Author: David Bain

  • Fairy Meadows Part I – 3/4-3/6

    Fairy Meadows Part I – 3/4-3/6

    Precision takes time – Team Sloth Fairy Meadows was a long time coming. Garrett entered and won the required lottery back in 2018, with the trip originally planned for the 19/20 winter, specifically March of 2020. Needless to say, the timing did not work out. For me personally, I had been hearing stories of epic…

  • North Ridge of Pfeifferhorn – 2/12

    North Ridge of Pfeifferhorn – 2/12

    It’s been a very dry mid-winter and even the sheltered north-facing slopes are getting grim. Determined to find some excuse to get up into the high mountains, Hunter and I decided to check out the North Ridge of Pfeifferhorn. We have both done the North Ridge in summer, but the idea of doing it with…

  • Van Build – Part I

    Van Build – Part I

    Motivated by some upcoming time off work, I’ve decided to build out my van. The simple sliding bed I built a couple of years ago was great for weekend trips, but left very little livable space for anything but sleeping. My original plan was to remove the hardly-used second row of seats, freeing up some…

  • The Swell – 10/23-10/24

    The Swell – 10/23-10/24

    No real write-up for this one. Just some pictures from a beautiful weekend climbing in the beautiful Swell. Climbed at Trojan Wall the first day and Dylan Wall the second. Highlights include:* Questing up an unknown wide pitch at Trojan Wall and fighting through sand, broken holds and self-doubt to reach the top. * Figuring…

  • Yosemite Valley – 10/9-10/17

    Yosemite Valley – 10/9-10/17

    Yosemite Valley. It’s hard to summarize the weight The Valley carried in my mind prior to this trip. For years, Yosemite has felt like a gaping hole in my otherwise fairly well rounded climbing resume. For years, schedules and fitness and partners have never quite lined up and I’ve told myself “next year” as I…

  • Tuolumne Meadows – 9/4-9/6

    Tuolumne Meadows – 9/4-9/6

    It’s been a full summer since I last posted. This is for a variety of reasons, but mainly due to a summer of not much mountain adventuring. Some nagging Achilles/ankle/foot pain I had been ignoring all spring finally caught up with me in early June, and I soon found myself hobbling around, unable to even…

  • Wind River Range- 5/28-5/30

    Wind River Range- 5/28-5/30

    A magical 2018 trip to the Cirque of the Towers forever cemented the Wind River Range as a special place in my mind. Yet, despite being a shorter drive than Indian Creek, I had not made it back since moving to SLC. Eager to change this, and itching to get a final ski adventure in,…

  • Mount Rainier – 5/15

    Mount Rainier – 5/15

    It’s impossible to see Mount Rainier from Seattle and not have your mind blown; it looks fake, it’s simply so big on the horizon. I’m sure Washington residents eventually get used to it, but every time I’ve visited Seattle the mountain captivates me. Taryn makes fun of how obsessed I am with the “scale” of…

  • Tolcat Couloir – 5/4

    Tolcat Couloir – 5/4

    Blading big mountain lines takes patience and dedication. So when life, partners, and conditions lined up, I knew I had to jump on it. The goal: Tolcat Couloir off Mt. Olympus (V 50° 2500ft). Overlooking Salt Lake Valley, this striking line has captured the imagination of skiers for generations. After making its first descent in…

  • Icefall – 4/17

    Icefall – 4/17

    I’ve fallen over a month behind on blog posts and I have several more recent adventures I want to get around to writing about so this post may be shorter and less detailed than usual. But it was a wonderful day checking out a somewhat less traveled corner of the Wasatch so I don’t want…