Dromedary Peak via Firing Squad
The 2023 season unfolded with an abundance of blessings, the mountains steadily accumulated snow and various amount of terrain became ready for exploration. In some cases, mother nature was so generous that a lot of my friends opted to savor their breakfast & coffee at home rather than venture out into the deep powder.
In February, I had the pleasure of being accompanied by my good friend pilot Dan. Originally from Anchorage, Daniel and I set our sights on one of the lesser-known lines in the Wasatch—”Firing Squad.”
Across the face of Dromedary, the line is trends right.
Firing Squad had gained recognition among avid steep skiers and snowboarders in Utah as an abstract line and It felt like the perfect opportunity to test my skills considering the trajectory my snowboarding had been taking. So on a Saturday morning at 7am Daniel and I left the Broad Forks trailhead and started for the apron of Dromedary.
With having read about the line prior on Noah Howell’s blog , Daniel and I wanted to take a different approach.
The rider’s before us climbed the shoulder and then made the traverse to the exposed line. Instead, Daniel and I planned to climb the line and follow our tracks right back the way we came. The plan seem straightforward so went into it with high spirits, great conversation, and climbed in quiet autonomy.
Daniel putting in the first steps of the apron
Taking turns leading, we embarked on the exposed traverse, which proved to be an exhilarating and in-the-moment experience. However, as we progressed, we encountered a section that had not been captured in any pictures—a small step-down that presented a challenge. I found myself having to down-climb about three feet and then walk out onto the exposed face. Unfortunately, with a misstep, I ended up sinking into a hole, or rather, the moat of the mountain. Within seconds, my legs were dangling but thankfully my board caught my weight, allowing me to catch my breath and maneuver out by stemming.
The realization of climbing autonomously without the security of ropes sank in deeply. In that moment, I had to focus entirely on the situation at hand. After taking a moment to collect myself, I cautiously stemmed out and retraced my steps back up those three feet to safety. Daniel, observing the situation, continued climbing the rock and snow above the snowband and successfully found a new route.
***In hindsight, I got lucky this day.
Starting up the last mixed section.
Daniel standing on the summit with his pack off taking in the views.
Heart of Darkness as seen from Dromedary Peak
The snow covered Kennecott copper mine as seen from Dromedary Peak
Next thing you know it was time to descend so we left the views for another day and put our snacks away to start our transition.
I took the first turns down the main face and traversing far skiers right to get a sense of the enitre aspect. After the intial cut I made a few turns and found a safe zone to call Daniel and grab a photo.
During our descent, Daniel and I faced a crucial decision. We had to choose between keeping our skis and board on or opting to remove them and down-climb instead.
Considering the earlier incident and prioritizing safety, we opted for the more conservative approach. We made the decision to traverse back across the face until we could transition to sharps. The down-climb proved to be relatively straightforward with the aid of crampons & axes.
I only strapped back into my board once we reached the beginning of the apron roll-in.
Daniels ski turns on the left and my more faint turns on the right. The Stranda proved to be exceptionally light and fast.
In the photo, you can see a distinct cut in the snow, which was made by me. I had paused at the rock outcropping on the left side of the picture to capture the photo of Daniel before veering across the slope towards our intended line.
However, it is important to note that we did not complete the descent of the entire line on skis or snowboard. Therefore, this particular line remains reserved for another season, patiently awaiting future exploration and adventure.
