THE CASE FOR DOING SUMMER THINGS IN WINTER
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“There are no bad conditions, only poor preparation.” Or so the saying goes. The allure of glassy lakes, empty trails, and quiet crags makes a winter visit worth a little extra preparation and a couple more layers. This winter, I decided to take that mantra to heart by mixing my sport seasons up a bit. Plus, I would rather do summer sports in winter than vice-versa; skiing on sand just sounds too gritty for me. PADDLEBOARDING The water’s great; come on in, they said. It’ll be fun, they said. And they were right! Living just 20 minutes from several lakes (Jordanelle, Mountain Dell, East Canyon, and Rockport), we spend a fair portion of the summer out on the water. I wondered: how different might warm winter days be? So one sunny afternoon, we loaded up our paddleboards and dipped our proverbial toes in the water. We needed high rubber boots to walk through muddy and snowy shores, which took a bit of getting used to once afloat compared to my usual summer barefoot paddling. I did make a note to myself should I fall in these suckers would fill right up with water. So, one—don’t fall in. Two: if I did, I was prepared mentally to rip these galoshes right off. The only other tweak from my summer setup was to actually wear my life jacket. Utah law requires that a life preserver simply be on board, so typically I just lash it to my deck. This time I wore it snugly, for both added safety and an extra layer of warmth. Other than that, I pretty much dressed like any other normal winter day: jeans, flannel, and a light puffy jacket with a knit hat. Once I pushed off from shore I was shocked at how different the same lake sounded : no boats buzzing by, no groups partying on 14«
Late Winter 2020
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Trailsides
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Alternatives to Winter Activities By Nick Como
the beach, and not a soul in sight other than my wife. We had the place to ourselves, continually amazed by the immediate feeling of solitude. With no wind and the Utah winter sun shining bright, it was quite pleasant. All in all, we spent about an hour paddling the shoreline (just in case of an emergency slip in the drink) and had a blast. Rather than putting our inflatables away for winter, they’re sitting in the garage next to our skis awaiting the next spell of high pressure. MOUNTAIN BIKING Saying goodbye to my bike is always a difficult period for me. Skiing is my first and truest love, but man biking is fun! Once fall begins to give way to winter, those first few snows muck up the trails. And if lifts spinning are still several weeks away, I find myself getting creative to continue pedaling. In early winter, if I got out early I could avoid the mud and ride frozen singletrack, but those opportunities are few and far between. Once the snow really starts to fly, I sadly hang up my mountain bike. But, for those of you with a fat bike: the season really never ends. The number of trails you can ride in winter, both in Salt Lake and Park City, is surprising. The Corner Canyon area comes to mind in particular, as Draper City does an impeccable job at grooming trails for cross-country skiers and fat bikers. Check out trail conditions at draper.maps.arcgis.com. The Round Valley system in Park City does an equally great job of trail grooming in winter months for the Nordic crowds, as well as bikers. Reports can be found at mountaintrails.org/pc-trail-system/ round-valley-winter/. With a dozen or so trails to choose from, you can ride as many miles as your legs can handle on a variety of terrain. If you’re new to
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