This is a real special outing, there are few places where one is able to ski white capped peaks surrounded on most sides by red rock desert. This one is worth the trip alone just for the summit views and then there’s also skiing, which is fun. The La Sals are a small grouping of peaks that jut out of the Utah desert and manage to pick up healthy amounts of snowfall and unfortunately healthy amounts of wind that then blow much of that snow away. The terrain is wide open and offers up a variety of aspects off of several of the peaks. One of the longer and better descents is off the north side of Mount Tuk and has become a “classic”. There is the steep directly north face that pinches down into a tight and often icy chute, or the northeast face is more open and more moderate. Both good options when you’re in the area as well as Tuk North peak.
Drive up the Geyser Pass Road and park where they stop plowing. One can cut of some mileage by heading back towards the sharp bend in the road and heading southeast towards Gold Basin Road. You’ll pass by a yurt in the flats, continue up the drainage until you reach the base of the peak. Ascend the large central rib that runs down the north side of the peak.
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There are no locals here, therefore no local beta.
Zach W
04/29/2022 10:59am
(Skied 4/23/2022)
Do I get to write a trip report if we skied the NE face instead of the N? We skied Little Tuk first and scouted the N face, but it looked heinously windswept and icy whereas NE held what looked like creamy pow, so we decided to ski that instead. The N Face looks like an incredible line if you can get through a choke beneath the fall line of the summit, but with limited info and icy conditions we thought we'd just skirt the cliff bands all the way skiers left, which made it less appetizing. NE is a fun line - a nice wide "couloir"/hanging snowfield above a steeper rollover (40-45* for a few turns) above a cliff is a fun, not-too-challenging crux. Don't let the skimoco description put you off! Google "Geyser Pass Winter Trailhead," locate it on a topo map, and skin from there. You will have to lose some elevation on the way into the main basin, but once you're there there's a lot to ski.