Author: Jenny Willden

Deck the halls on a mountaintop with our comprehensive guide to free Santa skiing, torchlight parades, Kris Kringle visits, and New Year’s celebrations at Utah’s fantastic ski resorts. Visit skiutah.com for more information on all resorts. ALTA New Year’s Eve Torchlight Parade Ring in 2014 at Alta’s annual New Year’s Eve torchlight parade. The parade follows the main cat track from Watson Shelter to the base of the mountain. To participate you must wear goggles and be an intermediate skier or above. Lifts load at 5:15 p.m. The parade and fireworks begin at 6:00 p.m. Bring non-perishable items to donate…

Our Favorite Insulated Jackets for Utah Winters In the Salt Lake City-area outdoor community, a puffy coat is standard three-season attire. Add on a beanie and your winter wardrobe is dialed. Whether you favor down or synthetic insulation, there’s a host of techy and urban-styled options available this season. So whether you need a new puffy for yourself, a loved one, or a child, check out our favorites first: Merrell Silversun Featherless Puffer  Synthetic or Down: synthetic, Thinsulate The most fashionista-ish and bold style of those tested, this puffy has 600 grams of warm featherless insulation. The DWR coating means it’s no biggie if you…

Overnight Utah Backpacking Trips Near SLC Fall foliage, fewer crowds, and crisp air are just a few reasons to love hiking and backpacking in autumn. Whether you’re new to backpacking or a seasoned overnighter, these close–to–home destinations are perfect weekend escapes. When camping in fall, come prepared for cold nights and rapidly changing conditions to ensure a good experience. For the backpacking averse, these trips make great day hikes. The Close to Home Red Pine Lake This trail starts off easy-ish and crosses a couple footbridges over creeks before inclining steeply through colored aspens and pines. Breaks in the trees…

It’s 95 degrees outside in New York City, but inside a nondescript warehouse, the temperature is a chilly 35 degrees. Nike has transformed the space into a winter testing lab of sorts where journalists are guinea pigs here to test their latest innovations in the weather they are built for: cold. Therma-Sphere, Nike’s cold-weather workout gear project that was nearly two years in the making, is the crowning achievement of their winter collection with iterations available for men and women. The entire Therma-Sphere line is made from three-layer composite material that feels soft and almost squishy to the touch and has…

For those of us who love summiting peaks and skiing knee deep pow, venturing into Utah’s backcountry is a worthwhile risk. But when a sketchy situation escalates into a dangerous one, we must make the call: go on or turn back. Whether it’s skipping a summit when a storm is imminent or not skiing down a line that seems likely to slide, making smart, fast decisions is key to surviving and thriving in the outdoors. A favorite story from this issue covers this topic as the author struggles with whether or not to climb Moab’s Ancient Art after a storm.…

Climb4Life is a fun climbing event for a great cause! Check out the details below and don’t miss it! Whether you are a beginner climber, an experienced mountaineer, a courageous cancer survivor or a person whose life has been affected by cancer – Climb4Life Salt Lake City is for you. Women, men, children and families – all abilities, all ages, and all levels- are welcome! We’ll be sure to have some awesome professional climbers there to share their expertise and support as well. New this year we are offering a number of clinics hosted by Mountain Education Development. Interested in transitioning…

(Almost) Bagging Telluride’s Wilson Peak Wilson Peak is a formidable adversary. From afar, climbing the mighty face looks daunting—if not impossible—as the black, snowcapped peak is more akin to Mordor than a hiking trail. As it came into view while riding Telluride’s gondola on our first night in town, I unleashed a few choice words upon realizing it was Coors Mountain, the peak we intended to climb and crack a beer on top of the following morning. Topping out at 14,017 feet and rising high above Telluride in southwest Colorado’s San Juan Mountains, Wilson Peak is one of three 14ers…

Finding the good in the bad can be trying. When I badly injured my wrist last winter, I felt like my active life was temporarily over. While recovering, I decided to focus that negative energy into mastering something new: peak bagging. Being a Utah native I’ve hiked a lot, but I’ve never committed to the long treks required to reach summits. I started with Utah’s smaller peaks before working up to my first 14er, Telluride’s Wilson Peak, this summer! While thunderstorms prevented us from summiting, climbing to 13,500 feet is one of the most fun, difficult challenges I’ve undertaken. I’ve…

Every July 24, Utah celebrates its roots with parades, fireworks, and a day off work for many on what we call Pioneer Day (also known as Pie and Beer Day). The last thing you may think to cheers with on this occasion is whiskey, but that’s exactly how I celebrated last Friday at the pre-grand opening celebration at the new High West Distillery located in Wanship, Utah. The 30,000 square-foot distillery, which has four 1,500 gallon stills–more than 6 times the capacity of their single 250-gallon still at their original Park City location–will boast a restaurant that overlooks the mountains, guided tours, and whiskey sampling of High West’s…

Our best finds for hot day or night workouts. 1. PowerSpurz and PowerArmz When it’s too hot to run in the sun, many runners take to the street at night. Keep yourself safe when you do with LED-lit shoe and arm safety bands from 4id. Just pop it onto the heel of your shoe or strap to your arm before running into the night. Choose from flashing or continuously lit modes. Note that these are sold individually so buy two if you’d like a set. Available in five colors, including pink for breast cancer awareness. $19.95 each 4id.com …