first disclaimer I am not responsible for mis info posted in this thread. I will try my best to be as clear and informative as possible its going to take days if not weeks to complete this.
We will start at the top and in the middle and work our way down.
exposure scale(ES) will be based of 1-10
Difficultly Scale(DS) will be based of 1-10 and loosely based on what Skier lever I think would have fun skiing it. Notice I said have fun just because a level 5 can make it down the cirque doesnt mean they will have fun
ski destruction scale(SDS) will be 1-10 and based on how many rocks you can expect to hit or walk over. Obvisouly walking over rocks doesnt hurt skis as bad as skiing over rocks.
Top of Regulator Johnson
right after chips still on the 'backbone' of Hidden Peak going towards the top of Regulator Johnson there is 2 primary gates and one secondary gate both lead to the marked run of Silver Fox.
The first gate on your right is known locally as
Macaroni Chute Gate
ES = 3-8 toward the lower end of the scale if you stay in the chute. Towards the upper end if you duck the ropes and a top "frenchie rock" aptly named because during the freeskiing comp only the french people jump of that damn thing.
DS = 8-10
SDS = 2-3 if staying in the chute
As the name suggest this gate leads to a chute. Macaroni chute is fun usually really filled in. semi narrow chute that bend like a piece of macaroni. Id say level 7/8 that has a decent short turn will have here. This chute leads into the open fields of middle Silver Fox. Middle Silver Fox is one of the easiest trail map marked Double Black on the Mountain more on that later.
Silver Fox Gate
ES = 5-10
DS = 9-10
SDS = 5
the next further gate down the hill going to regulator Johnson on the right is Silver Fox gate. Silver Fox Gate leads to the upper skier's left of Silver Fox which is rocky cliffly and steeper than Mac Chute. There are clear, clean "easy" way down that in my mind are obvious. This gate is also a primary route to some really roudy terrain in the form of North Chute and Rat's Nest.
Silver Fox middle and lower
middle Silver Fox is nothing more than an open powder/crud/mogul all off the field. Lower Silver Fox gets a decent bit harder. To skier's left is an area known as "Rock Chute" Rock chute is actually the extentsion of Macaroni Chute its slightly more difficult though.the right of rock chute all the ways to Primose Path. There are trees, steeps, straightlines and some smaller cliffs. There are also clean way though that a strong level 8 I am sure could figure out
North Chute
ES - 8-10
DS = 10-10+
SDS 6
North Chute is a permanently roped off area. Most of the time the sign says Closed listen to the sign. Sometime the rope is left up with Cliff Sign left up. When there is a cliff sign you are allowed to duck that Rope. Becareful though, North Chute is VERY steep, narrow and ends with sometimes a mandatory 10 foot air out. It is one of the radest lines at the Bird though and if you can ski it I highly recommend it. Generally open in the spring time and when there is new snow the bottom after the drop normally has great turns to be had/
Rat's Nest Gate
ES 5--10
DS 9-10+
SDS 8 though destroyed skis
when entering the Silver Fox gate a quick turn left will lead you to Rat's Nest Gate we will call all gates behind gate secondary gates from here on out. Rat's Nest is not for the faint of heart. Hardly scary to like of people who travel though here every day to the unintiated it will make them think that Snowbird's riders are crazy sadistic people and they are. Rat Nest is steep scree field that leads to top right side of Great Scott. There is a rope to help you lower your self down as you sidestep down the hill over rocks and around small trees and scrub brush. If you are not quick expected to be harassed by locals. Rats Nest is not the cleanest way to get to Great Scott but it is arguably the quickest and the safest. Great Scott itself is steep and and alittle narrow but there is no real danger on it unless the snow is really hard. Really hard snow at the bird is rare.
Hanging Bowl
ES = 7-10
DS = 10-10+
SDS = 6-7
Hanging Bowl is just what it sounds like a small field of snow above a cliff. Truthfully the easiest way though here isnt that bad. Maybe 5-7 foot air max and you are rewarded by really good powder skiing below that air most of the time. The tougher way is a double air that is more difficult that it looks.
Right Side of Pucker Brush
Pucker Brush is the large ungroomed area to the right of the main Groomed area of Regulator Johnson there are 3 primary gates here servicing a Vast majority of the mountain.
Upper Cirque Gate
ES = 8-10
DS = 9-10 with 10+ for the rockstars
SDS = 4-9
Upper cirque gates is the most uphill of the 3 gates. This gate services Great Scott which was described earlier. The entry on this side require a 10 step uphill sidestep to a short traverse. This way is cleaner but has is more difficult, has more exposure, and is slower than the Rat's Nest way. Jaws is the next shot to the left of Great Scott. This run is Great Scott's evil more difficult brother. Jaw's upper reaches at the easiest require hop turns over exposures, it quite often bumped up and with bad snow as well.
to the left of Jaws all the ways down to Death Chute is the upper cirque chutes these do not have names but are instead called the by their avy route numbers. They are steep but there is no real danger once your skiing them. Its easy to see from the top where you are going.
Cirque Traverse Gate
the cirque traverse gate leads to a very large portion of the resort. It is located on the far right side of Regulator Johnson further down hill than the Upper Cirque gate. Its is one of the few Avy gates that is signed. The gate leads to long bumps up sometime rocky traverse. DO NOT STOP ON THE TRAVERSE. The traverse runs along the 'backbone" of Hidden Peak. Everything on Skiers right that leads down toward Peruvian chair is in P-gulch and everything to skier left is in Gad Valley. Let talk about P-gulch first.
P-gulch cirque traverse
The first runs you can access in P-gulch are some of the tougher short chutes at snowbird.
Death Chute is the chute further up the hill. its for those type that think a run like Corbert Couliar is just too stinking easy. The run will be over in seconds. You drop down a cornice which can vary from an actually 5 footish drop to just steep roll in. Then your greated with a 10-15 foot cliff. Once you land thats its over, you can enjoy yourself on the run out.
here is a great video of the Chute.
the next obvious chute down is Elevator Shaft, this chute is actually really easy to ski as long your comfortable with straightlining a short distance. There are 2 main lines with a good size air right in between them. The right line is wide enough to do hop turns in, but quite often you will hit rocks trying to turn prior to when they both meet up. Its easiest just to straightline it and point till you need to make a right turn prior to hitting the Forbidden Zone wall. The left line is alot narrow and is impossible to turn in. Its is less than 2 feet wide on some days with anglur rocks forming a V both sides of it. Its is a mandatory straightline. Its is also the easier way in. No thinking just drop the small cornice on top which varies from steep roll in up to maybe a 5 foot drop, point your skis straight accelerate till you hit the open snowfield below. Its over in10 second max.
this is how I do it looks easy. It is I put a bunch of people on top of it when I am out there and the majority turn away. I do call it the short ski killer as well. short carvers make for some interesting exits from the chute.
To the left we have an Area knows as the Forbidden Zone.
Forbidden Zone gate
ES = a perceived 10 truthfully I have taken some horrid falls out of here with no issue.
DS = 10 + for rockstars or wannabee rockstars only
SDS = 3-4 from rocks 10+ from messed up hucks
The Forbidden Zone is one of the scariest, toughest places to ski on the whole mountain if not the Scariest toughest place on the whole mountain. it is basically a cornice on top of a spined out 50 degree run over top a 10-30 foot cliff. Out of the 5 times I have tried to ski it I have crashed 4 times.
Jakecast has great helmet cam video of the general vibe of this burlier run.
Eddie's Moe's Powder Field gate
coming soon
if anyone want corrections just PM me. Ill will be build this post as I can.
Edited by BushwackerinPA - 11/23/10 at 4:54pm
