East Twin

Type: Backcountry or Sidecountry

This is a unique skiing experience as it has you skiing between high walls of rock on both sides. There is plenty of room for making turns. The view is inspiring the whole way down.

Deseret Peak is popular enough to be a zoo on the weekends. You may have better luck trying to get up there on a weekday.

Of course, conditions can vary significantly depending on an innumerable number of factors. I was a bit too early, so the temperatures were not yet high enough to soften the snow for good skiing. It was overcast the whole day except for about a minute when the sun shown with full force. It was powerful enough to quickly destabilize the snow, had the sun been allowed to shine not much longer. Interestingly, I was also not too late. Just as I was exiting the basin, clouds rolled in and covered the entire mountain in a thick fog, which would have complicated the already-tricky, rock-laden descent.

I would call the east couloir an easy black at the resort, but it looks terrifying on the approach, only because it's impossible to see how steep it is until you're on it. The higher up you climb into the couloir, the more confident you'll feel about making your descent. Of course, turn back if you're seeing roller balls.