Bountiful Peak Tour Approach

Type: Backcountry or Sidecountry

Watch out for gargantuan-sized cornices—bigger than you ever thought possible! Look for rocks or shrubbery sticking out of the snow and stick to terrain where you're sure such things are under your feet. The ridge leading up to the peak, and the peak itself, are heavily corniced.

One of the great dilemmas of skiing in the Farmington area (and many other nearby areas for that matter) is that of getting above treeline in a reasonable amount of time to access the goods, then being able to ski back down below treeline, preferably, all the way to your car. This tour fails to accomplish this goal, but it's doable, and I'd be surprised if there was a better approach to Bountiful Peak nearby. Until I find it, here's how this tour goes...

Skin up where the trail begins, just a short walk from the trailhead parking. The good news is that you won't have to take the skis off until you reach the peak. The way down, however, will probably be a different story.

Skin as though you were headed to Hell Hole Camp via Christmas Tree Lane. Before reaching the camp, take the Old North Trail fork. (Don't get your skins wet when making the stream crossing.) This takes you to Midway Peak, but you'll bypass that to continue on up the ridge, which will lead you all the way to the summit.

The conditions you find may vary, but what I found was terrible, horrible wind slab leading to the summit. You can't really ski it back down the way you came, especially because of all the exposed rocks. Fortunately, however, the Bountiful Peak Run offers an alternative way down on some wind-sheltered snow at a moderate angle.

Once you link back up with the ridge for the descent, the skiing goes quite smoothly to Midway peak. From there, however, it gets progressively more difficult. After enough crashes, I swallowed my pride, took off the skis, then booted it down the rest of the way.