winter as it is in Columbia.

Something this quenching creates its own thirst. Something this cold creates its own heat. I might have to add some vodka, though.

Blended Grapefruit Martini, a la Colombiana

Blended Grapefruit Martini, a la Colombiana

Ingredients

1 red grapefruit 6 cubes ice 1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves, or a teaspoon dried 1 tablespoon sugar or sweetener 1 shot vodka, or to taste 1 cup of water

Process

Juice the grapefruit. If you don’t have a citrus juicer, cut the grapefruit in half, from the flower nub to belly button, and cut those halves into 6 sections each, for a total of 12 wedges.

Add the ice to a blender, followed by the rest of the ingredients. Taste, adjust with vodka, sugar and water as necessary. Strain out the mint particles.

Classic Lifeline Farm Grapefruit Martini Ingredients

1 red grapefruit 6 cubes ice ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, or a tablespoon dried 1 tablespoon sugar or sweetener 1 shot vodka, or to taste Splash of water or bubbly water

KRISTINA TYRYSHKINA

Process

Juice the grapefruit, as above. If juicing by hand, save the squeezed-out sections.

Muddle the mint, sugar, vodka and grapefruit juice together. Add the ice, bubbly, and, if you don’t mind a little more bitter, some leftover grapefruit wedges.

Stir.

January 2020 • Vamoose Utah | 23

WILL TURNER

When traveling into the backcountry, pay attention to obvious red flags

24 | Vamoose Utah • January 2020

OUT OF TRAGEDY, AWARENESS Utah Avalanche Center’s ‘Know Before You Go’ is a must for backcountry adventurers

BY ANDREW NASSETTA

A

valanches kill an average of 42 people each year in North America (five in Utah in 2019 as of press time), with hundreds more injured.

Many avalanche victims are unaware they’re in danger and are unprepared to deal with backcountry hazards. In 2003, three young Utah men died in a late December avalanche in Provo Canyon near the Aspen Grove trailhead off of a peak called Elk Point. Five boarders were caught and carried in the avalanche—two partially buried who survived, and three fully buried under the snow, who died—and none wearing avalance transceivers.

In response to this tragic event came the Know Before You Go program. While not a substitute for avalanche education, this one-hour program is designed to demonstrate the destructive power of avalanches and create awareness of the steps you need to take before venturing into the backcountry and avalanche terrain.

The danger signs are obvious to those who know what to look for. Just like those living near the ocean and large bodies of water learn at an early age to respect the dangers of the sea, those of us working and recreating in the snow-covered mountains need to learn about avalanches. Those lessons can save lives.

Know Before You Go teaches a five-step systematic approach to snow and avalanche safety: Get the Gear. Before setting foot into the backcountry and avalanche terrain, you have to have the proper equipment. Essential avalanche rescue equipment is no different than a hard hat on a construction site or a seatbelt in a car — even though you hope to never use it, you need to carry and wear it.

Get the Training. Even more important than having all the right equipment and carrying it in the backcountry is knowing how to use it properly. What good are an avalanche transceiver, probe and rescue shovel if they are not used properly? Get a partner who also has the proper gear, take a formal avalanche class and practice together.

Get the Forecast. Before heading out for a hike in the hills or a day of riding in the woods, we always check the weather forecast to avoid hazardous conditions

January 2020 • Vamoose Utah | 25

STRANGE ONES

The destructive path of an avalanche

and plan our day— the backcountry is no different. The Utah Avalanche Center provides a detailed avalanche forecast on a daily basis for at least eight different mountain regions in Utah. Professional avalanche forecasters tell you exactly what to watch out for and how to plan your day to keep you on top of the greatest snow on earth, and not buried below it.

Get the Picture. When we are traveling in the backcountry, we need to pay attention to obvious red flags. Recent avalanches, cracking or collapsing, heavy snowfall, wind loading and rapid thaw are all obvious signs of snow instabilities. Encountering one of these usually drives the decision to change travel plans or head back to the trailhead for beverages of choice.

Get Out of Harm’s Way. Not only can we take obvious red flags into account, but we can also travel wisely and use good techniques to avoid danger. Expose one person at a time to a slope. Avoid stopping and grouping in terrain traps and avalanche run-out zones. Have good communication, have a plan and stick to it!

Know Before You Go is taught internationally in 30 countries and is translated into more than 11 languages. It has reached nearly 200,000 individuals in Utah alone and continues to grow. New for the 2019-20 season, the Utah Avalanche Center has produced three sequential talks covering Avalanche and Backcountry Gear, Terrain Management and the Science of Avalanches. Check in with your local outdoor shop and ask them when their next Know Before You Go talk is.

Andrew Nassetta is an outreach and awareness specialist at Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center.

26 | Vamoose Utah • January 2020

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The mining community of Copperfield was set in world famous Bingham Canyon, high in the Oquirrh Mountains. In 1906, the Saltas family joined those Copperfield residents in the steep hillside, shanty area, called Greek Camp.

Copperfield was home to thousands of melting pot immigrants including Greeks, Japanese, Mexicans, Germans, Swedes, Brits and many other ethnicities all bound to common American values of family, faith, education, hard work and community. They shared many good times, often tempered by the frequent bad times derived of dangerous mining work.

Copperfield is now gone, scraped away by mining.

But the Copperfield spirit remains alive in everything we do, from newspapers and magazines to events and digital services. We work hard for each other and for the large communities of readers—online and in print—who value honesty and stories told well.

We will keep telling stories—your stories—as long as people keep reading. And wouldn’t it be a shame if they didn’t read? We don’t think that will happen, so meanwhile, turn a page, or many pages, in one of Copperfield Publishing’s growing catalog of Utah award-winning publications. We are all the community of Utah. Enjoy.  John Saltas Founder January 2020 • Vamoose Utah | 27

JUMP FOR JOY Take in a bird’s eye view of Utah while dangling under a chute

BY JARED BLACKLEY

28 | Vamoose Utah • January 2020

Always looking up: Patrick Wiggins—Tooelebased astronomer, NASA ambassador and skydiving buff—about to jump

COURTESY OF PATRICK WIGGINS

D

on’t tell Patrick Wiggins that skydiving is a young person’s game. He’s been jumping from airplanes and helicopters since 1965. He remembers the exact date of his first jump with marked enthusiasm. “May 29th” he says, raising a hand to the air. “A day that will go down in infamy.”

Wiggins, whose contributions as a citizen scientist include discovering three supernovae, says a lot has changed since he took his first jump. He was only 16 at the time. Almost all facilities require a person to be at least 18 to skydive today. His first jump was done from a small single-engine plane using a static line, in which a cord is temporarily attached to the aircraft that deploys the parachute once the jumper has fallen a safe distance from the plane. Today, 99.9% of the commercially operated skydive centers require that a person’s first jump be done in tandem, attached by a harness to an experienced skydiver.

These changes, as well as numerous technological advances in equipment, have helped to reduce the risks of the sport. Statistics from the U.S. Parachuting Association show that while the number of estimated jumps has increased every decade since the 1960s, the number of fatalities has decreased. The year 2018 was the safest year on record, with only 13 fatalities recorded for an estimated 3.3 million jumps—one death for every 253,669 jumps.

Skydiving’s popularity has brought an increase in accessibility. Utah alone has five commercial facilities scattered throughout the state, from Moab to Ogden, Hurricane to Tooele and even in Nephi. All of these “drop zones,” however, are closed until spring. But if you’re itching to go right now, Skydive Mesquite, in Nevada, is open year-round.

Making your first jump is pretty simple. You just need to be in relatively good shape, be willing to part with a couple hundred bucks and have the courage to jump. You’ll have to sign your name on a waiver, watch a short video on the proper methods of exiting an air-

ANTHONY RICCO

Expansive view of the Colorado Plateau above Moab

January 2020 • Vamoose Utah | 29

Catch me if you can above Moab

Skydiving locations

Skydive Utah

4647 N. Airport Road, Erda 435-833-9999 SkydiveUtah.com

Skydive Ogden

3463 Airport Road, Ogden 801-627-5867 SkydiveOgden.com

Skydive the Wasatch

2001 N. Airport Road, Nephi 385-321-0284 SkydiveTheWasatch. com

ANTHONY RICCO

Skydive Moab

craft while attached to a skilled skydiver and, within an hour of arriving at the drop zone, you’ll be boarding an airplane.

The sensation of free fall is more akin to floating than falling. Because you’re typically jumping from an airplane already moving faster than terminal velocity, there is little to no “gut rush.” Most people don’t experience the vertigo common to cliff or a high dive jumping. For the skilled skydiver, who can glide freely from here to there, performing acrobatic maneuvers and diving to pick up speed, the sensation can be like flying. It is easy to see why so many people consider the sport to be addictive.

Wiggins has racked up more than 1,100 jumps in his five-plus decades of skydiving, which is an average of about two per month, but he says a lot of people who get into the sport these days reach 1,000 jumps within two or three years of getting certified.

Certification costs anywhere from $2,500 to $4,000, depending on which facility you choose. And a complete rig costs between $8,000 to $15,000.

30 | Vamoose Utah • January 2020

“It seems expensive,” says Wiggins, “But the gear will last a long time. I used the same rig for 27 years before I decided it was time to buy a new one. And the gear is pretty nice these days. A lot of the ‘chutes allow a landing as soft as jumping off this chair. You can literally land on one foot.”

Other parachutes are so small they allow an experienced skydiver to come screeching across the sky at high speeds before slowing down just prior to landing. It is becoming increasingly common to see experienced skydivers go into a big turn at approximately 300 feet above the ground, bringing the jumper and the parachute horizontal, before quickly swooping back towards the ground and skimming across the grass or some water at an incredible rate of speed.

“I don’t do anything fancy like that,” he adds.

“I’m old school. But it’s easy to imagine that in 20 or 30 years, these tricks they’re doing today will seem old school. One of these days, someone is going to figure out how to make a wingsuit that is safe and reliable enough land on the ground without a parachute. I can only imagine where this sport will be three decades from now.”

114 W. Aviation Way, N. Highway 191, Moab 435- 259-5867 SkydiveMoab.com

Skydive Zion

1 Airport Road, Hurricane 435-635-3742 SkydiveZion.com

iFly Utah

(Indoor Skydiving— kid-friendly) 2261 Kiesel Ave., Ogden 801-528-5348 iFlyUtah.com

Open Year-round:

Skydive Mesquite

1200 Kitty Hawk Drive, No. 105, Mesquite, Nev. 877-246-5867 SkydiveMesquite. com

LAST

LOOK Powder Mountain

Photo by Jeremiah Watt courtesy of Utah Office of Toursm

January 2020 • Vamoose Utah | 31

32 | Vamoose Utah • January 2020