Central Utah Outdoors: April 2010

By David Larsen

Ephraim, UT

Imagine your self hanging from three fingers off of a quarter inch edge two hundred feet above the ground, and it's time to clip your next bolt. Whats on your rack? When purchasing a quickdraw, I am looking for something that is comfortable, fast, smooth, easy to clip, and light.

The Petzle Spirit Express Quickdraw is by far the most comfortable quickdraw I have ever handled. It fits in my hand as if it were ergonomically designed to. In the time it spends in my hand between my harness and the rock, it is a solid grip. I have never felt like I might slip and drop it.

As it is so comfortable, it makes it that much faster. Not only do I have a solid grip on it while moving it from my harness to the wall, I never have to fiddle with or hold it for longer than is necessary. This draw is very fast.

Like butter, these gates open and close as smooth and gracefully as an Olympic figure skater. The straight gate on top is textured so your finger never slips when need to open it. After a year of abuse and no lube, they still open and close without sticking, making you confident at every bolt that the draw will stay there till someone takes it off.

This Draw is definitely on the heavy side weighing in at 104g compared to the MadRock Ultralight at 35g or the Camp Nano 23 Express at 53g. The comfort and efficiency of this draw makes up for the weight for me.

I don't typically spend more than $15 for a draw, but sometimes you have to splurge. The Spirit Express is expensive at $20-$25, but the bottom line is that this is an excellent draw and wwell worth the money.

Pros
Comfortable, smooth, fast.

Cons
Heavy, expensive.

BALD MOUNTAIN WINTER SUMMIT - Ephraim UT

by Amy Jorgensen

Technical Notes:

Summit: 2 hr 35 min

RT Time: 4 hours 40 min 

Base Elevation: 5900' 

Summit Elevation: 8464' 

RT Distance: 9.2 miles 

Weather: 15 F at start, clear & sunny  

Description/Story: A great day to be alive in Sanpete. While the rest of the world was sitting in church pews, I got the mountain to myself. A beautiful, exquisitely quiet, blue-bird winter Sunday. I had no intention of reaching the summit when I first started out this morning. After a weekend spent in Park City with scensters, hipsters, and art farts at Sundance it simply felt good to be alone in wide open space under a Utah desert sky. The plan was to make the huff to the screen and head back, but I couldn't help myself. I'd been thinking about that summit for the last couple of weeks and it just felt too close and too hard to pass up on such a beautiful day. The first third of bald mountain (to the screen) is a fairly steep climb. The following two thirds are a relatively moderate series of switchbacks. Just shy of the summit is a short steeper section. I was able to walk in snow mobile tracks for the first two thirds but after that was goose stepping through thigh high snow (without gators I might add) and following in deer tracks. It didn't look like anyone had been up there since the last snow fall. Returned soaked, hungry, thirsty, and deeply satisfied.

Additional Notes: Take plenty of water with you and consider snow shoes in winter, or least a good pair of gators to keep your feet and legs dry. (Do as I say not as I do). I like to use a hydration pack with a neoprene wrapped tube to keep my water from freezing in very cold weather. Wear polyprop layers to peel off as you sweat and go up the mountain, and include a good wind resistant jacket to wear on the way down as your body temperature cools. This is a beautiful hike in the summer and has a shorter round trip time of 3 hours 20 minutes because of the lack of snow. If you decide to tackle this hike in the summer be sure to get an early morning start as Sanpete County gets very hot by midday and there is no cover on this hike. Also know that this is primarily an atv trail and cuts a wider swath than your typical walking/hiking trails in other parts of the state.

Difficulty: Moderate

Location & Access: Just off Ephraim Canyon Road in Ephraim, UT. Begins at the base of the foothills.

Camping: Abundant camping up Ephraim Canyon and along Skyline Drive

Hotel Accomodations: Willow Creek Inn, Ephraim, UT

Gas & Groceries: Ephraim

Dining: Ephraim

Family Considerations: A great hike for the family, though time and distance would be a consideration for younger children.

Gear Rentals: Jason Stevens @ Maple Leaf Company