Solitude: Top of Sunrise lift to Fantasy Ridge Peak and out Honeycomb Canyon to Silver Fork

Elevations: 7,800′ – 10,479′

When I got off work at 4, I decided to head up the Sunrise lift to get a head start on the Fantasy Ridge hike. I kept hearing about how people went and tracked out any lines that still had lingering snow on the 4th of July. I thought I’d take a look for myself.

Getting off the lift, I could see the exposed ridge I was headed for.

After getting up to the base of Fantasy, I caught my first glimpse of tracks on the Honeycomb apron.

My place of employment.

Turning around, I started to see all the tracks I was hearing about in the Solitude/Brighton/Alta backcountry.

Almost there.

On the peak, I could see the top of the lift I had just gotten off.

I flipped a 180 looking into Little Cottonwood Canyon. The track counting begins.

Tracks on Stupid Chute near Brighton’s Milli lift.

Tracks on the Big Chute of Wolverine Cirque and a couple off to the left in the apron of Roman’s Couloir.

Tracks on Patsy Marley and a few more off to the right farther down Grizzly Gulch.

Tracks on Alta’s Sugarloaf bowl over Cecret Lake.

 Ed’s Chute was a popular one on the 4th.

Single track on Devil’s Castle shoulder…

and a whole shit ton on the bowl.

Just to give you some perspective, heres a couple before and after photos of some terrain I spent a lot of time in this winter….

Superior before.

After.

Shot 3 before….

After.

It was time for the exit and I got a good look at the long hike out Honeycomb Canyon to the Silver Fork cabins.

It was truly a great snow season.